Beading

Beading can be a deceptively easy project to do, either alone or with others. As someone who has an admittedly love-hate relationship with beads, I find myself turning to them time and again for work with clients and students as well as in my own art making.

First, beading is generally a low risk and high reward activity. It is almost instantly accessible to most artists with a relatively high degree of fine motor control. For those who may have some fine motor challenges - a younger artist, for example, or someone with a history of stroke or injury - there are relatively simple accommodations that can be made to support their beading. For instance, some artists might enjoy beading with wire instead of string because the wire will be easier to control, and then the wire can be mounted to a surface, or can be used to scoop beads from a dish.

“The joy of quickly completing a project that can be immediately given as a gift is unusual in many art making experiences.”

Without much instruction, many participants are able to finish a beading project in a short amount of time. But because beads can be added to string so quickly, some artists are tempted to finish the task without intention. Thoughtful beading requires planning, discussion, and perhaps even sketching or drawing the desired finished product to provide direction for the work. 

Additionally, in my experience, the less often a group or class has met, the messier the bead making experience tends to be. For example, if beads are a one-time activity, students were more likely to leave loose beads on the table and floor, or mix the beads in the different containers. If we had already an established relationship and routine of cleaning, what I like to call the “bead-splosion” was minimized. (If you’ve ever done beading, you will have an idea of what I mean by “bead-splosion.”

The joy of quickly completing a project that can be immediately given as a gift is unusual in many art making experiences. As opposed to a painting, which must be laid flat to dry before it is enjoyed, an artist can immediately use or wear their beaded project as soon as it is complete.

So why do I have the love-hate relationship with beads?

“Thoughtful beading requires planning, discussion, and perhaps even sketching or drawing the desired finished product to provide direction for the work.”

As a teacher, group leader, and art therapist, I find beads to be extremely challenging to execute to my standards of programming. There is of course the temptation to “just let them do beads,” as if that is an easy activity. But “just let them do beads” requires set-up, planning, and careful consideration of the participants. It can take hours to properly prepare for even a short beading program: organizing beads, pre-cutting string or wire, anticipating accessibility requirements, testing the materials, and so on. 

If I am the lone facilitator, tying the finished products at the end of the activity becomes a harrowing experience. The number of strings of beads that have been dropped and destroyed in the simple process of transferring hands is too many to report. Participant tears have been shed with only minutes left as they watched pieces of their careful work roll across the floor with no time to start again.

This often creates a chaotic conclusion to what feels like should be a calm and relaxing “easy” activity. Even if everything goes smoothly, there is the anxiety of potential “bead-splosions,” either from dropped projects or hurried last-minute finishing. And what of the participant who has taken the beading process so seriously that they have spent their whole time allotment on planning, who insists on staying until it is finished, who continues working through the chaotic ending where everyone clamors to get their bracelets tied before it’s time to go?

Finally, when presented with beads, in my experience many participants tend to begin collecting and hoarding materials in ways unlike most other art media. To manage this I try to give participants smaller containers for holding their collections and encourage returning to the supply area instead of trying to get everything at once. Even still, there is a strong urge to collect and store the “coolest” or “best” beads for no reason other than to have them. There can be a reluctance to return unused beads, to instead try and invent a purpose for them in order to keep the beads in the collector’s possession. 

Clearly, I have some strong feelings from past experiences with beads, and yet I return to them. I believe they have so many potential benefits that it is worth continued experimentation. And if I figure out a solution to minimizing the “bead-splosions,” I will be sure to write about it.