Creating amazing jewelry requires inspiration. Some people seem to have an endless supply of it and are able to create amazing things anytime, anywhere. I used to envy those people. When I first started making jewelry I sometimes got “beaders block”. I just sat there overwhelmed with the wonderful beads, but I couldn’t quite get started.

But with time, I have learnt to overcome this and make my inspiration work for me, and not the other way around.

Picture by challiyan

 

This is how I found my inspiration:

Great artwork demands true craftsmanship with respect for quality and of course originality of the piece.  Achieving this takes lots of practice and patience, no doubt. But how do you make something with originality? Where can you get the inspiration?

Picture by Kanko*


 

You may have a specific idea in mind, but usually in the creative process your finished piece will be very different from the original idea. Somebody said ”Nothing that is really, really exciting has been made without the act of play.” Don’t be afraid to play with the material, you cant fail at this point.

I get my inspiration from the moment, whenever, where ever. It’s helpful to get your head into a creative state of mind when you’re not beading. At work I get a lot of inspiration from other crafts and materials, just by being tuned in.

Picture by AnnaKika

 

Challenges inspire me, criteria’s or themes that I need to consider in my work. It makes me go into a thought process and problem-solving mode that makes my work better every single time.

Nature is generous when it comes to great artwork. Whenever you are outdoors look at the colors and how they are combined, patterns on animal fur, the shape of leaves. If you don’t see much of that in real life, try books with good quality photos.

Being creative is hard work. I keep pushing myself, so that I’m progressing as an artist. I’m building my own image library of things I find intriguing and see if I can get a theme of them. It’s things I don’t see every day. Then I try to understand what’s intriguing to me about them. Is it texture or color? How can I capture that idea with my work? I don’t try to recreate them, instead want to figure out what part of it that’s interesting. Then I’ll capture it in my jewelry. By not recreating originality can be achieved.

It is possible to create those feelings that feel almost like bolts of lightning that we call ”inspiration”. Don’t try too hard. Just play!

Picture by Matthew Fang