| You can also view Brad's work at: www.glasscrafters.com in the artist gallery |
| FISCUS CONSULTING 4055 Clovercroft Road Franklin, Tennessee 1(877)496-1971 |
He Dreams in Glass While Children Sleep:
Teacher Learns creative craft after becoming a stay-at-home dad to two little ones.
Excerpt from the Tennessean, Williamson AM Real Estate
Friday, October 3, 2003
By MARILEE SPANJIAN
For years, Brad Fiscus was known as a biology teacher and wrestling coach at
Overton High School, just north of the county line on Franklin Road. But things
changed when his wife, Michelle, a pediatrician and partner at Cool Springs
Pediatrics, got pregnant.
With their knowledge of child development, both agreed someone had to give up
their career and become a stay-at-home parent. After weighing Michelle's earning
potential, job security and schedule flexibility, Brad agreed to quit teaching.
''My students said, 'We can't believe you're leaving us,''' Brad recalled. ''I told
them, 'I can't pass up this opportunity.''' That was two years and two children ago
— Mare', 2, and one-month-old son Collins.
Adjusting to full-time life at home
Like most first time stay-at-home parents, the first year of full-time parenting
consumed Brad's life. Then one day, the family took a walk down Main Street in
Franklin and saw a sign announcing classes in the storefront window of Over the
Rainbow, a stained glass studio and gallery.
Brad remembers thinking, ''You can only wash so many dishes and do so much
laundry before getting bored.''
After a little prodding from Michelle, Brad signed up for the four-week course.
''I had never tapped into that side of my brain. What I found is it gave me the
opportunity to release.''
While Brad continues to organize local wrestling tournaments and conduct
leadership seminars at local middle and high schools when Michelle is not at her
office, his focus has shifted from folding laundry, cooking and cleaning while his
children sleep to spending time in the studio he built in the basement of their
Franklin home.
Another career door opens
Now, after just one year, Brad's hobby is turning into a viable business. Recently,
a customer commissioned Brad to make a stained glass window with a trout-
fishing theme to fit inside an existing window of their Franklin, TN house.
They wanted to add some personality to the room and cover the half-moon
window. But they also wanted to be able to take the stained glass window with
them if they ever decide to move.
Brad estimates that the 3 1/2-foot-by-5-foot window took approximately 100 hours
to complete, including design time. A similar project would cost between $1,500 to
$3,000, depending on the complexity of the design and size of the window.
''You can figure that depending on the installation difficulty, a custom stained
glass window costs between $120 to $160 per square foot,'' Brad explained.
On a smaller scale, Brad makes lamps that sell between $100 to $150, crosses for
$20 to $50 and even necklaces priced around $20.
While his children sleep …
At the end of October, life for the Fiscus family is expected to return to normal
when Michelle resumes her medical practice.
And then Brad will return to life as a full-time dad with, of course, some time
creating stained glass mixed in during his children's daily naps.
Teacher Learns creative craft after becoming a stay-at-home dad to two little ones.
Excerpt from the Tennessean, Williamson AM Real Estate
Friday, October 3, 2003
By MARILEE SPANJIAN
For years, Brad Fiscus was known as a biology teacher and wrestling coach at
Overton High School, just north of the county line on Franklin Road. But things
changed when his wife, Michelle, a pediatrician and partner at Cool Springs
Pediatrics, got pregnant.
With their knowledge of child development, both agreed someone had to give up
their career and become a stay-at-home parent. After weighing Michelle's earning
potential, job security and schedule flexibility, Brad agreed to quit teaching.
''My students said, 'We can't believe you're leaving us,''' Brad recalled. ''I told
them, 'I can't pass up this opportunity.''' That was two years and two children ago
— Mare', 2, and one-month-old son Collins.
Adjusting to full-time life at home
Like most first time stay-at-home parents, the first year of full-time parenting
consumed Brad's life. Then one day, the family took a walk down Main Street in
Franklin and saw a sign announcing classes in the storefront window of Over the
Rainbow, a stained glass studio and gallery.
Brad remembers thinking, ''You can only wash so many dishes and do so much
laundry before getting bored.''
After a little prodding from Michelle, Brad signed up for the four-week course.
''I had never tapped into that side of my brain. What I found is it gave me the
opportunity to release.''
While Brad continues to organize local wrestling tournaments and conduct
leadership seminars at local middle and high schools when Michelle is not at her
office, his focus has shifted from folding laundry, cooking and cleaning while his
children sleep to spending time in the studio he built in the basement of their
Franklin home.
Another career door opens
Now, after just one year, Brad's hobby is turning into a viable business. Recently,
a customer commissioned Brad to make a stained glass window with a trout-
fishing theme to fit inside an existing window of their Franklin, TN house.
They wanted to add some personality to the room and cover the half-moon
window. But they also wanted to be able to take the stained glass window with
them if they ever decide to move.
Brad estimates that the 3 1/2-foot-by-5-foot window took approximately 100 hours
to complete, including design time. A similar project would cost between $1,500 to
$3,000, depending on the complexity of the design and size of the window.
''You can figure that depending on the installation difficulty, a custom stained
glass window costs between $120 to $160 per square foot,'' Brad explained.
On a smaller scale, Brad makes lamps that sell between $100 to $150, crosses for
$20 to $50 and even necklaces priced around $20.
While his children sleep …
At the end of October, life for the Fiscus family is expected to return to normal
when Michelle resumes her medical practice.
And then Brad will return to life as a full-time dad with, of course, some time
creating stained glass mixed in during his children's daily naps.
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |