Beads well with others

 Do you prefer the serenity of just you, your beads, and your favorite tunes? Or do you enjoy the energy of chatting, sharing and the camaraderie of other beaders, everyone's fingers flying as you all work on your piece-of-the-week?

I'm definitely most productive alone if I am playing, developing something new, or working on the engineering of a new project. I like to have the TV on, preferably a favorite movie so I can just listen. I listen to books on tape, too, though TV is my first choice. But if I'm in the midst of a piece that has alot of repetition, I LOVE being with other beaders, especially if there's food, music, and wine!

I also belong to a bead society, though I've been too busy to attend lately. The benefits are tremendous in the workshops, lectures and social networking. Plus, you usually get discounts from local shops, who also host bead soirees. These are just wonderful, because you meet in the shop, and if you need something last minute or get a sudden flash of inspiration, chances are the shop (or another beader) has what you need! 

The upcoming Bead Fest Philly at the Valley Forge Convention Center (Aug 22-24) will host a Moonlight bead party, and I can't wait!  If you're coming to Bead Fest, definitely plan to bring something to work on at this party.

I'm generally a solitary beader and don't even listen to music much (I do like the cricket commentary on the radio in the summer though, it's wonderfully soothing). I just like it to be me and the beads, with nobody to laugh at me when I start talking to my focals and nobody to be shocked at my language when yet another wire wrapped loop is consigned to the bin! I love that state of total absorption when time and the universe become immaterial... sadly, real life has a habit of intruding. Sometimes I'll do something very simple and random in front of sport or music on the TV, but very often I'll look at the work later and discover that I made a mistake because I wasn't concentrating, so I try to avoid that unless it's a 'just for me' or I have a very tight deadline to meet!

I don't have a local beading group and almost all the 'social' beading I've done has been while teaching workshops, which isn't quite the same as you are always 'on call' - I rarely get anything finished in a workshop.

I am very envious of the moonlight party and would be there like a shot if there wasn't the small matter of getting me and my beads across the Atlantic [sigh]... maybe one day I'll make it to a big bead show in the US...

I'm mostly a solitary beader, only because I don't have any beading friends at the moment, but I'm trying to organize a group to change that.

Since we are racing and NFL nuts in our house, I find that a 2-3 hour race or game is perfect for background while I work on a project, although sometimes I get so involved with beading the entire racing field could crash and I'd never know it...

My hubby says if he needs me to remember something important, he has to preface it with "Beads" or "Harry Potter".  Surely I'm not that bad.

Jeni

Jeni

You could draw a lot of interest if you starting using the hobby shop just to sit and bead. You may even teach someone how to get stated and just start meeting at the hobby shop and I bet before long you will have a group of beading buddies.

Just a

Sue

There is not a beading group in my area either so I usually sit in the living room with a favorite show on tv so that I can listen to it. I have a DVR so if something happens and I feel out of the loop I can rewind the tv. Never thought I would use that feature of the DVR. 

Sometimes my husband or son are there so it gives me someone to talk to but I also have a tendency to get lost in the project. 

I would like to try a group  just to see if I like it...maybe someday!

Sue, that's a good idea.  I've thought of offering to teach a class on either basic jewelry making or repair since there aren't any currently, but I just haven't gotten off my duff to do it.  Also, it's a bit difficult with my 18 month old.  Child care is a bit hard to come by here, and I think letting him loose in the hobby shop may be a bad idea at this point.  I really should take advantage of the opportunity before someone else does though.

Jeni

I like to bead alone because I use a big space for my materials. I like to bead with others too but I finalize answer questions, helping my friends in make some technique that I never finish my project!!!!