If you're reading this post, there's a good chance that means you spend what could be termed a significant amount of time on the internet. Right? I admit I spend a lot of time with my laptop in my lap, usually with umpteen tabs open to satisfy my gnat-like attention span.
So what does that have to do with celebrating? Well, as I was trying to figure out what I could write that related to celebrations (the current theme of the Art Bead Scene Carnival of Bloggers), I realized that many of the sites I visit have celebrations going on...
For example:
Judith Bertoglio-Giffin just celebrated the completion of a five-year project, a new e-book called Triangular Bead Crochet Ropes.
I'm a big fan of bead crochet, and I already own several of Judith's previous publications (in hard copy form); so I was doing my own bit of celebrating to see that this e-book is now complete.
Anyone who's ever tried to design a bead crochet pattern knows just how tricky that can be -- getting the right number of repeats in the stringing pattern and getting the pattern to repeat properly without being able to actually see it until you start crocheting. Well, Judith has apparently come up with a new method of patterning that solves those problems.
Hooray!
A friend and fellow beadweaver, Triz, celebrates the completion of a gorgeous beaded leather bag on her blog, Beading Mania. The bag was a long time in the making, and Triz gets to celebrate a little every day as she carries this bag with her.
She's another blogger and artisan who regularly celebrates her new creations. And with good reason!
I am in complete awe of her talent, and I've spent the past couple of weeks drooling over her latest venture into leather and beaded cuffs. They are incredible, as you can see by visiting either her blog or her Etsy shop.
Another friend and fellow beadweaver Carol Dean Sharpe writes lots of celebratory posts in her SandFibers blog.
On Saturdays she goes "window shopping" on Etsy to celebrate the artistry she finds there. Her finds are always drool-worthy.
On Thursdays she posts pictures to the treasuries which have featured her work during the past week, something always worth celebrating.
And being a prolific beadweaver, she often writes happy posts about her newest creations, as in this one entitled: A Brand New Cuff for a Brand New Week!
I know there are lots of occasions to be celebrated: Birthdays, holidays, new jobs, graduations... It's a pretty endless list.
But how many of you celebrate something every day? Even celebrating a small thing will give you a momentary mood lift that might carry you into the next moment with a different outlook. I notice lots of celebrations on Facebook (where I spend an inordinate amount of time). New puppies. New projects just finished. A new recipe. From the biggest, best occasions to the mundane, celebrating something just makes it better.
As I began writing this post, I started thinking of random things relating to celebrations.
Kristen Wiig, as the Target Lady on Saturday Night Live, celebrates every time a credit card is approved. It cracks me up every time.
It's November. And that means pomegranates are in season. I did my own little celebration in the grocery aisle the other day, seeing that big bin of delicious fruity goodness.
My husband celebrates every time he goes to the refrigerator and sees a fresh bowl of Jello I've made for him.
Have you ever played on a sports team? Or participated on any kind of team, for that matter? Doesn't it make you feel great when your team gives you a big "WOO HOO!" for something you did?
It may sound silly, but I think you should find SOMETHING to celebrate every day. It'll make your whole life better. And that's worth celebrating.
WOO HOO!
Earlier this year I signed up to participate in the Art Bead Scene Carnival of Bloggers. I thought it would prompt me to write more interesting posts. I've had ideas for all sorts of posts, but when it comes to sitting down and writing I admit that I get lazy. Anyway... the topic for this assignment is Growth, and as I gave that one some thought I decided to look at beading in terms of a growth chart. You know, those charts you hang in a doorway to chart the progress of your child's growth? I don't have kids, but I can remember my Mom marking my height on the door frame and being so excited to see the marks progress up the frame as I grew.
Do you chart your growth as a beader or bead artist? How do you keep track of the progress you make? As I started thinking about this blog post, I did a little searching and found numerous references to the stages of life. Here's a link to a site that I thought described the stages (eight, in this case) succinctly: The Eight Stages of Life.
I haven't used eight stages, but I started thinking of the stages in terms of a bead artisan's life:
Infancy: You're brand new to the world of beads. Oh, you've seen beads before, but your eyes have just opened to the possibilities that you might be able to create something of your own, starting with a selection of beads, clay, paper, metal, polymer clay... What do you do? How do you learn? Does someone teach you how to stitch, string, embroider, mold, or otherwise manipulate those beady bits of goodness?
