I began making jewelry when I was 10 years old- I made things then the same way that I lived: voraciously and without much thought for what it all means in the larger scope of things. I was in a constant state of creativity with my hands in every free moment, and specifically found much needed peace and quiet in the repetitive nature of stringing beads. The mindless yet productive activity allowed me to wander boundlessly in imaginary worlds where everything is possible.
Almost two decades later, I again find myself stringing and restringing, but this time using fine pearls and diamond beads. At first I struggled with the adult sense of urgency and need for speed. I felt a deep impatience with the quiet state of mind that is required of threading a miniscule needle through hundreds of tiny holes. Like many annoyances in this land of adulthood, the solution to my impatience was solved by a simple reframing: Stringing pearls and diamond beads at a professional level is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with my inner child. It is an exercise in releasing the daily pressures of time and the learned state of constant busy-ness. An opportunity for meditation, if you will. Every bead and its associated knot brings me one step closer to inner peace.
–Kai Hill, Goldsmith/Designer
