Busy, Busy, Busy .....

It has been a busy week this week.  I have been working on a few commissions, teaching pre-school children to make polymer clay beads and fighting a nasty cold that I don't seem to be able to shake off.

I have also been struggling with a million and one ideas trying to whizz-pop around in my cold ingested head.  The trouble is that most of my ideas have been happening at the torch whilst I am trying to make my commissions.  My mind is hyjacked by all these ideas and I end up not being able to concentrate on the bead I am actually making!

I've been trying to think of strategies to help the situation ....  I have my trusty notepad on the desk next to my kiln.  Every time I get an idea I can scribble it down on the pad to try and empty the thought from my head (temporarily at least...).  My next strategy was to alternate making a commission bead with an 'idea' bead.  So far this seems to be working!

I think this is why I find commissions difficult.  Usually when I am making beads my mind is free - almost like meditating I suppose - and I let my ideas flow.  If I am making something specific, the ideas are still whizzing through my mind but are stopped and I end up with a creative blockage in my brain.  This causes me to lose focus on the beads I am trying to make.  I used to think artists were quite pretentious when I heard them talk about similar things but I am beginning to understand it more and more.

 

Anyway....

 What are these ideas whizzing through my mind?

What else have I been working on this week?

I have swirls on the brain! 

The idea behind this bead is quite nice really.  It is part of a commission.  I have been asked to make three special european large hole beads (like pandora/troll) to represent my customer's husband, son and daughter.  Her daughter is quite outgoing, girly and has a mass of beautiful swirly curly hair.  Hence the swirls ..... I have yet to make the other beads ..... a new blog post I think later in the week!

Here is an example of how my mind works ..... This led me on to making more swirly beads.  This time with an internal swirl.  I am going to make more of these beads in lots of different colour combinations.  I think there are a lot of possibilities with these .... and I liked making them!

I have decided to call these my Cafe Creme beads and they will soon be appearing in my Shop on Etsy.

Finally .... It's that time of year when all the daffodils start popping out in my garden.  It has taken me a long time to appreciate the daffodil.  I used to absolutely detest them.  Wierd really because now I look forward to them filling patches of my garden with their happy yellow trumpets.  But that is another blog..... here is what I made ....

My little flowers don't look anything like a daffodil I know! But, this is something I am working on ..... I still want to progress my floral beads further by using canes to make the stamens and I think I need to master that first.  I was hoping to start that this week but I need to have a clear head to concentrate on these beads.

Sarah xx