Maja Sowinska
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Maja is a Glass Artist who has been living full time, on the road, for 9 years. Her focus is on her climbing-inspired jewelry brand, Glass Carabiners. She started her company in 2016, while living and climbing out of her iconic pink van. Her intent is to create mindful art to help others show off their passion for climbing.
Drawn to the desert, you’ll often find her climbing sandstone splitters. She currently lives in a 34 foot Skoolie, towing a 16-foot glass blowing studio trailer. She spends her winters living in Baja, Mexico. She has grown quite fond of ocean kayak fishing. Summertime is dedicated for selling her art at the International Climbing Festival, and then spontaneous solo adventures.
Maja enjoys long-distance motorbike trips. In the US, she rides a sportster. Her favorite way to travel is to wing it. Last year she bought a one way ticket to Poland, got a Yamaha TDM 850 and visited 7 Eastern European countries. Her first language is Polish which helped her get around. The mission was to ride through the Slovakian Mountains, visit a friend in Austria, and make it to the world class Czech sandstone destinations; otherwise, it was made up along the way.
During her time in Moab, she hosts a women’s climbing meetup, weekly. Her mission is to inspire a feminine approach to climbing and grow the number of ladies taking the lead in the climbing community. Maja also enjoys hiding her tiny glass carabiners in cracks and along routes. You can find hints about hidden jewelry on her Instagram, and join the weekly meetup by looking up “Women’s Wall Street Wednesdays” on Facebook.
About GLASS CARABINERS
Maja makes handmade jewelry for climbers, made mindfully.
They symbolize our passion for rocks and climbing on them.
Some would say I radiant presence and love and I try to fill each piece of jewelry with exactly that.
“Expressing yourself and your stoke on climbing is a form of Creative well-being. A great reminder to get out there and climb, as well as a solid boost in confidence! :)”
Prices:
$18 per Bracelet or Necklace
$34 Earrings
(All payment forms accepted)
“The unknown will always be outside of comfort, but that is the most magical space.”
What do you consider to be some of your greatest achievements?
I am not a much of an achiever... I prefer to just live my life for the experience and make it up as I go along.
That said, some things I’m proud of: I’ve traveled Eastern Europe solo on a motorbike with a tent, climbed in the Czech Republic with monkey fists as pro, caught a Triple Fin in my kayak, on the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Mexico, and taught myself how to blow glass.
Greatest achievement is my little company, which I built from scratch, doing what I love, and having faith in the magic of aligned intention.
What sparked your love for adventure?
My family was pretty adventurous, I was 11 when I started sailing at Regatta Point, in Worcester, MA. But the real fun all started with an old, beat up van that my friends picked me up in. It turned into home for the month and a dream to get away from the city.
Which lead me, years later, to packing a backpack and crossing the states, learning to blow glass, finding climbing, and never moving back into a house.
How do you prepare mentally and physically for your adventures?
Gather info, pack gear, and stay present, and not overthink it. Too much excitement or too much fear can set unrealistic expectations. Best to let it be new!
What do you think the childhood version of you would think of your current adventurous nature? What would you go back and tell that version of you?
I saw it coming. My sister and I had two beanie babies - a parrot and a bat. We called them “the adventurers.” We made them little backpacks and had them go on loads of wild adventures. My childhood self would’ve been proud. I would go back and high five her.
Can you recall a time when an adventure brought you closer to someone else?
Yeah, survival. My partner and I had to camp at the start of a mountain because the winds got too strong to motorbike over to Arizona... where it would’ve been warm. We were all packed for Mexico with our 40-degree bags... but it was 16 degrees that night. It literally brought us close cause we had to put the bags one inside the other and squeeze in there.
Can you share a memorable encounter with wildlife during one of your adventures?
I was camping alone on a mountain with some coolers outside full of deer. It had been a week or so up there and I heard a noise outside the trailer. My friend had left me with a shotgun, but silly me, I thought someone fun was there to say hi, so I ran outside to greet them. It was a bear, standing on his rear legs, holding a rack of ribs between his paws. Luckily, my husky/malamute, Nika, came to the rescue. She attacked, he ditched the meat and ran for his life. Nika was a true hero, she ate extra well that night. :)
How do you handle fear or uncertainty during your adventures?
Feel the fear then stick it out. I learned a while back that if I am uncertain about a climb, it won’t help much to voice that uncertainty. Now I just stay quiet, maybe a bit of a meditative state, then I go for it. It’s usually not that bad... and worst case scenario, I fall. Also not that bad. All my friends think I’m so brave... but, yeah, no. Just keepin’ it to myself. 😛
What role does community play in your adventurous pursuits?
For 5 years now, I host a free weekly meet up in Moab called “Women’s Wall Street Wednesdays” during the time I spend there - spring and fall. It is a huge honor to motivate and be motivated by women outside. The community is incredible, everyone is so uplifting and supportive of each other, and the group is mega welcoming and inviting. Check us out! @womenswallstreetwednesdays on insta!
Can you describe a particularly humbling experience you've had in nature?
Well once upon a time my partner and I decided to camp in an arroyo...
Anyway it turned into us running around naked in the rain with our tent and trying to drive the motorbike through what was now a pretty gnarly river... Then sleeping fetal position above his head on one of our not popped pad, sliding into the puddle at the bottom of the tent pitched on a 45-degree hill. We were stuck there for 12 hours… woofs. Oh the best part, the bike was parked in a pile of bat guano, and it got stuck. I dug it out and yelled, “go go” only to get a face full.
What's the most unexpected thing you've encountered on an adventure?
I was solo adventuring in the Czech Rebublic. I crawled into a hip size cave and scrambled up what widened into a chimney. Thirty feet up or so I poked my head out and met a group of locals. They let me borrow a harness and I got to climb this epic tower! The route was established 100 years ago exactly, and at the top were some more locals, who shared a cake with me. Turns out these guys were search and rescue and they invited me to sleep in the fire station tower, which was 4 stories of 10 x 10, with climbing holds to get from floor to floor. Pretty sweet run in.
How do you define your comfort zone, and how do you challenge it?
I’d call myself a comfort climber. My hardest attempt, is my highest flash grade -12a. That means that I spend most of my time climbing below my limit. And I think that’s ok. I have a ton of fun. I challenge myself by climbing in new places. Outside of climbing, I like to practice faith over fear. I believe that if you have a goal, and a gentle belief in it, it will always work out. So, I like to do spontaneous trips without much planning. Most of the time I figure out where I’m sleeping an hour before bed. This is especially fun in foreign countries. The unknown will always be outside of comfort, but that is the most magical space.
What role does nature play in your life?
Connecting with nature is my favorite part. I don’t live in a house, so I am always outside. I like to learn about all the plants I can pick and make tea with, or snack on on the way up to a rock. I love making friends with lizards. Sometimes they even climb all the way up a route with me. Just the other day, a bird sat on me... and not just for a second, but like it walked from my back to my head before flying off. Yeah, nature is the best!
What role does solo adventuring play in your life?
I believe that when you adventure solo, your chances of running into and experiencing something magical increases tremendously. I do also love walking alone in nature and listening to the stream of sounds.
