Glass made by glass artists is too often a boring showcase of techniques they’ve mastered. I try to stay away from this trap. At the beginning of my career this was easy, with no education, or contact with other glass blowers. But over the years, I find we have developed our own tradition of making and noticed that we combine Venetian, Bohemian and Leerdam techniques when making a piece.

Next to the glass making, I also collect 19th century reference books and atlases. I am especially attracted to black and white engravings. When I run out of ideas of what to make and explore with glass, I look at these engravings from a different perspective and realise that the designs are perfect for translating to glass.

The speed. The short time you have for manipulating the fluid material. Fluid and solid glass are completely different materials – soft versus hard; hot versus cold; moving versus rigid. I don’t like solid glass, you must clean it, and care needs to be taken not to be break it.

I once made a 30m high ‘singing’ tower filled with crystal bells, near Utrecht. We made an open metal structure, the outside of which is covered in large blue glass baubles and inside lead crystal bells, all of them tuned like a musical instrument. It’s the first crystal carillon of its kind in the world.