#SoaringToSuccess: From Glass to Growth — Crafting a Creative Career

As Elmira College student Emma Smith ’27 recorded herself talking to Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG) employees for an Instagram video, an Australian employee began spreading Vegemite onto a piece of toast. Smith watched as the man smeared the thick, brown, yeast-based spread popular in his home country onto the bread. When he handed her a piece to try, she reserved judgment until she took a bite, grimaced, and politely rejected the salty, bitter flavor.

“But I loved trying it,” she exclaimed.

This fun exchange is typical of the kinds of experiences Smith is having during her role as the Social Media and Content Creation Intern at CMOG.

An Art major, Smith is concentrating on graphic design. The Museum internship is a great way for her to enhance the skills she’s learning at EC.

“Last year I took all of Professor Jan Kather’s classes, and her teaching us Photoshop has been incredible in the process of design,” shared Smith.

At the Museum, Smith is “making graphics for Instagram stories, which includes checking that content isn’t copyrighted. Often, I make promotions for classes at The Studio or for upcoming events.”

Making the graphics typically includes taking photos, which is particularly tricky at a glass museum, where the main attraction is transparent and not easy to capture on film.

Thankfully, Smith has been learning many tricks from her coworkers. At every chance, she observes her team as they work.

When Smith was invited to assist her team with a YouTube series called “Glass in a Flash,” Smith watched closely as they gracefully moved across the stage, filming glass artists manipulate molten glass.

“Seeing the process and noting the angles they used with their cameras helped me understand what will work better for the graphics I design,” she explained.

For example, as she met with a glass artist in residence, she played with a few ways to capture the artist holding transparent glass discs.

“One of the discs had color, so I took the photo so that the viewer of the image is looking at the artist through the color of the disc.”

As Smith took those photos, her thoughts raced as she imagined where in the image she could add text.

“It helps to make the graphic if you think about the design as you capture the image,” she explained.

Smith is equally excited to observe professional “soft skills” that are improving her ability to communicate with her colleagues.

“The Museum is a professional workspace. There’s a set tone in how you speak in meetings. For example, we use the word ‘team’ a lot because it shows we are connected and not competitive.”

While Smith has a different industry in mind for her future career – she plans to pursue sports marketing – the fast pace and throngs of visitors at CMOG are similar, and the skills she’s learning can be applied anywhere..

“I love the idea of using what I am learning at CMOG and using it to take photos and make graphics for sports teams,” she explained. “Athletics has always been a part of my life. I work at a gym, so I want to intersect my two worlds: athletics and art.”

With every new skill and experience, Smith is soaring forward — turning classroom lessons into creative opportunities that bring her closer to her career goals.