Spiritbeader
“Stupid Talented” is what I have been called before. I like it because it neither boosts my ego, which could cause conceit, nor does it deflate it, which could cause defeat. So, really, it’s a great description of me. Thanks Jen!
I began as a toddler with a pencil. Most would say “oh no!” but my parents gave me a cheap sketch pad as well, and that turned into “oh…wow. Did you just draw that?” Quite a funny question really. I’d sometimes answer this with “no, he/she did” and point to a person who was sleeping, or snarfing down a meal, some one who could not have drawn what was obviously in front of me, the one with the pencil.
I doodled all my life, sometimes for serious, like when I won Grand Champ of Fine Arts a couple times at the Dupage County fair. I decided to go to college for it, and boy am I glad I did. I took art classes with people just like me, who were raw talent, waiting to be carved into a pro. I discovered the importance of balance, color and composition, and I wish I could take those classes again, after being “carved”, and show up what I’d done before just for fun.
I’d grown out of macramé and Japanese Anime, and into painting, decoupage, quilting, crochet, scrapbooking and finally, the calling of my life…
Beads. I began beading two years ago, and have drooled over the pages of several awesome magazines, just beading away. I now have a large collection of professional looking original beadwork in cuffs, anklets, necklaces made with peyote stitch, herringbone, square stitch, right angle weave, tubular or flat, you name it, I’ve made it. I love it. It’s my calling. I’ve gotten my friends hooked on beading, and that’s what my social life consisted of: a group at my church I started, called (with a little help from my pastor, Jack) Take a Beading! I’d never run a group before, and it dwindled, and soon was just me again. And here I am! I found Etsy yesterday, thanks to my favorite magazine ClothPaperScissors, March first 2008, and I plan on making some sort of difference in this world with my sparkly beads. I hope you enjoy them. I sure enjoyed making them!!!
By the way, if you happen to live in the west/northwest suburbs of Chicago, PLEASE contact me! I would love to talk about beading with you!