Stuttering Does Not Stop Him – Finding a Voice Through Art

The anxiety and struggle of having a life-long stuttering problem can seem insurmountable. Not having the ability to speak fluently affects so many aspects of your life. It’s like words randomly get caught in your throat. Your mouth seizes and doesn’t respond as you’d like. You lean your head back, close your eyes and muster all your effort to finally form a word.

For Tom Holdman, stuttering will always be part of his story. But through many obstacles and hard work, it hasn’t stopped him from finding his voice.  Even though he was plagued with anxiety as a child and had to endure jabs from peers in his youth, this weakness led him to his art. Today Tom’s work in impeccable stained-glass windows has attracted international attention and admiration. 

Tom has always had a slow tongue and he needed to find ways to speak with others. He discovered that through art he could express himself. This proved to be a powerful tool for a man who was desperate to express himself. Ultimately, his true release was found through his art. He emerged passionate, triumphant and fulfilled.

For years, Tom and his team of artists at Holdman Studios have created stained-glass windows for government offices, libraries, hospitals, LDS temples and airports. Then he came across the idea for Roots of Knowledge, a much more massive project than he has ever undertaken.

While perusing through BYU campus, Tom pondered on humankind’s existence and the impact of technology and beyond. He wondered if he could capture this in his art. He visited UVU President Matt Holland showed him some sketches he had made on a scroll. Holland loved his idea and felt that is should be even bigger.

In November of 2016, Roots of Knowledge was unveiled which was 12 years in the making and cost around $3 million. Tom explained this massive and amazing project as hiking their artistic Everest.

Tom and his wife Gayle have three children and have both spent over 25 years in building a career in making windows. There have been both highs and lows, including the passing of his father from cancer. Working out of his Holdman Studios at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah, Tom has gathered a talented team of artists. His goal is to not just create art but create art that inspires and makes a difference.