Beady Group Benefits

On my way home from a meeting of one of the beading groups to which I belong, I was thinking about how to quantify the benefits that I receive from such. A beading group can follow the way other groups function; be formal or as informal as the members desire. The beading groups I belong to are not formal. They follow as little structure as they can get away with - having enough to set the meeting dates, the site, and maybe a topic of discussion or learning. The members share expertise, (or not), their frustrations and accomplishments (or not), ideas (or not), compliments and opinion (or not), and so on. But most of all the members share themselves. I have been inspired by them as well as their works. I also found that the beaders I know rarely do ONLY beading - they have done and do many varied artistic expressions such as quilting, knitting, sewing, painting, pottery, glass, gardening, decorating, dollmaking and so on.
If you're thinking about or looking for a bead group to share in, I highly recommend it, both for the benefits to your own beadwork and the benefits you can share with others. Even though you may consider yourself a novice/noob/basic beader, there will be something you can share; even if its some insight or technique you have regarding your tools, your methods, your color combinations...whatever.
If you're a lone beader, inquire at your local bead shop, or look at the lists available in bead magazines and bead sites. If you can't find a group in your area, start one of your own. You might advertise it in a bead store or two, or online at a groups site such as Yahoo. There are free rooms available for meetings in many towns, such as a library, school, or even the back room of a restaurant. Advertise your group at bead shows, or art shows to increase your membership. Plan small events such as field trips to bead shops outside your area, or picnics or "bead caves" (all beads all the time, usually for a whole weekend).
I consider my bead group memberships invaluable and am so glad I decided to join!
>>MPK