Regardless of which of the multitude of beading ideas I'm pursuing, I regard patterning as the single most critical aspect of the hobby. A good pattern can cover a multitude of other bead craft design sins, and skilled crafters will spend a lot of time fiddling with their patterns to get them just right.

In this article, I am going to take a brief look at 2 sources of inspiration for your bead craft ideas that you might not have thought of. Consider this an experiment in cross discipline thinking, and it is my hope that when you read these words, your mind will immediately begin turning on the subject, and a whole boatload of OTHER thoughts will fall into your lap. Even if that doesn't happen though, this is still a ward against the bead craft equal of "writer's block." So here goes:

Poetry

Any poem that is not free verse has a rhyme and meter to it. Haiku's structure is 5-7-5. Iambic pentameter has its own rhythm, and so forth. There're a multitude of rhythms to pick from, and source of inspiration is as close as your nearest volume of poetry.

Take the haiku example. You could build a pattern around the haiku rhythm, 5-7-5. An arrangement of five beads. A different arrangement of 7, and then back to five. Repeat this around your necklace (or bracelet, or whatever) and you will have created a "haiku bead craft necklace."

Or if your favorite poem is consists of funky rhythm like

a-b-b-a

b-c-c-b

c-d-d-c

(repeat)

You could arrange a bead craft pattern around that (every letter represents a different element) to striking effect. And, your bead craft project will have an interesting story around it!

Sheet Music

Another exceptional source for inspiration to enhance your bead craft projects is sheet music. Assign one bead element to each note and place based on whatever song you choose.

As you please, either ignore sharps and flats or add wholly new bead craft ideas elements for them. Start with something easy. Design a "Mary had a little lamb" necklace, playing with the elements until you are happy with the results. Again, an off beat way of looking at the issue of patterning that can enrich the execution of your bead craft ideas in unexpected ways!

*Note: You'll perhaps only prefer to focus on one line of the sheet music in your bead craft project, lest you create anything much too large to be usable! Note too that pattern and medium can, and often will, influence each other! What may work well with semi-precious stones might not be as viable with a wood/metal mix, so there is definitely a bit of experimentation involved! The major thing, no matter where your inspiration comes from, or what form it finally takes, is to stick with it! Persistence and experimentation will almost always win the day!

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