Hi, there is nothing better than the peace of a quiet place, a tray full of beads and the time to sit and create.
Except, perhaps, walking into a room full of students ready to discover how to create the design on offer.
I got to here by trial and error and the eventual realisation that the best way to be is to stick to a simple motto, 'Do what makes your heart sing'.
My meandering career path began in the world of textiles as a print designer, dropping into the garment districts of the world's major cities to sell my portfolio of work. Then followed a spell as a magazine editor of craft titles and later as a freelance journalist. Along the way I've done all kinds of work from retail, selling hand made chocolates (mmmm dream job!), antique furniture, crafts, a lovely time working in an art gallery... to writing craft projects and articles, interviewing and feature writing about designers and artists like Kaffe Fassett and Candace Bahouth. In my spare time I've always made all kinds of hand crafts, selling my work to friends and at fairs.
Somehow, beadwork slowly took over, filling my working life and my spare time. I got curiouser and curiouser about this ancient, yet still evolving craft. I'd found the thing that really made my heart sing.
For a while I compiled and edited the Beadworkers Guild Journal, a quarterly publication that enabled me to interview and get to know some great beadwork artists, nosey around their studios, visit exhibitions and shows and immerse myself deeper into the world of beads. It took a lot of time so now I've handed over to a new team.
Now, all those disparate jobs and career moves, experiences and friendships have come together as I write books, travel the world teaching workshops, sell my patterns via my web shop and occasionally, my finished work too.