I thought back to my own first venture into beads. It was when I was in junior high school, and I learned how to make paper beads. Remember those? I made thousands of them, using the colored pages from catalogs and bottles of Elmers Glue to hold them together. The strips of paper had to be cut into long skinny triangles, and my Grandfather decided to help me with making my beads uniform in size by making a wooden template I could use to mark the pages.
My Mom took my paper bead necklaces to work and sold them to her coworkers, who were happy to have brightly colored looping necklaces that only cost them $1.50. (I think I might have been underpricing my work.) I still have one of those original necklaces, now more than 40 (gasp!) years old. I found it in my grandmother's jewelry collection, and it made me smile to think about making all those beads. Back then, my little bead venture was aided by everyone in my family: my Grandfather's template for cutting the beads, my Grandmother helping me to cut the paper into strips, my Mom doing the marketing.
A couple of years ago I made paper beads using scrapbook paper. I did all the cutting and rolling, and I sold a few of them in my Etsy shop. With every paper bead I made, I thought of my family and how they nurtured my creativity by helping me with those first beads.
Adolescence: While I created those paper beads back in junior high school, it wasn't until I was in my 40s that I rediscovered beads and began to explore the possibilities, entering the adolescent stage of my beading.
I admit that I would often wander down a jewelry aisle at the local craft stores, but I rarely did anything but look. One day, though, I picked up a package of seed beads in all different colors (I'm like a magpie, apparently, attracted to bright shiny things -- at least that's how one of my friends describes me). I had no idea what I was going to do with all those beads, but I knew I could do something!
I knew how to crochet, having been taught the basics by my Grandmother, and I was so excited when I found books on bead crochet! Who knew I could combine something I already knew how to do with my newfound package of beady goodness? I've always been visual, so learning new techniques from books is a "natural" for me. Some of my first beady books were about bead crochet by some masters in the technique, Bethany Barry, Ann Benson, and Judith Bertoglio-Giffin. Being a self-confessed bibliophile, I probably spent more money on books than I did on beads during those bead-adolescent years.
My first attempts at bead crochet were a little frustrating. Trying to control those little beads and get them all going in the right direction, making sure to put the tip of the crochet hook into the right place in the rope... through some trial and error, I finally became comfortable with the technique, though, and now it's one of my favorite things to take with me on road trips. I can string the beads ahead of time and crochet away while sitting in the passenger seat, never worrying about sprinkling beads all over the vehicle.
Young Adulthood: Having "mastered" bead crochet, or at least having done so many bead crochet lariats, necklaces, and bracelets that I was tired of doing them, I temporarily put aside my beads and spent a year or two doing one of my other favorite pastimes, drawing. I still had beads, but I just didn't feel like picking up that crochet hook again, and I really didn't know any other techniques at that point. I was also a little bored with the bead selection at the local craft stores.
And then I went to a Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Wow. All those beads. Beads of every size, shape, and color imaginable. Beads made of glass, wire, wood, ceramic, porcelain, metal, polymer clay. And once again I was drawn in by all those "bright, shiny things" and walked away with POUNDS of beads. And not a real good idea of what to do with them. I just knew I could do something fun with them. I just had to find more books...
And find them I did. Books and magazines galore, all about beading and beading techniques. The first technique I learned was peyote, and while I've learned other techniques since then, peyote continues to be a favorite. The first beads I bought were Czech glass. They came in so many different colors and finishes, and I walked away from that show with thousands (millions?) of them.
My first peyote cuffs were created with no patterns. At least no patterns that were mapped out ahead of time or recorded in any way. I just made them up as I beaded, sometimes tearing out sections I didn't like and redoing them. It was great fun to hold the tubes of beads next to each other to see what I could combine for my next creation. I still have some of those original peyote bracelets and cuffs. They don't meet my standards any more for beadweaving, but I don't have the heart to take them apart and reuse the beads for something else. They're a part of my beady growth, so I think I'll just hang onto them for awhile.
Adulthood: I think this might be my current stage of growth. And I have continued to grow. I've added more books and magazines to my collection (more than 100 books and countless magazines, including Bead and Button, Step-by-Step Beads, Beadwork, Bead Style, Bead Trends, Art Jewelry...). I learned more techniques and stitches from the instructional pages in the backs of those magazines (tubular peyote, tubular herringbone / ndebele, right angle weave, spirals, beading around cabochons), and I'm constantly inspired by the works of art I see depicted in the beading books.
