A Beaded Journey

Hello again....

I always have a difficult time coming up with a "topic" for my blogs. I always thought that this blog would be devoted only to sharing my new creations or discussing bead related topics. I think that this is still true. Beading has become such a huge part of me, and my life in general, that most things I would blog on would somehow involve beads anyway. In any case, I have decided to not be so strict with myself on what I post about. In every part of my life, my creativity and my beadwork is key. Why not just accept it and work with it? ; )

For the last several years, I have been fascinated with the Bead Journal Project. It was started in 2007 by Robin Atkins, a well known beader in her own right. She was inspired by a similar quilted journal contest. The whole point of the project is to make one "journal page" every month to expand your creative limits while expressing your feelings in a visual way. There isn't even a required size, shape or format to these "pages". I saw that one woman did her's on bottons. The only requirement was that each month the pieces had to be the same type/size.

I followed the blogs for several years, watching all of the amazing creative expressions of these bead artists. Some used their pages to memorialize the month and it's happenings. Others did pages for the seasons. They were all beautiful, but some of my favorites were the ones where the artists expressed their emotional journey for that month. I loved the stories and the writings of these artists. I always wanted to apply to participate, but I was never brave enough. I was sure that I would be rejected because I am not a famous or "high calibur" beader.

This year, I finally was courageous enough to apply, and guess what? No Bead Journal Project this year. What a bummer. But guess what? I have decided to do my own beaded journal for the year, and I plan to post my pieces on this blog. I decided that I would have loved to participate, but I can do this on my own if I need to. Today I DO feel like I need to. My beaded journey for the year starts today....