Belinda from Bellisimo Jewels shared these wise words with us about a year ago and I thought it would be good to reshare this for all the many new readers. Last time I received very positive feedback from people saying it had changed the way that they looked at and felt about their work. Thanks again Belinda!
There's nothing I love more than drooling over a picture of a 'perfect' bead - whether it has been made by a Master glass beadmaker or by a fellow novice. Whenever I do this I always think "why can't I get my beads to come out like that!!" Invariably I toss my failures into the "failures bin" and grunt and groan but do you know, given time, I ALWAYS come back to that bin looking for a bead of a particular colour and come across all these BEAUTIFUL beads.....why did I ever think THAT one was imperfect.
I have been lampworking for about 4 years and I love it! I love watching the glass rods become molten and flow around the mandrel, I love making organic beads - they never end up the way I envisage at the start and THAT is the beauty of lampworking. I never really think I am 'as good' as everyone else ....until I go hunting through my failures bin and fall in love with a bead I originally thought was a disaster and create a unique piece of jewellery to adorn the neck of its new owner!
It was a real eye-opener to have a stall at the 2009 Melbourne Bead Expo - my first foray into the retail bead world! My biggest sellers were my "failures" - go figure!! All the beaders out there thought they were beautiful, all I could see were imperfections.
I believe striving for "perfection" can sometimes inhibit our creativity. There are some amazingly beautiful works of art out there in this lampworking world, but how many beads are in THEIR "failures bin"?
Why aim for an EXACT replica of that bead in that book? To me that's not what this art is all about, it's about making it YOUR work of art, making it YOUR own. If you try to make it a PERFECT replica - is it really your work?
It's all about trial & "error", having confidence that YOU are good at what you do, and as with any Art form - it's all in the eye of the beholder. When someone says to you "how did you do that?" and you can't really answer because you can't remember!......that to me is a unique creation.
Like many lampworkers, I started designing jewellery and quickly became bored with the variety of beads available. I wondered if it was possible to make my own. Sure enough I hunted through the latest Australian Beading Magazine and found Pauline Delaney here in Melbourne. After one workshop, I fell in love with the glass rod and quickly set myself up at home and started making my creations in my workshop. I have met some lovely people along the way and formed some lasting friendships. Workshops are really helpful, I try to do one workshop a year to improve my skills - they are invaluable for learning new skills but at the same time allow you to go over the basics and to pick up tips and hints from other beadmakers - sometimes this is all it takes to solve a problem or make the "penny drop" when it comes to a creative block.
So, keep it simple, don't strive for "perfection", whatever you create is YOUR creation, have faith in your ability and embrace the art form - it's all in the eye of the beholder.
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