LOVING THE SELF
My Journey
Hi! My name is Jo Andersson. I am a glass artist and have been working with the material for about thirteen years. It is something I love more than anything else and I am so grateful I have the privilege of working with something I love so much.
There are many things I love about glass. Its fluidity, intensity and femininity are just a few of the things I love about it. The way it interacts with light, the way it moves and responds to my energy and movement and the way I feel so alive while working with it. My relationship with glass has taught me many priceless lessons. It has taught me how to communicate in a better way, to stand in my power and most importantly it has helped me to become more aware of myself and my environment.
My story has not always been easy. Quite the opposite. I was raised in a family which on the outside looked "normal". Some would even say extremely privileged. Which in some ways is true. My parents were successful and accomplished people in society. We had a nice big house, took vacations, had pets, and even a nanny. The truth was though that on the inside everything was anything but ok. My father was a raging alcoholic, and now after much research and inner child work, I understand him to be a narcissist as well. I was sexually, emotionally and psychologically abused and while I was well fed and had many luxuries others can only dream of, my internal reality was one of fear, shame, and self-loathing.
You are probably wondering why I am willing to share such personal information? I believe most people if not everyone has endured traumas and hardships in their lives and one way to heal from these events is by talking about them. To normalise them. Not in a way that makes these things okay but in a way that clears the shame for the victims of the abuse. I believe this is the way we end the cycle of dysfunction and to become accountable. To bring light to the things kept hidden.
This is why I have created Jo Andersson Studios. It is my hope to create art, installations and eco-friendly products which help to inspire self-love and awareness within the individual. I believe we are in an extremely exciting time. A time where we have the power to create something new, a new paradigm. Together we can create the change we wish to see in the world, and it all starts with loving the self.
Thank you.