This self has never really splintered off, nor has he had the spotlight as prime in this lifetime. A brief glimmer perhaps. My jewelry maker.
I made a lot of things growing up. My brain buzzed non-stop and making with my hands was the only satisfying option I found to thrive through the noise. My mom picked up on this early. She would take preteen me to craft fairs and point out things she liked for the house. Then she would take me to Michael’s and let me loose to find what I needed to make one for her.
Towards the end of college, I wandered into a magical place called Beads & Things. I began making with glass and metal and leather and clay and gemstones. Small efforts to make something of this growing skill never reached lasting success, but the drive to make with beads kept returning to me.
This holiday season, knowing I had no big holiday open house to plan, I sought out a decent project to create as a distraction. Thus the great Beaded Garland Caper of 2020 was born. It was lush and lavish and over-the-top in the way I like my Christmas tree to be. It was perfect, proving that my jewelry maker never really splintered off, even if he never became the star attraction of my prime lifetime. It never hurts to have the perfect amount of spark and glamour behind the scenes though, so he’s handy to have in my corner.
Discussing the bead garland with a coworker led to a broader conversation of wire beading and finishing details which led me to an entire chapter of beadwork that I nearly forgot about.
So I dug it out of the basement:
with anodized steel wire
with anodized steel and sterling wire
on anodized steel wire
on copper wire
As much of my life that I remember in detail, I have reached a moment where I regularly uncover things I have forgotten I knew how to do. I don’t forget the skillsets, I just forgot that I have them. Brush away the dust, break loose the rust and I’m back at it.
Christmas decorations are the easy application for this creative skillset, but I will find another application in our home and life to sneak it in. I still have piles of beads waiting for my creative touch.
quantum man 
The citrine pieces really caught my eye! They almost glow. There’s an almost tribal look to your work that is more interesting than, say, the “commercial” jewelry. Very cool.
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