Doing bead art is fun and relaxing. I like learning new characters and new techniques. I enjoy trying different color combinations to see all the different varieties you can make with the same design. Handing them out to people is a blast, and so many people really like receiving them.
When looking for a new design, I make what I find and then tweak the design to be more what I like, or to make it easier for kids to make.
The bead stringing process can help with dexterity, relieving joint pain, and has helped relieve trigger thumb symptoms of my own.
The options, ideas, and different types of characters you can make are limitless. I have made snakes, lizards, axolotls, Pikachu, Mario, mermaids, frogs, ladybugs, a fox, an alien, Among Us, bunnies, hearts, stars, shamrocks, leprechauns, avocados, elephants, SpongeBob, Minecraft Steve…the list goes on and on!
The workshop at the Frankfort Park District was the Largest Bead Art workshop to date!! Wow!!! and what an awesome example of how bead art helps others. We had a group of eight kids and two were extra energetic!!
We started with Pikachu and every one struggled a little bit but they all finished one. Carson, one of the extra energetic boys, was getting pretty frustrated and kept asking me to do it for him and he would say “I can’t do this right!” I assured him he was doing a great job and it’s ok for it to be a little hard at first. We are learning something new today and it can be frustrating. Just take a breath and try again. He got through the Pikachu and I thought for sure that would be all he would do. But he then surprised me and wanted to make an Among Us as well. I was so proud of him and told him that he should be very proud of himself for what he has completed. “You learned patience today by doing bead art!!” I told him.
The 2nd extra energetic young boy named Jack finished his Pikachu and then went on to a Pokéball. He asked me, “Who came up with doing Bead Art today?” and I said “I did.” He then said “I really enjoyed doing this today.” That made me feel Happy once again.
Another boy named Parker who finished his Pikachu first proceeded to ask if he could make his own design. I was all for that!! He made a creeper from Minecraft and it is now one of our characters for future Bead Art workshops.
I enjoy watching the kid’s imagination come alive when they make bead art!! They make the first one and then many other ideas come to mind.
It makes me feel good to help others enjoy themselves. Seeing that I have made someone else Happy, makes me Happy!! I have been searching for a long time as to what makes me Happy?!? I have found that teaching others something, even as easy and simple as bead art, makes me Happy!!
