The Learning Curve

First attempts

Lately I’ve been thinking about working in clay.  I’d like to experiment with making beads, pendants, plates, bowls, and more.  It’s been a long time since I’ve done ceramic work!  So, I bought a 25-pound bag of white clay and excitedly dug in. 

Oh dear!  It was not as easy as I imagined while lying in bed at 3 am. The clay was mushy and hard to work with.  It stuck to my fingers, cutters and molds. In fact, the “ugly” voice reared its head and repeated, “I hate clay, I hate clay”. I told it to shut up and stepped away for several hours for a trip to the movies and the mall.  I finally returned to the worktable after dinner to a brilliant surprise.  The clay had hardened some and I was able to execute a reasonable amount of control! 

Now, I have renewed faith and will take a stab at it again tomorrow.  If I had given up when it got frustrating, I would have missed out on a fantastic opportunity.  I’m always telling my students to stick with their projects and not give up.  Sometimes a time out is the best medicine. 

Organization

Organization is key for beaders.  Over time I’ve collected thousands of beads. Most of my beads are organized by color and type.  I like to think of them as my palette.  I need to spread them out, or at least have quick access when working on a design.  The question is how do I store them so I can find what I need?  Some of my beads are in the storage cases pictured above.  The ones with the plastic wrap are seed beads.  The wrap is to protect them from spilling all over if the unit should fall.  I hope it works.  Living in earthquake country, I fear the inevitable.  The storage units are secured to the bookcases they are in, which in turn are secured to the wall.  Still, I cringe at the thought of picking up all those mixed up beads off the floor.  Knock on wood!