In a previous blog entry called "One Thumb, Two Thumbs", I discuss the downside to doing too much beading in a short period of time. Today, I realized that I haven't explained that, if the consequence of too much beadwork means that I end up with tendinitis, why the hell would I want to do any beadwork ever again?
There are two aspects to beading: the shopping part and the actual beading part. Out of all the shopping I do regularly--clothing, food, and bead shopping--bead shopping is my favorite. The other two, I do out of necessity, but beading is strictly for fun. I can let myself become completely immersed in inspecting every stone and shape available at a store and imagining what I can do with those pieces later, when I do the actual beading. I don't become self-conscious like I do at a clothing store, where I am expected to judge my body more than the clothes and too many styles that I want to buy aren't made in my size.
As for the beadweaving part: I've always liked small things that can be fitted together. I loved legos as a kid; they were tiny, I could hold lots of them in my hand, and I could use them to create something bigger and cooler than the individual pieces. I feel that way about beads. I love that I can weave beads into any design I want. When I weave, I can become immersed in the activity, too, and I feel calmer. I always need something to do with my hands, and beading keeps me occupied while I watch YouTube videos or TV shows.
I'm not a masochist. I don't want to end up with tendinitis a second time, and I have no intention to neglect my hand's health ever again. If I didn't love beads and creating beaded pieces so much, and if I didn't think I could continue beading and keep my hand healthy at the same time, I would stop.
I developed tendinitis earlier this year because I didn't take care of myself. I pushed my hands far past their limits when I did too much beadwork in a short amount of time. I didn't do stretches, I didn't take proper breaks, and I suffered the consequences. I'm still recovering, many months later. I've tried to take it easy since my tendinitis episode, but I'm still learning my limits. I've started to do finger massages and hand stretches regularly, and sometimes I wear my hand brace overnight, all of which seems to help. If I can get my hand back to top physical condition and keep it that way, then I'm going to keep doing beadwork.
There are two aspects to beading: the shopping part and the actual beading part. Out of all the shopping I do regularly--clothing, food, and bead shopping--bead shopping is my favorite. The other two, I do out of necessity, but beading is strictly for fun. I can let myself become completely immersed in inspecting every stone and shape available at a store and imagining what I can do with those pieces later, when I do the actual beading. I don't become self-conscious like I do at a clothing store, where I am expected to judge my body more than the clothes and too many styles that I want to buy aren't made in my size.
As for the beadweaving part: I've always liked small things that can be fitted together. I loved legos as a kid; they were tiny, I could hold lots of them in my hand, and I could use them to create something bigger and cooler than the individual pieces. I feel that way about beads. I love that I can weave beads into any design I want. When I weave, I can become immersed in the activity, too, and I feel calmer. I always need something to do with my hands, and beading keeps me occupied while I watch YouTube videos or TV shows.
I'm not a masochist. I don't want to end up with tendinitis a second time, and I have no intention to neglect my hand's health ever again. If I didn't love beads and creating beaded pieces so much, and if I didn't think I could continue beading and keep my hand healthy at the same time, I would stop.
I developed tendinitis earlier this year because I didn't take care of myself. I pushed my hands far past their limits when I did too much beadwork in a short amount of time. I didn't do stretches, I didn't take proper breaks, and I suffered the consequences. I'm still recovering, many months later. I've tried to take it easy since my tendinitis episode, but I'm still learning my limits. I've started to do finger massages and hand stretches regularly, and sometimes I wear my hand brace overnight, all of which seems to help. If I can get my hand back to top physical condition and keep it that way, then I'm going to keep doing beadwork.
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