When i first started designing jewellery, I had quite a difficult time. I couldn’t get things to look amazing without copying the pattern bead for bead. I looked to a friend of mine, Pauline, who had already been designing jewellery, and she had gorgeous pieces. She sat me down one weekend, and brought me back to design basics. “Take a bead you like, and set it next to all of your other styles of beads, which blend well in regards to scale, colour and style? When you see one that matches, then take those two beads and go around to the rest of your collection. Pick out all of them that blend well. Then start organizing them on your bead board. Same thing, which size goes better beside each other?” and so on. That weekend, I got it. I finally “GOT” it. I went on a design binge after that, and 95% of my designs were pieces I absolutely loved and would want to wear every day. I also developed how to see a necklace at a store, and be able to say that pattern would work well with these beads I already have, and be able to do it in my head.
I don’t know if you guys feel the same, but I think the skill of the physical crafting is the easy part, the design talent and imagination behind crafting is excruciatingly hard. If I haven’t said told you, Pauline, thank you for teaching me how to bead and design.
Your fellow Nerdy Crafter……..
