Okay, some new Bead Journal Pieces! For a while, my muse was on vacation. Then my (un)friendly and uninvited critic decided to pay a visit, saying my work wasn't very good, especially compared to what it was seeing on the BJP Blogs. So...having to wait out those two intervals, creativity suddenly struck. It didn't matter if I was good enough or not, I was simply bead inspired and thankful.
Above is a piece I'm calling: Not everything is black and white. This theme is a recurring one in my life. That life has lots of hues and shades to it, and that I personally do better when I can be flexible and open about what is going on. The black and white parts are actually a piece of ribbon. I have added colors in different sections - browns for murkiness, blues for shades of blue (feeling "blue"), yellow for the sun, pinks and oranges for the sun rising and setting, white for crystal clear (because sometimes life is very clear). And then I added color all jumbled together, because that's what I like best - color, energy, happiness.
Above is a piece I'm calling: Not everything is black and white. This theme is a recurring one in my life. That life has lots of hues and shades to it, and that I personally do better when I can be flexible and open about what is going on. The black and white parts are actually a piece of ribbon. I have added colors in different sections - browns for murkiness, blues for shades of blue (feeling "blue"), yellow for the sun, pinks and oranges for the sun rising and setting, white for crystal clear (because sometimes life is very clear). And then I added color all jumbled together, because that's what I like best - color, energy, happiness.
Above is my May piece. One day I was taking a walk. I looked over at a lawn that had an all orange garden. I loved it! Orange is a color that represents happiness. A whole garden of happiness, I liked that idea and tried to recreate that in my piece.
You have already seen a version of the above piece for April. It is a yin/yang interpretation of the shift from winter to spring. The more I looked at it, the more I didn't like it. My critic was still present and telling me it could be better. But I still liked the idea, so I just changed around the flowers on the right, added a few green leaves to the tree, and a butterfly in between, signifying the transition from winter to spring. I like this piece and feel content with it now.
14 comments:
You are right, beading is about us just doing it. Beading makes me happy, as I am sure it does you too. Besides that though I find your pieces very creative and joyful. I especially love the way you used the ribbon. Gorgeous!
O you silly girl!! Of course your beading is good. And your pages are thoughtfull and thought provoking. Thats what this project is all about. Beading and thinking. You can't possibly try to compare your work with some of these gals because each of us have our own style and skill.
Nothing is black and white...very creative thinking and your piece portrays the thought perfectly.
And the orange garden! You depicted it well and I agree with you. Orange is a cheerful color. I have always loved it, though I prefer it tempered with a bit of pink.
Susan...the pieces are beautiful and personal. I especially liked the orange one, and the ribbon one, the april one. I guess I really liked them all, and I enjoyed and empathized with the creative process. Sometimes it is there and sometimes it isn't. But it will always return. Very nice work and thanks for sharing.
margaret
I always find that the inner critic is the worse person I've ever argued with. I see your's is a very heavy handed one also. Your work is lovely. Love the orange...naturally. dot
You are a genius, Susan!!!! Wait out the visit of the critic... all the while having a firm expectation/belief/faith that creativity will come around again, no matter what. Ah-ha! That is SUCH a good way to face those times when we either aren't inspired or in critical mode. I hope I remember it for the rest of the year, because the critic has been knocking on my door a lot lately (with the same lameness as yours).
Besides that, I love all three of your pieces, especially the transition piece, which has meaning for me on several levels and is also a very compelling design. I love the black and white piece too, mostly because it is so true. OK, yup, I love the orange garden too. It reminds me of a cluster of those very large, very orange poppies that I saw two evenings ago, the orange enhanced by the setting sun. The sheer joy and beauty of them made me gasp out lound when I saw them. Bravo!!!
Robin A.
i love them all but am particularly drawn to 'not everything is black and white' -
diane
These are all wonderful, Susan. I think we all know only too well how much our inner critic and our vacationing muse can affect our work.
Kathy V in NM
Susan,
Don't let that inner critic get you down. Your work is beautiful and all of us can identify with it in one way or another. I'm just grateful that I have beading to help me get through life.
How nice! Your muse is back full strength.
Marty S
Crackpot Beader
I love your pieces esp May. I love the color orange right now too. I didnt realize it meant signified happiness. I will be conscious of this now. I am so impressed with your Ploymer clay pieces. The detail is so intricate. You may have to do some more of this and ignore that critic or just acknowledge that voice and move on. The harder you try to ignore it the louder it gets. Julie C
I love your pieces esp May. I love the color orange right now too. I didnt realize it meant signified happiness. I will be conscious of this now. I am so impressed with your Ploymer clay pieces. The detail is so intricate. You may have to do some more of this and ignore that critic or just acknowledge that voice and move on. The harder you try to ignore it the louder it gets. Julie C
Oh Susan - All very very lovely! Especially love the "not everything is black and white" - that one calls out to me big time! Your inner critic can just be quiet - these are all very inspired!!!
First - you're beading is absolutely wonderful, even in the pieces you may feel are 'weak', but boy I can sure relate to your feelings! It seems I am not as deeply inspired with the BJP this round, probably just SO much going on in life to really sit and connect with deep feelings as I sit to bead my 'pages'. So, I let myself off the hook and decided to just be light about it - not only in emotion but in the amount of beads I'm adding to each page this year.
I've fallen way behind in following and reading my favorite blogs and man a few days can turn into a few months - just like that! Even if I don't comment here, I do come by often and admire your beadwork very much.
I love your pieces, they radiate energy and warmth. And they are very original and surprising. For example when I saw your B&W piece, I felt very excited and thought, "hey what is this !!!!"
This critic is a dummy ;o)
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