building beauty

it's been months since i've picked up pliers to bend wire, sorted through the boxes of beads and findings to put together just the right elements into earrings or bracelet or necklace. i know it's time to go back when pictures of what might work together start showing up in my mind. maybe i'm stuck at a traffic light, or in line at the post office; maybe i'm out for a walk, marveling at the patch of moss that didn't freeze or the color of the sky when the sun begins to make its descent. one idea pops in -- what about the tea-colored pearl with a smoky amethyst square? or would a narrow blip of turquoise be better? -- and i turn the idea over until another appears. each leads to two or three more until they're more than i can keep straight and the pressure to try them out for real crests. then i clear the desk of papers and books and cat hair (a losing battle, but it helps to start clean) and play. it can take minutes or hours or a day to hit peak flow, when my hands can't keep up with the ideas and i'm forced to start three things at once just to see which one needs to be made next. i never mind how long it takes to get there: the ride is always worth the wait.