June was a very busy month with lots of virtual classes and here is just a tiny selection of what has been beaded in them.
My July newsletter went out today and here are the links it contained:
Physical & Mental Health
First up, back in March and April I shared some physical & mental health links and I wanted to begin by sharing those again (and some more) as staying safe & well at this time isn't just limited to trying to avoid Covid-19 but also making sure we stay physically & mentally well through this pandemic and take care of ourselves as we navigate this scary and new way of life.
FOOD
If you are in need of help to get food there are lots of resources out there.
You can search for a local foodbank or find one via these links:
or here in the UK you can access Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK.
DOMESTIC SITUATION
This is going to be a very difficult time for many of you at home in tough situations so please do reach out to friends, relatives, beading friends, or even me, if your domestic situation is harmful to you or even just difficult and you want to talk. Or, if you need more urgent help, then do reach out to medical professionals or the police. You do not have to suffer in silence.
You can search for 'domestic abuse help' and add where you are to find somewhere local to you or these (Uk-based) guidances here and here may provide more specific help.
Here are some local support websites which may help you (these are all in English and may not be relevant to your situation so again please do search for more relevant help or if you need immediate help contact the police or medical service);
Fun Things
There are so many things to see on the internet, or in the beading world, but here are some which have caught my eye recently:
- If you'd have told me a few months ago that daily I would be watching a man solve Sudoku puzzles on the internet voluntarily I would not have believed you! But the entire Cracking The Cryptic YouTube channel has me hooked and I watch one most days.
Even if you're not sure you'd like it, there's something very satisfying and relaxing about watching someone solve something whilst enthusiastically talking you through it (and under each video is a link where you can try to solve it too).
If you're not sure where to start then their famous Miracle Sudoku video is a great introduction - Nasa have just realised a mesmerising video of the Sun shot over a decade and you can see it and read more about it here. Their YouTube channel also has lots of other fascinating videos
- More brain-busting fun with Jay's Virtual Pub quizzes on Youtube. Jay runs some of these live but they can all be watched later on and he has many of them and has raised a huge amount for charity through them
- TASCHEN are a publisher of some amazing books and their site is a treasure trove of delights with many of the books shown in detail with pages to scroll through and drool over. My eye was particularly caught by the Cabinet of Curiosities, Cabinet of Natural Curiosities and the work of Ernst Haeckel,
- If looking at amazing photos of jewellery, and learning about the history behind some pieces, sounds interesting then The Court Jeweller website is an absolute must-visit
- Yinka Illori is a designer whose work includes a lot of colour and he has lots of interesting things to say about his work and life
- The National Dance Company Wales have a large digital resource where you can both watch and learn
- The Victoria & Albert Museum never disappoint and this week I've been learning all about the history of wallpaper
- The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has a great 'Oxford At Home' series of videos you can watch online and they have also made their Mediterranean Threads exhibition available online
- The tattoo artist Orge Kalodmias has a new newsletter you can view online where they have written about their journey drawing mandalas and it makes for an interesting read and shows the development of their style and how practice & perseverance pays off
Their most recent one (which you can see here and it's worth reading for the photography student experiment it mentions) introduced me to James Clear and his interesting book 'Atomic Habits' which you can read more about here - The Smithsonian learning Lab is a wealth of resources and some I liked were their focus on LGBTQ+ jewellery designers, Snakes on a Chain and Designs for Jewelry
- Maria Rypan is a talented bead artist I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago and you can see her website here and read her interesting newsletter archives here
- Crafts Council Directory maker Jenny Llewelleyn and her fellow studio jewellers have created a collaborative bracelet to raise funds for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. Learn more and watch their short film here
- Archie Brennan was a hugely talented and inspiring weaving artist and Dovecot Studios are fundraising to bring together an exhibition of his work and you can read more or contribute here
- If you're not sure learning about history is your thing then Cheyney McKnight (who describes herself as a Public Historian, Performance Artist and Historical Interpreter) showing a different side of history than we're usually taught might just change your mind
- Teresa Burrows is a visual artist working in bead embroidery whose work needs to be seen to be believed
- Breathe is 'a collection of traditionally crafted masks demonstrating resiliency through 21st century pandemic'. Artists are currently creating their pieces and you can see some of what is being made on Facebook and I will link to any exhibits when I know about them
