What does beading mean for us?

“When I sit down to my bead mat, everything beyond the frame ceases to exist for a while. There can be music, there can be the smell of a candle that I lit, but the daily worries matter no more.⁠ 
 The cabochons, beads, components act like building blocks of a colourful little world where I can disappear, or that I can take on my wrist, ear, or neck with myself as a talisman when I’m back to my everyday tasks. ⁠
Sometimes the world is blue, sometimes red, sometimes green, pink, and purple, all together…”

Erika

“That is quite how I feel when I bead. It’s like the world stops. No matter if it is late at night and I had a very hard day, adding a few beads makes me feel like new. Sometimes there’s no time to bead, but I can plan or look for color combinations or just look at the beaded jewels remember what I the challenges that I had during beading it. “

Irina

“Beading for me is self-care. Mountains of sparkles and jewelry with no practical use, but what simply spark joy. When I open my craft room it’s like opening a vault of endless possibilities (especially now that I’m more comfortable with bead embroidery!). It’s a world of fantasy and intricate dance between colors and shape. In gaming there is a term “replay value”. And I find that not many hobbies offer THIS much replay value as beading. I haven’t been familiar with the feeling of boredom for a decade and yes, absolutely thanks to beading “

Anzelika

“Beading means so many things to me. My friend and companion, my therapy, my happy place, my joy.”

Vania

“It makes my inner magpie happy, keeps my hands and mind busy and lets me let go of stress and anxiety, even when things are bad.”

Catherine

“Beads are an obsession, but beading is a meditation, something just for me.”

Anna

“Quite simply, beading is my happy place! “

Faye

“…That’s exactly how I feel  I don’t notice the world around me, I enjoy myself, I think about colors, beads, and the rhythm of sewing jewelry, I find relaxation and great joy “

Ludmila

“It’s exploring the long forgotten little girl in me: playing with colors, creative daydreams, enjoying sparklies. That all goes without the actual beading. But the beading itself is a satisfying process of creation and a great compensation for everydays strugggles. I can also forget everything around me which could be a bit dangerous when your alarm clock is ringing and you forgot to sleep.  But overall it makes a great therapy!”

Ariane

“Beading means expressing my personality through the art of beadweaving and trying new things. It is connection with friends. It is a calming place and a definite stress reliever. It is one of my places to go when things in life want to get to me.”

Terry

“Beading is a way to communicate ideas, express ourselves. It brings beauty we can share with our friends. It brings joy and peace. Beading helps me to grow through the challenges I face when I decide for creating new design, outside my comfort zone or learn something brand new. The best thing is, I’m the one who sets the pace and boundaries so it still makes me very happy and energized. Beading allows me to connect with people who totally understand me, to make friends and feel accepted.”

Zuzi