Two of my favorite books are 500 Beaded Objects, a Lark book with pictures of some of the most glorious bead creations you've ever seen; and Mastering Beadwork, a great technique reference book by Carol Huber Cypher. I refer to those two books again and again for both instruction and inspiration.
As I entered beady adulthood, I began creating more and more pieces and selling them in my Etsy shop, time2cre8. I had initially opened an Etsy shop to sell my artwork, but now it's devoted to my beadweaving and jewelry making. One of my first "Etsy idols," someone who demonstrated the possibilities that could be achieved with beadweaving, is Carol Dean Sharpe. She was, and continues to be, one of the most talented beadweavers I know; and now she's a dear friend (and cosmic sister).
With peyote still one of my favorite techniques, I purchased a graphing software so I could design my own patterns; and just this year I made it a personal goal to create a new peyote design every week. So far I'm on track, with 17 designs completed (and that means that I finished the designs and beaded the cuff, and in some cases even published the patterns for other beadweavers to purchase!).
I also began incorporating art beads and cabochons into my work, and I've now amassed a collection of polymer clay, lampwork, ceramic, and porcelain goodies by such artists as Lisa Peters, Dee Wilder, Marianne Kasparian, Moon Stumpp, and Kristie Roeder (to name but a few). Not only have I begun to collect their beautiful work, but I'm privileged now to be able to call all of these talented bead artisans my friends.
I visit their shops regularly, and sometimes I go through my collection of their works and choose a piece to use for one of my new creations. The piece shown at the left is a gorgeous cabochon made by Lisa Peters, and it was my first attempt at using right angle weave (aka RAW) to create a beaded bezel.
I have to say that I'm quite happy with my progress and most of all with the friends I've met along the way.
Middle Age: While I might be there chronologically, I'm not sure if I've reached this stage in my beadweaving. Maybe. I have learned more and more techniques, but when I look at the work by some of my friends I know I'm not on the same level as they are.
I'm continuing to learn new techniques and to refine my skills. And I continue to buy beads of all kinds, even though I could probably start beading now and bead continuously for years with no danger of running out. I thought about taking a picture of all the containers of beads I have, but the thought of gathering them into a single location (some are still packed, since we recently moved; and others are stacked on shelves in a cabinet) made me cringe.
Some of my pieces are a little more "mature" than others, and I'm always trying to expand my knowledge (more books) and range.
As I try to grow toward beady middle age, I'm incorporating more design elements into my pieces, working toward creating pieces that are unique and artsy and unexpected. The piece to the right, which features a focal by Kristie Roeder, incorporates some driftwood I collected on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Maturity: What will come with this next stage? Will I ever reach the level of some of my favorite bead artisans: Marcia DeCoster, Diane Fitzgerald, Rachel Nelson-Smith, Carol Huber Cypher, Carol Wilcox Wells?
I'm not sure.
But I'm always growing, and I still LOVE playing with beads. I'm thankful for the nurturing I received from my incredible family, for the friends I've made along the way, and for the journey itself.
And with that, I think it's time for me to get out the beads and play for awhile.
:-)
Can you define what fuels your passion? What makes you want to do the things you do? I don't mean going to work every day (unless, of course, your work is your passion - in which case you're very lucky!). I mean the passion that makes you want to create. The passion that makes you want to explore new places, sample new foods, learn new techniques for your art, even to look at old things in a new way.
I've always considered myself very lucky in that I see inspiration in almost everything, and I believe I inherited my passion for creativity from my wonderful Mom, who was an incredible artist and seamstress. She took the time to teach me what she knew and encouraged me every step of the way when I attempted to make things of my own -- at one time she spent hours with me soaking newspaper strips so I could make a papier mache scale model of the Louvre for my French class (and because I didn't think much about the scale when I started my project, she wound up loading the piece into the back of our pickup truck to transport it to school for me).
Over the course of my life I've tried all sorts of ways to exercise my creativity, and although I've liked some of them more than others, it's been the sheer act of creating that's been my passion. Taking a strand of yarn and knitting or crocheting it into something new, picking up a pen (or lots of pens) and drawing on a blank piece of paper, and most recently, taking beads and weaving them together in a multitude of color and shape combinations is my passion.
What fuels others' passion? Since one of my current passions is beads, I posed the question "What fuels your passion?" to some of my friends. The results are as varied as one would expect, but they all convey a passion for creativity.
