 Karen is one of the many talented NZ glass artists who are our customers and she kindly consented to sharing the below with us. When I began making beads I quickly became bored with the idea of florals, dots, scrolls and other designed beads. I wandered down the path of what if and how and soon found myself making what are referred to as organic beads. There doesn't seem to be a definition for organic beads so I created a small list of words or phrases that sum up organics for me. Of course the beads are not actually organic - they simply have the look and feel of something that is organic. Flowing, random designs, a natural look and feel, freeform, earthy, blended, textural, glass flow directs design, looks like something nature would produce, simulates elemental forms such as wood, stone, fire, water, forest etc., occurring naturally with a minimum of outside influence (read not usually planned). I never plan a bead design, preferring to use my intuition during the process and this is perhaps the biggest learning curve that a traditional bead artist has when trying organics for the first time - learning to let go. I teach a class in organics and it's funny to watch people struggle with their inner voice telling them something isn't straight or that dot isn't the right size or oops the twisty went on crooked. These are all things that an organic artist sees as a challenge and a design element not a flaw. What follows are a few tips that might help you start your exploration of organic bead making. Ultimately though it is the artist who chooses what to leave in and often what to take out of their bead until they are happy with it. It can also be a slow process as many changes occur during the time you work on the bead. Many of my pieces will take an hour to make. Download the .pdf of Karen's tips here. Take a look at Karen's fantastic work here | 
