Beading—The Creative Spirit: Finding Your Sacred Center through the Art of Beadwork
Find Your Creative Self in the Kaleidoscope of Beads & Color
"Beading and my spiritual path are intricately interwoven. It would be difficult for me to separate the two because they are so completely intertwined with one another. As I sit and weave with my beads, I allow the Creative Spirit to flow through me, and though my hands are doing the work, another force is actively participating in the process. This force is a transmission of Spirit that fills me with deep inner peace and joy as I bead. As a result, the practice of my art form has become a creative path to my sacred center."
—from the Introduction
Believing that beading is a form of meditation through which we can access the Creative Spirit that is always present in us, master bead artist Rev. Wendy Ellsworth offers multiple ways to explore beading as a spiritual journey of self-discovery. Each of the seven chapters is rich with personal stories, exercises, and beading projects, and each project has a meditative experience to encourage a contemplative spirit and creative play. The project results are beautiful, meaningful symbols designed by a master bead artist for both novice and experienced beaders alike.
Original projects include:
- Geometric Mandala
- Personal Mandala
- Personal Prayer Beads
- Beaded Prayer Pouch
- Goddess Archetype Necklace
- Beaded Stick Figure Goddess
- Chakra Necklace
- Chakra Flower Sculpture
- Free-form Gourd Stitch Bracelet
- Ruffled Cabochon Brooch
- Dutch Spiral Necklace
- Spiral Vessel
- Song Beads
- Herringbone Stitch Cuff with Freshwater Pearls
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Book details
- Author
- Wendy Ellsworth
- Imprint
- SkyLight Paths, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Formats
- Paperback, Hardcover
- Subjects
- Crafts & Hobbies › Beadwork
Crafts & Hobbies › Decorating
Mind, Body, Spirit › Inspiration & Personal Growth - Topics
- spirituality · meditation · creativity · self-discovery · art as spiritual practice · personal growth
- ISBN-13
- 9781594732676 (Paperback)9781681629858 (Hardcover)
About the author
REV. WENDY ELLSWORTH is an ordained interfaith minister and seed bead artist with more than fifty years of practice, having worked in the medium since 1970.
Ellsworth was named Designer of the Year by Beadwork Magazine in 2019. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Art and Design in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
When she’s not creating, Ellsworth teaches beadwork classes nationally and internationally and has made multiple trips to Kenya to work with Maasai and Samburu beading groups. She is a frequent contributor to Beadwork and Bead & Button magazines.
Wendy lives in Weaverville, North Carolina.