How do you avoid beader’s burnout?
I like to read forums about beading. They help me stay connected with other beaders and hear the latest news in the bead world. From time to time, I read a post by a person who is selling an entire bead stash. Other times, people write to say that after experiencing beader’s block they’re leaving beading and moving on to another interest. Reading these posts makes me introspective. I wonder what would I do if I became totally burned out on beading. The bigger question is, how can I prevent beading burnout?
Let’s define burnout and talk about some of the symptoms. Try to answer the following question as truthfully as possible.
When you enter a well-stocked bead store, your response is:
A – Surge of excitement, adrenaline coursing through your veins
B – Sense of wonder and amazement at the new colors of Swarovski crystals
C – Apathy, as in, "I’ve seen these bead colors before."
D – Negativity, as in, "If I start a new project, I probably won’t finish it."
My response is normally along the lines of A, but that could also be a symptom of ingesting too much caffeine and sugar.
If you answered C or D, you could be in danger of becoming burned out on beading.
Does this sound familiar? Your favorite seed bead color F460 Q looks dull and uninviting. Perhaps you’ve made several necklaces using a particular pattern or stitch and are ready to move on but can’t decide what to do next. Too many UFOs (unfinished objects) lying about? If any of these describe your mindset, don’t throw out the bead mat.
Here are some tips that I’ve found useful for rejuvenating and nurturing my creativity and lifting myself from the slough of bead despondency.
Beads play a significant part of my little world. I write about beads and beading. I teach others how to bead and I make and sell beaded jewelry. I usually bead several hours a day, five days a week. I always have a beading needle and beads within reach. Even so, I need to be able to draw from the creativity in my brain to design new shapes or put together arrangements of color. I need to pull a fresh bucket of beading ideas from the well regularly. Here’s how I keep my well from going dry.
Get out of the house.
This advice can be taken literally or figuratively. Take a notebook and pencil along on a walk. Sketch shapes and forms, and write down the color combinations that nature provides freely.
Go to the bookstore or library but stay away from the beadwork titles. Instead, look for books and magazines that might have photos of kimonos, architecture, orchids, weaving, painting ... While perusing a book on paintings from the Renaissance, you might happen to see a necklace adorning the neck of some ill-fated queen and it may inspire you. It could happen!
Learn something new
Call up your BBFF (best beady friend forever) and arrange to take some new classes together. Even if you live where beading classes are scarce, don’t use that as an excuse to walk out on beads. There’s an abundance of classes online at BeadAndButton.com and elsewhere, and you can always turn to Bead&Button magazine for something new to try.
Buy a tube of orange beads
Buy any color of beads that is totally out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, a jarring jolt of color (say that fast three times) can kick-start the neurons and ideas will start flowing.
Teach a beading project to a friend
Do you have friends that oooh and aaah over your beaded creations? When you hit a dry spell, volunteer to teach something simple to a friend, or several. Seeing the craft of beading through other people’s eyes can be very inspiring. And there’s the joy of knowing that you’ve infected one more person with the beading bug.
Simplicity of stringing
Whenever I finish a big beading project, the thought of beginning something new right away just feels exhausting. I need a break from intensive stitching with size 15 seeds, so I look for something easy, something simple to do. Like stringing big beads. Yep, nothing technical about it. My favorite pieces of jewelry to wear are simple carnelian round beads, strung on Soft-flex with a toggle clasp. I find that stringing this style of necklace doesn’t require careful attention and is relaxing. BeadStyle magazine is loaded with inspiration for using stones, pearls, and crystals for something gorgeous. While stringing big-picture jasper beads, before too long, a new seed bead idea starts taking form in my mind.
Do you have any cures for beady burnout? Please share with us here! Or, go to BeadAndButton.com/forum and share there.
Somebody needs to set up a hotline for those affected.