Jewelry designers that enjoy beading often face a phenomenon that I like to refer to as "Beader's Block".
Have you ever heard of a writer having writer's block? Well, most jewelry designers also experience a similar condition.
It is the same concept, just a different arena.
For the true beader, this is usually a short-lived problem.
Almost all creative people will tell you they have experienced times when they have lost touch with their creativity, inspiration and creative flow.
The causes vary and we all find different ways to overcome it.
Let's look at the symptoms of beader's block.
A beader will buy a strand of beads that they find to be absolutely beautiful, take the strand home and find they have nothing to compliment that beautiful strand of beads from the thousands of other beads they have in their collection.
Often times, the new strand of beads is so beautiful that the beader is afraid the design they had in mind will not be good enough to capture the beauty of the beads they have just purchased.
Then there is the problem of using the beautiful beads in a design and then the perfect design comes to mind but you have already used your new strand of beads.
A new strand of beads can lead you to many other designs that do not include that new strand you just purchased.
You start laying out beads that you think will match perfectly with your new strand of beads and you come up with designs that do not include the original strand of beads that you intended to use.
So, your beader's block is limited to that perfect new strand and, in the meantime, you have designed something you would have never thought of had it not been for you trying to match beads to that original strand of beads.
Many beader's will tell you that they cannot bring themselves to use that new strand of beads in a design because then they will not have those beads left to use in other designs that might come to mind later.
I have to remind myself that I can usually purchase the same beads or a similar strand of beads and that I am bound to find an even more beautiful strand of beads out there that I can purchase.
Beader's block does not occur only with a new strand of beads.
Many beader's have amassed huge collections of beads and they are still cannot find their creativity or inspiration to create something new.
You start stringing your beads and the design does not come together the way you though it would.
You get frustrated with the time you have wasted trying to design a beautiful piece of jewelry.
You walk away only to come back later and get frustrated all over again! There is no need to give up when you experience beader's block.
The cause may simply be that you are tired.
Take a break.
Figure out what you can do to inspire yourself.
Look at some of your favorite things and try to figure out what you like so much about those things.
Try something new.
Mix it up.
Remember that artisans who create handcrafted designs do so because they have a love for beads and beading.
Have you ever heard of a writer having writer's block? Well, most jewelry designers also experience a similar condition.
It is the same concept, just a different arena.
For the true beader, this is usually a short-lived problem.
Almost all creative people will tell you they have experienced times when they have lost touch with their creativity, inspiration and creative flow.
The causes vary and we all find different ways to overcome it.
Let's look at the symptoms of beader's block.
A beader will buy a strand of beads that they find to be absolutely beautiful, take the strand home and find they have nothing to compliment that beautiful strand of beads from the thousands of other beads they have in their collection.
Often times, the new strand of beads is so beautiful that the beader is afraid the design they had in mind will not be good enough to capture the beauty of the beads they have just purchased.
Then there is the problem of using the beautiful beads in a design and then the perfect design comes to mind but you have already used your new strand of beads.
A new strand of beads can lead you to many other designs that do not include that new strand you just purchased.
You start laying out beads that you think will match perfectly with your new strand of beads and you come up with designs that do not include the original strand of beads that you intended to use.
So, your beader's block is limited to that perfect new strand and, in the meantime, you have designed something you would have never thought of had it not been for you trying to match beads to that original strand of beads.
Many beader's will tell you that they cannot bring themselves to use that new strand of beads in a design because then they will not have those beads left to use in other designs that might come to mind later.
I have to remind myself that I can usually purchase the same beads or a similar strand of beads and that I am bound to find an even more beautiful strand of beads out there that I can purchase.
Beader's block does not occur only with a new strand of beads.
Many beader's have amassed huge collections of beads and they are still cannot find their creativity or inspiration to create something new.
You start stringing your beads and the design does not come together the way you though it would.
You get frustrated with the time you have wasted trying to design a beautiful piece of jewelry.
You walk away only to come back later and get frustrated all over again! There is no need to give up when you experience beader's block.
The cause may simply be that you are tired.
Take a break.
Figure out what you can do to inspire yourself.
Look at some of your favorite things and try to figure out what you like so much about those things.
Try something new.
Mix it up.
Remember that artisans who create handcrafted designs do so because they have a love for beads and beading.
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