How did I get started?

I've been making jewelry now for a couple of years, but only in the past 5 or 6 months have gotten much more involved in it. As I explored different medium such as beads, wire wrap, metal clay, metal smithing I began to feel very excited. I've done crafts all my life, but I really felt like working with metal would allow me the creativity I've been looking for. I've never thought of myself as especially creative. I can follow any pattern out there but other than changing colors, fabrics etc, I'm not really good at making up my own patterns. I can't even draw! Now that I have started working with wire and metal I find myself working out designs in my head all the time. For example, my daughter sent me some black and white beads and asked me to make her a necklace from them. First of all, they are HUGE beads. They are 25mm round beads with black and white swirly pattern on them with 18mm solid black round beads. But I've been thinking about them in the back of my mind for the past couple of days and all of a sudden a picture of these big silver hammered square spiral links popped into my head. Now, obviously I can't take credit for "inventing" the link, I must have seen something similar in the past. But the magic for me is that the vision of the necklace developed in my mind. How cool is that? Never before, with knitting, sewing, quilting, cross stitch, anything at all, did that happen. This medium seems to have released something in me. I see ideas for new ways to combine things all the time. I've been using beads in the past few weeks that I have had for months and could not come up with anything.

I guess the moral of my story, as such, is that everyone needs to find what excites them. It may not even be a craft project. It could be anything, in and field. Just find what brings you joy. We all need joy in our lives.

I haven't given up all my other crafts, but they are what they have always been, hobbies that I love to do. In designing and creating jewelry I have found my passion and I hope my future.

Thanks to the eSMArts Team for giving me voice. I'm sorry I missed my "official" day yesterday but I guess it wasn't meant to be yesterday, it needed to be today. Check out my other musings on Michele Cook Designs Blog and let me know what you think.