The name Guidance Jewels encompasses the most important aspects of my beadwork. A teacher of mine once broke the word down for me as Guide-dance, he said “Listening to your guides is a dance, the relationship with your guides is a dance, to find guidance is to involve yourself in the dance.”
Beading for me is a way of connecting with my guides and getting involved in the dance. When I feel the desire to make a truly special piece, I call on them to help bring the vision of what is to come. Making art is an expression of my spiritual journey through life, as it is for many artists.
One of the most powerful mediums for connecting with my guides is the use of gemstones. Incorporated into my jewelry you’ll find natural gemstones cut and polished into beautiful cabochons or beads. Each gemstone contains a different vibration or energy that helps inspire the final creation. Some things are obvious: color, geometry, size, but then one may look deeper into the essence of the gemstone and see what it has to share.
Inspiration also comes from ancient cultures and traditions around the world and their relationships with beadwork, often spiritual, especially that of, Native Americans, indigenous peoples such as the Huicholes of Mexico, and the Ancient Egyptians. Through studying the designs and styles of these different cultures one is brought back in time and connected by an art form that continues to bring beauty and inspiration to humankind and is perhaps one of our many channels for connecting with our guides and the spirit world.
My hope is that people are drawn to my jewelry because they can feel the inspiration I received while making it and in-turn become touched and inspired by that creation.