Keeping a Beading Journal

Keeping a Bead Journal I've learned the value of a combination journal/sketchbook combination, another small book I can keep with me, to write out the detail of things as I see them. By this, I mean those visuals that may seem meaningful to me at the moment, but that I know I'll forget once I return from my walk, or start packing the car, or the bird flies away, etc.

How It Works Here's an example of how a strictly-written bead journal works for me:
One late winter afternoon, my family accidently ended up taking a walk through a snowy park. I say accidently because we had no idea that there was snow on the ground in that area, and we had to go through there in order to get home from a long, rambling Sunday drive out to the local desert. This took us over the mountain pass.

Of course, we stopped at the little rest center at the mountain top, where the snow was heaviest and there were restrooms and, most importantly, coffee. As I was sipping my Hammerhead, I saw an interesting little section in the dirt area next to the asphalt parking area. This litle spot, maybe 4" square, really caught my eye. There were several textures of snow, shaped in the form of a small canyon, with differernt colors and textures and sparkle or opacity making up the "canyon walls."

At the bottom of the "canyon" which was all of about five inches deeo, there was a swirling, and a distinctive layering in the crystal-clear water that I had never seen before. The colors varied; translucent, opaque, sort of "frosted" and very clear. The leaves and twigs in the little puddle were from the oak tree above, some of which stuck up just a bit from the surfce of the puddle.

It took me a long time, Souther California city girls that I am, to realise that the whole efect of the layering in the water was due to the fact that what had been the water from an earlier melt-off into the depression under the snow had re-frozen solid, since the temperature had dropped back to well below freezing that day.

Had I not been sitting there, writing out my impressions, and taking it all in slowly, I would never have figured that out, and I would have lost the detail and, in fact, the detail that had compelled me in the first place. Had I just photographed it, I might have looked at the pcutre later and thought "hmm, mud pudle, what was I thiking" and never have retained the unusual) for me) image of objects trapped in layers of ice and the look of the snow around the frozen spot.

During the few minutes that I had been writing this all down, my husband had been collecting a few acorns with caps for me, because even though he had not studied the snow spot/frozen puddle, he could see that I had found something very compelling, and that to take home a tiny bit of the source would be helpful to me in the future. He was very right, as I immediately re-made one of the acorns into a bead, to be used as a clasp when I eventually bead this dimensional puddle piece!

Having written this description with such care, I can still, seven or eight years later, recall it vividly. I plan to work a bracelet using this imagery one of these, days, and will use a dimensional technique to create the layers of snow, so that the different textures and colors are visible. This whole nw experience; melted and re-frozen snow, inspired me to try a beading technique I had not tried before.

So, without any ability to draw whatsoever, you can still capture the pure essence of an image. It does not require writing talent, either, just a little patience and no fear. Don't be afraid that what you are writing might sound dumb, or might look silly, just write it down. Add all the detail you can. If you can draw, make a sketch, and label those bits with an interesting shape or texture, or the way something slopes or changes direction. Give it a try on something very basic, such as a flower in the garden or a clod of dirt and grass. It does not need to be something you plan to ever bead in order to work as an excellent exercise.

If you don't currently keep a journal of your bead ideas, you might want to start one. I use the time-honored method of writing first thing in the morning. That way, any dreams I may have had can get on to the page, as can those occasional fleeting bead ideas. If you've never done it, you might give it a try. Just grab a notebook and take 15 minutes a day to write out whatever you're thinking; you may be surprised at what come out on the page!

As always, I'd love to hear of your experiences with this method of creative journaling. Drop me a note to beadwork.guide@about.com to let me know how this works for you, or if you have any questions.