DAY TWO

The beads that came out of my kiln this morning were, okay,  not something that I would be excited about showing, but not down right ugly either.  I will show them eventually. It seems I have struggled with creativity for the past year.  I think part of that is due to the to the fact that beads do not sell well on ebay anymore.  There are still several artists that do well, but for the most part it is no longer lucrative.  This is partially due to the economy, bling seems to be one of the first things to go.  I've  been making and selling beads for 13 years now, and this is  the worst year I have ever had.  I also think the lampwork bead category became over loaded., esecially with the entry of beads made in China, Japan and India.  Many of these imported beads are poorly made and have not been annealed or cleaned and they are often the product of child labor. Unfortunately many bead buyers do not understand what criteria is desired to produce a well made bead that has the potential to be around for quite a while. Okay, enough about bead woes.  I promise some of my posts will hopefully be smile producing.  I still have something heavy on my mind, but I am sorting my way through it.....messes with my creativity though.  There are people among all of us that  seem to feel joy in producing drama. Unfortunately for them they never seem to learn that they are their own worst enemy.  Sometimes it is painful to watch and other times it is just annoying.  There never does seem to be a good outcome though.