If you’re like me, YouTube is your virtual classroom filled with a worldwide selection of specialist teachers. And inside, you can learn how to do pretty much anything. Including: make your own beaded jewellery,
I originally taught myself to make beaded jewellery by watching YouTube clips, so here are a few of my choice picks. I hope they help other aspiring jewellery artists.
Happy beading!
These earrings are one of my more recent creations. My inspiration was Yayoi Kusama, Narcissus Garden, 1966 (below). It is a series of reflective balls placed close together. I was fortunate enough to see the artwork last year when it came to the Sydney Biennale. So these earrings are like my little piece of Kusama’s Narcissus’ garden…reflecting, but also being reflective.
I only recently made the decision to bring my offline craft online.My decision to go online was mainly to interact with craftspeople outside of Australia, whilst simultaneously broadening my customer base.
So, I decided to do this by starting a blog…
If you’re like me, and not much of a computer whizz, but can figure out the basics with alittle guidance…go with an established blogging platform. Examples: wordpress, blogger, etc… These sites are relatively easy to use for beginngers.
I chose wordpress because of the range of templates available and the possibility of one day moving my site to a private URL.
If you are thinking about starting a ‘craft’ blog, you would no doubt enjoy making your craft. But, are you passionate enough to write about it? Daily?
We live in a fast paced society that is constantly changing, updating and refreshing. We flick, scroll, skim, jump forward and occasionally jump back. So your content will have to be updated – regularly.
Enjoy using a digital camera? Readers like to see what you describe. Pictures are visually stimulating, they require us to engage with the colours and shapes…they are harder to ignore and skim over than black and white text. Your blog will need plenty of pictures, and if they’re pretty, thats even better!
So, if you’re ready and willing to bring your passion online – go for it! Sign-up now and start blogging.
To date, eBay has been my most successful means of selling jewellery.
So, here is my short list of selling basics for new sellers:
1. You must create an eBay account. This is a fairly straight forward process and the site guides beginners well. Just click “register” at the top of the screen and you’re on your way.
2. Start the selling process by researching similar items you hope to sell, that are currently up for sale. Be the customer – use the search terms you would use to look for this item. Then, use those same terms ( if they return any search results) to name your own item.
3. You have to choose a means to sell your item. Buyers can choose to buy the item instantly “buy it now”, or they can bid at auction “auction format”. You need to set a price for both methods, either a set amount for Buy it Now, or a reserve price for auction.
4. Create a new listing. If you are creating a listing for the first time go through each step slowly and be patient. If you incorrectly describe your item or leave out important information, you won’t build up positive feedback from buyers. Think about the title and give a comprehensive description of the item for sale. Be sure to include a great photo of the item and then set a price. You will also need to research and think about postage and payment options, but the site does guide you well through this part.
5. You’re almost there – be sure to preview your listing before clicking submit. Check for spelling or grammatical errors. Ebay buyers look through many listings and fast. Your listing must be easy to read and include a big clear picture.
6. Click submit! You have just listed an item for sale. Over time you might want to introduce some html formatting into your listing and experiment with your photography. But all of this comes gradually with practice.
There are also some eBay listing programs – like, Auctiva, that allow you to create professional looking eBay listings offline. But, whilst these programs are useful, they are not essential.
So, be patient and practice and your eBay items will run out the door.
Like writers, and other creative persons, beaders can also suffer beaders block. This is the point where you can’t think up anymore creative beading ideas. I like to call this “creators blocks”.
When experiencing creative block, of any kind, you might start doubting your own creative ability. For this reason it’s important to STOP, take a breath and start looking for some inspiration to spur on your next idea. Plodding along uninspired is highly unrecommended and more likely to be counter productive.
So here and some tried and tested methods, I use, to generate that next great idea…
1. Flip through a magazine, or perform a random online search – a phrase or image might catch your attention and the creativity may start to flow again.
2. Pick a colour – any colour. Look out the window and note the first colour you see. Example, I see…”Tuscan red roof tiles”, so use that, and that can be the theme for your new range of creations.
3. Talk to people around you – ask them what they would make. Even if they have never made anything creative in their life, sometimes their description can make you think of new and better ways to execute the same idea.
4. Ask – what am I missing? Or, not doing? I often look at my range of jewellery and ask myself “what colour is missing?” I tend not to make as many yellow, brown and black pieces – so I’ll use my lull in creativity as a time to explore these other colours.
5. Make something for a special occasion – even if you’re not going anywhere! I often make things I might, could, or would wear. I am half way through a bridal party range of crystal earrings. Will I ever wear them? Maybe. Maybe not. But, someone else might.
6. Use an established designers work for inspiration. Use this suggestion sparingly. Whilst it can be good for coming up with new ideas, take care you don’t become a copy-cat and lose your own individual style in the process.
These 6 suggestions should get the creative half of the brain working…if not, maybe it’s time to explore some other hobbies. Or, take a mini hiatus from your craft and return in a few weeks or months.
