Beading For The Soul Questions And Answers with Deborah Cannarella

Q:
The chapters in your book are "Beading for Protection," "Beading for Healing," "Beading for Strength," "Beading for Good," "Beading for Prayer," "Beading for Bonding," and "Beading for Remembrance." What made you choose these topics?

Deborah:
What motivates bead artists today are the same human impulses that have motivated beadworkers throughout history.

While doing research, I was amazed to find that beadwork - and in some cases, even the same types of beads - often have similar importance in cultures as different as Native American, Asian, African, and European. The beautiful beadwork found in these cultures is not only artistically and technically incredible; it often has deep social or religious significance, too.

Despite the cultural differences, I found that all these beadwork traditions grew out of seven basic human needs. And, interestingly enough, after talking to contemporary bead artists, I discovered that their work grew out of these same impulses, too. So these were the logical titles for the seven chapters.