A while back, I started a new herringbone rope necklace, with the plan that it would gobble up all of my miscellaneous 11/o seed bead remainders. I mixed together all the reds, yellows, greens, and blues, and cut into one of my new black hanks. Everything was going great, and then I started to get a little bored. I started worrying about how exactly I was going to add one clasp to two ropes. Before I knew it, I was avoiding beading, and even planning blog posts left me feeling drained.
So, I decided it was time to take a rest from this project - refresh and restart my creativity. I pulled out my strand of wasabi green diamonds, and worked on a multi-strand necklace, similar to the one featured in this month’s fashion collages. I needed something funky for the backdrop, and I thought it would be refreshing to use up a whole lot of my very precious tortoiseshell druks.
I was still dragging my feet a little, feeling creatively drained, but the new necklace turned out great. I tried going back to the color blocked rope project, but I just didn’t feel it. I’ve decided to leave it on the tray for those middle of the night emergency beading situations, when I still have half a movie left to watch, and I don’t feel like digging out new beads when another project is finished. Eventually I’ll find the right mood and moment to finish it, but for now, I think I need to make a striped cuff or something really ‘me’.
I'm not sure what this could mean for the destash challenge. I only have a few months left, and the remaining beads have yet to inspire me. I'm determined to finish, but I have to find a way to make the beads work for me, instead of working against them.
Have you had any beading mishaps or creative slumps lately? What do you do to get past them?
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Yes!! I am in a beading slump right now :( Beading is usually my escape from chronic back pain but it has not worked this summer. Instead I have learned how to knit & picked up my cross stitch project that's about 5 years (and counting) in the making ..or finishing I guess you could say! I find looking at my photography magazines help me find cool colors schemes and design & flower mag's in general help me find inspiration.
ReplyDeleteSince I have a multitude of creative interests, I switch to photography, or clay-polymer or regular, or cross stitch or such. Usually the photo shoots start my creative ideas going again or research on the net really gets me going with ideas and such. Mary
ReplyDeleteTo jump-start my creativity I rely on the internet. If I'm making one of my Christmas ornaments, and I get stuck, I go online and look at other crafty people.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I go "Ooh I like that one!" and then my brain turns on as to how I would do it, how I would make it mine, and how I could improve/change it.
Nothing stimulates my creativity like the creativity of others.
Hi Mortira, The necklace turned out great, I think your blog is really INSPIRATIONAL today!
ReplyDeleteYes I did! I was feeling like I was just stinging beads. No inspiration, just stringing beads. Then I started doing some different types of stitches like brick, peyote, ladder, and I was hooked!!!! Now I've done a bezeled pendant and am so proud of myself!! LOL Wanted to show it to you, but there isn't any place to post a pic. :o(
ReplyDeleteCongrats on catching the beadweaving bug, Judy! Readers are always welcome to leave links in the comments, so if you upload your photo to Pinterest, Flickr, or a blog post you can share it that way. I love getting emails from readers, too!
ReplyDelete