Sunday 12 January 2014

Help me overcome my "block" and get back into making jewellery!

Suggestions / general encouragement please! I came across these chunky ceramic disc beads (about 3cm diameter) from Beads Unlimited and really liked the bright colours. I think this might just be my route back into making jewellery! I have been experiencing something of a "block" lately, for reasons unknown.

Here I have put them together with some navy blue waxed cotton and large-hole silver spacers, planning on making a necklace. The colours here are almost true - the second disc down is a sort of salmony-pink and the fifth one, at the bottom, is a bright, pillar-box red.


All suggestions and encouragement welcome! What would you do with them?

6 comments:

  1. I find it quite difficult to design merely from a set of beads, Sarah (I realize many artists are quite clever and do just that LOL). I need something to provide cohesion... a painting, a book cover, a wallpaper, a piece of clothing, a song, etc, something that evokes a feeling or mood. Sometimes just listing words which are invoked by your components may help. A recent project of mine was informed by digging out colourful quilting cottons from my stash. Hope that helps a bit :)

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    1. Thanks! Appreciate the advice!! Now awaiting those particles of inspiration to strike...

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  2. Hi Sarah,
    Having a 'block' is normal! I work best under pressure on a deadline lol and boy do those design blocks try to set in! If a time limit helps you mark a day on your calendar when you would like to be done with your project. Then start brainstorming!

    This is where your design process comes in...are you a sketcher? Do you like to draw or sketch your ideas? Doodle for a couple days and see what you come up with! Or do you visualize your designs? If so, find quiet times to just day dream about how the necklace will look when it's done.

    Another idea that you might like is to picture your necklace on a favorite character from a book or tv show. Design with that person in mind (you can even picture a family member or friend wearing your design...or yourself!).

    Before you know it you will have an idea that is the stepping stone to designing a necklace etc.! Give the process a few more days and see what you come up with! Even if it's a small portion of the necklace play around and work on that and the whole design may just flow on its own.

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    1. Oh - your comment makes so much sense - I am definitely a visualiser so I need the quiet time! I think maybe my problem is not having enough mental down-time at the moment. :-)

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  3. I personally think these would go nicely with some twisted wire. Maybe just one as the central point of a bangle/bracelet... But that's just me, and I like things with twisted wire in them!

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  4. Hi, sorry to have to leave a comment but I can't seem to find another way to contact you. I'm Stacy, your bead soup partner this year. If you could drop me an email that would be great, stacy (dot) alderson (at) hotmail.co.uk

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