Andrea Winkler, lampwork artist, said:
Other people's creativity ... seeing a new technique and wanting to try it MY way, Most of all, a sense of disciplined PLAY and exploration -- knowing how something works, and being curious about "What happens if I .... ?"
The picture at the left shows what Andrea did with Prismacolour patina and a cold-connections workshop.
Visit Andrea at her blog or her 1000Markets shop.
Anne Pomeroy Dixon, jewelry maker, said:
Color. Asking "what if" and pushing the shape and dimension of the beads.
The picture to the left is Anne's chatelaine, completed in 2008 for entry into Ann Benson's 5th anniversary challenge. It has a pocket for scissors, a tape measure, a folder for sewing needles and a little scoop for beads.
Visit Anne at her blog or her Etsy shop.
Jean Hutter, beadweaver and painter, said:
Right now for me would be learning and trying new techniques. Getting out of the old comfort zone and pushing the boundries. I get bored easily and that can lead to a creative slump - so trying something new - whether it be a new stitch, technique, color combo - you name gets me going again.
The cuff pictured to the left is one of Jean's newest pieces, part of her venture into bead embroidery.
See more of Jean's work on her blog or in her Etsy shop.
Gerlinde Linz, beadweaver, said:
For me, it's usually the question whether I can construct a new shape or structure from beads. It started out with the Platonic polyhedra, then came new types of weaves with certain wanted properties, currently it's mostly 3-d Peyote. Exploring new territory is fuel for me.
The diamond sphere pictured to the left is one of my favorite of Gerlinde's creations, although I'm in awe of some of her structural pieces.
See more of Gerlinde's incredible work in her flickr photostream.
Jennifer Chasalow VanBenschoten, bead and glass artist, said:
The necklace pictured here is one of my favorites of Jennifer's creations. It has a tribal look but is still completely modern looking.
See more of Jennifer's work in her Etsy shop, and check out her articles in Beadwork on about.com
Mona Peepers Ahleman, beadweaver and designer, said:
Need drives my passion and so does color. I've never really analyzed why I create except that I need to because it helps keep me balanced. Some people write, some people run or climb mountains, I create. If I don't have my beads, I make patterns, if I can't make patterns, I play with glass and make mosaics, I sew or just punch shapes out of paper, I have an endless supply of stuff to create with. When I was a kid and would get a punishment for doing something wrong, it usually involved taking away my crayons, markers, and paper.... I like bead weaving pictures the best because it amazes people that you can draw something and then bead it... making a work of art with just beads and string and your gut leading the way.
One of Mona's newest creations is pictured to the left, her original design called Citrus Twist.
See more of her work on her blog or in her Artfire shop.
Heather Kelly Marston, jewelry maker, said:
Many things drive my inspiration. Right now I have a project I am working on based on a color combination I saw this past fall while raking leaves. I took a picture and have that picture stored with the beads and wire I found to create the necklace I see in my head. I will try to post a picture of the photo along with a picture of the materials I am using.
The piece to the left, called Stop, is one of my favorites of Heather's creations.
See more of Heather's work in her Etsy shop.
Carol Dean Sharpe, beadweaver and designer, said:
Based on my recent patterns, we won't discuss what fuels my passion because I think someone put some sugar in my tank.
Carol Dean, despite her statement, is one of the most passionate beadweavers I know. She spends countless hours designing gorgeous peyote patterns and weaving cuffs from her designs, and it's obvious to anyone who looks at her work that she finds inspiration just about everywhere. Her statement above is based on her newest designs, created as part of her Iconographs series of peyote cuffs. I don't know about you, but I think these are a hoot!
See more of Carol Dean's work on her blog or her Etsy shop.
Kim Shaver, beadweaver, said:
My inspiration and passion come from many things. I find it changes from day to day and hour to hour. Some days it is a colour scheme I see around me in nature or someone's outfit, others it's a completely different type of art, such as in "Friendship" (pictured at left).
A huge part of what drives my beadwork is my need to both keep my restless hands busy and to express myself creatively. I find if I don't, or it's even been a little while it makes a big difference!
See more of Kim's work in her Etsy shop.
I'd like to thank everyone who responded to my question, "What fuels your passion?" I enjoy reading about others' inspiration and passion and hope you've enjoyed this post as much as I have.
Do you have a passion? What fuels YOUR passion?
