Have you ever sat down and really thought through how you go about the process of designing a new piece from scratch? I’ve thought about it from time to time, and although my exact methods change, I did manage to come up with a couple of main points that stay constant:
1 I need to have tons of stuff readily available to be able to fantasize freely.
2 Although I have files and files of ideas to look to for inspiration, I find that I generally start with a classic idea or pattern and try to give it my own personal twist.
3 I alternate between bead-embroidery, freeform, assemblage, and lampwork. It doesn’t matter to me what the style of piece I’m designing, it’s always my goal to do something with it that puts my personal stamp on it.
4 I use a lot of cross-over ideas from other art forms and from completely different disciplines.
I think that the idea of a frequent “artist date”, as popularized by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way, is an excellent idea. You can’t refill the well when it runs dry if you are not seeking out new springs of water. For a daily dose of mixed media inspiration, I would also suggest subscribing to blogs that cover different topics that interest you besides just beading. My friend Derek has a blog called Craft Videos that collects clips on all different types of craft production. And I could also recommend my own mixed media blog, Layers Upon Layers, where we look at everything under the sun.
So, do you have design tips that you’d like to share? What process do you go through, or does it vary every time? I’d love to hear about it!
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media, creativity, jewelry designing
