Beady Beady Beady

Ten bucks if you get the connection with this picture and the post title

 

One of the things I've been trying to do for the past few months is finding space to do some kind of creative work that is different from writing or reading or whatever happens in that side of the brain. Part of the fun with burnout and trying to recover from it was finding something interesting that worked out the more artistic side of the cranium. 

I found that I dig painting - especially watercolors. I found that I'm not too good at it though, and got kind of frustrated. On top of that, I never knew what to paint and when I did paint it seemed like it went really fast. I guess I didn't have enough patience or time. I have a lot of supplies sitting in the cabinet and I'd like to give it another try someday.

In the meantime, as corny as it sounds I've found myself doing what I call "bead art" (and I'm sure others call it the same thing) - it's basically small plastic beads of different colors that get sort of pasted on to a canvas with designations telling you what beads to put where. You have to use a little pen-type of instrument to put wax on the beads and to stick them on the canvas. I've completed a few projects like this (I'll try to post pictures) and I find that while they don't necessarily involve any real creativity (think paint-by-numbers if that helps) they give me a chance to slow down and see progress in the completion of a project. I guess I still need to work on the creative side of my brain - you know, coming up with some original shit - but in the meantime (say for the next four years or so) I think this is a pretty strong and helpful thing for me to do.

That said, I just started a new project today and it's probably the biggest one I've taken on yet. It's basically several surfboards on a beach in front of some palm trees. 

Soooo many beads...

I've just started with white and it's going to take awhile. I'm not sure when I'll have it finished (hopefully sometime before the end of this decade) but I'll post updates here as they happen. I'd like to have it done by the end of the summer. 

One piece at a time and one step at a time. Not a bad mantra or philosophy for life to be honest. I think that's another reason I like this form. I'll start seeing progress the further along I go and that's a cool thing.