Beading

Another season of Farmer's Market starts in about a month, so I've been working like crazy.
I try to bead at least an hour a day, and most days I bead two or three.
I actually find that by sitting down to this ritual- pulling out my bead, my tray, my tools- creating an atmosphere for creativity and doing it every day- I'm more creative.
It sounds mutually exclusive- ritual, routine & creativity- It sounds like keeping a routine and steady working time would make it more difficult to be creative. But it's not true.
By having a set time to bead I force myself to work past any questions: 'what should I do? what colors do I work with? what am I making?'. Then by working past them and saying that even if I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing or if I have clear plan, I force myself to create. If I just wait until I have that magical moment of inspiration I'd only make about 10-20 things a year... Certainly not enough to pay off my bead addiction...
Creating is the magic. And even after 6 years of beading and 3 or 4 of selling, I'm still having fun. And if I'm not having fun with this it's really not worth it, 'cuz I don't make that much!
The one thing about Fairbanks is that everybody does something to get through the winter. Even if you love skiing or dogmushing, there are times when it's too cold or the snow pack is too hard. So you've got to have something to do inside. Reading, beading, scrapbooking, cooking, watching movies, playing an instrument, doing community theatre... Everybody has something they use as an escape from the weather... So most people up here will either look at a piece and say 'that's amazing! I've never seen wirework like that!' or they'll say, 'I bet I could do that, but I know how much it would take, and I don't have that much time...'