The Sunrise Begins

But first: I'm in another Treasury on Etsy. And again, I'm so pleased that some of my older items are getting a bit of play these days.

Some of my new stuff is being noticed as well - I'm in this Treasury as well.

I'd like to take a moment to reflect on a subject I had never really fully understood, which is the healing power of craft, of art. I recently suffered the loss of my dear animal companion of 14 years, my cat Dauphne. As I struggled to work through my grief and help the rest of the family deal with theirs, I still had responsibilities and commitments to meet, among them some commissioned beadwork. From the many pieces I had to deal with, I realized that the Sunset bracelet was begun as Dauphne entered her own sunset. After her passing, I chose to complete it. Working on it gave me the time to remember, to reflect, and eventually to celebrate the time I shared with my little friend. The act of creation, particularly the creation of art, gave me such a great release from my sorrow as I had not expected possible. My spirit is lighter now, and I can move on with all the facets of my life.

Most germane to this blog is moving forward in my craft. I'm gladly anticipating working with over 200 bead artists in the Bead Journal Project - I have never taken on a long-term project before and I'm happy for the opportunity to develop a better, more disciplined, work ethic. I'm equally excited about working on the dragon piece - it's been too long since I made a piece just for me, investing myself completely and for no other reason than the joy of the doing.

But first, to The Sunrise. I'm going to learn how to use this beading software while I plot this one out. BeadTool here I come.