It's been a design flurry in the Beadalon satellite studio this week! Good thing my creative juices were flowing and I was able to meet all of my designing deadlines. Sometimes I'm not so lucky, and creative block stops me in my tracks. Even when I'm not working towards a deadline, designing jewelry is my happy place, and if I'm not able to create, it can be super frustrating. Here are my go-to strategies for overcoming creative block and getting my head back in the game:

1. Get your hands moving by making one of your go-to projects.
2. Clean (and by clean, I mean organize and move stuff around) your workspace. You will likely find something that sparks an idea for making.
3. Check out Pinterest or other designers, but try not to get overwhelmed with visual stimulation.
4. Walk through a bead store or a craft store - walk the whole store, not just the beading section.
5. Work with a creative buddy to bounce ideas off of.
6. Choose a color palette to focus on - maybe colors that you don't usually gravitate towards.
7. Dig through your beading stash to see what "speaks to you".
8. Issue yourself a challenge - choose a specific stringing material to use.

There were so many additional ideas that my beady friends on Facebook Live mentioned in the comments. This is definitely one to go back, watch the Facebook Live and check out the discussion for. 

I implemented many of these ideas in this tassel project. If you are stuck in a creative challenge, try this easy project. Maybe it will be just what you need to break through and find your creativity again!

Materials:
Cotton Cord Variety Pack
Small Oval QuickLinks
Beadalon Silk Cord Size #6 in Grey
Assorted Large Hole Beads
Scissors

Instructions:

1. Cut 6x 9 inch pieces of Cotton Cord.
2. Double the pieces of cotton cord through a small oval QuickLink.
3. Use the silk to tie a silk wrap knot at the top of the folded cords to attach them to the QuickLink.
4. Thread an assortment of beads onto the ends of each of the cords and tie a double overhand knot in the end of each.
5. Trim the ends of the cords.
6. Add another cord to the top with a barrel knot, a large bead, and another barrel knot.
7. Finish the ends of the necklace by tying a double overhand knot on each end and tie another barrel knot to make it adjustable.

Anything that you can do to get your fingers moving should help get those creative juices flowing!

What do you do to overcome creative block? Let us know in the Jewelry Making with Beadalon Facebook Group. On your socials, use #makeitwithbeadalon and follow and tag @beadalon so we can see what you're making!

Until next time, Happy Beading!
Meredith