The Creative Process

A mix of questions found in my head and in various magazines...feel free to filch it and substitute your own mediums and questions.

1.How old is your oldest bead?
Well, considering most of my beads are gemstones...OLD! But other than the obvious ancient bones of the earth, I have loads of Vintage Swarovski Crystals...my oldest one is from the 40s (I think)

2.What beads do you have that you don't know what to do with?
I sell them, give them away....or my favorite use...gravel in my fish tanks

3.What flavor is your bead work?
Inexpensive Caviar...lol..it looks really flamboyant, exotic and expensive to be eating a Caviar encrusted cracker...but know one knows you bought it at the local grocery store >.<

4.Whats the best compliment you've received about your bead work?
Anytime someone really 'gets' the message I am trying to portray with a piece, or if a piece touches a person like it does me...that is the best compliment

5.How do you create an ambiance for beading?
Sit in front of my 'beading trunk' on the floor, and turn on the TV...I don't need much of an ambiance, I just need things in the background distracting me (I cannot concentrate on one thing at a time or I space out)

6.What is the most unusual material you have used in a beading project?
I haven't used anything unusual (yet) I prefer to use normal materials and create something unusual

7.Describe your most expensive bead.
Hehe...funny story, I found a designer Vintage necklace at a thrift store...of course I cut it up and used the beads for various projects...well I bought a book on collectible vintage jewelry...and there was my necklace, worth almost $800....ooooops

8.Do you ever use plastic beads?
I occasionally use really interesting vintage Lucite beads..but never modern plastics. Not because I think they are unworthy, I just love jewelry to have weight, plastic is too light

9.How do you feel when you finish a project? A mixture of happy and sad...happy since I created a new piece...but sad because I that means that my bead pile is one project smaller

10.How important is planning in your bead work? Well...I have three notebooks filled with future designs, but about half of my projects are just random sparks of inspiration from staring at the beads or pendants

11.is there a figure from literature history movies or music who inspires your bead work?
Most of my work is inspired by history, mythology, fantasy or characters from books

12.If you had unlimited bead resources what would you bead? I really want an opportunity to make this one necklace that has been floating in my head that is a combination of the precious stones and the rarest...I averaged the cost to be close to 3 grand!

13.Do your beads ever talk to you? Hahah! They never shut up...I am never lonely when my beads are around

14.If you did not do bead work what other form of art would you do? Polymer sculpting, writing or photography...my other hobbies...I just centered on the beads, they are my special friends

15.How much of your bead work do you give away?
Not nearly as much as I world like. I wish I was wealthy that way I could buy the supplies I need and just give my jewelry away to people who are really touched by the pieces...but since I need supplies (my drug) I have to sell...its a painful cycle

16.Are you multi or monochromatic?
Very much Multichromatic...I do not think I have the ability to make something in just one color

17.If you were a bead what kind would you be?
I would be a big chunk of Larimar...it is like sea water made into stone

18. Do you follow the trends or your visions?
I follow my own vision (though it is very odd when something I am making becomes a trend the next year)

19.Whats the wildest bead or project you have?
Wildest bead, I have a Jasper that looks like petrified chopped meat...not a big fan of this stone at all

20.When you shop for beads do you need a tray or a shopping cart?
I need a very large cart...though I rarely use stores, I prefer online...that way I can browse around at my leisure for hours

21.If your bead work were a game, what would it be?
Something bright and colorful involving fantasy and adventure! I am thinking Spyro ^_-

21.Do you use a beadboard or lay out a specific project before stringing?
Nope...I have lots of vintage Pyrex mini bowls that I put the beads, pendant and other components into and stack them around...I always find that laying them out or using a beadboard is too constrictive.

22. How Organized is your 'creative space'?
It is organized chaos! the beads are nicely sorted and such, but the space I do my work at is mass confusion to anyone but me