We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Courtney Bingham. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Courtney below.

Courtney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I am self taught. It’s wild, because who just gets into beadweaving? I went to a concert and this woman had a STUNNING beadwoven cuff bracelet and I just knew I had to try and make one for myself. I did a bit of research on supplies, bought them and then binged youtube videos and through trial and error I was able to get it down in about a week. I have been hooked ever since!

At the time, I was a college student trying to find something fun to do in my spare time. Looking back, I wish I would’ve taken a class or something in order to learn from a real person instead of reading blogs and trying to sort it out myself. I think doing it alone made it a lot harder to nail down the technique and took a lot longer for me to become really good at it.

One of the essential skills in beadweaving is tension. I feel like knitters and crocheters will understand this because it is so imperative to having a piece that is tidy and nice or a loose, floppy mess. There are STILL days where it can be a challenge! But there is nothing as rewarding as getting it right and having something be just as you imagined in your mind.

Honestly, I’m ashamed to say that a lot of the obstacles I faced were from other people. I was told that what I was doing was a silly hobby and I needed to focus on school and my job. Unfortunately, I listened to a lot of those people for too long. Thankfully, I got out of that headspace and continued to beadweave because it was made me the happiest. And once I shut out the negative noise, I was able to learn new stitches and patterns and grow my knowledge at my own pace.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a self taught beadweaver specializing in peyote and herringbone stitches to make wearable art. Beading became my passion 14 years ago while I was in college looking for a fun hobby. Little did I know that this would become a huge part of who I am as a person. The jewelry I make is inspired by my childhood growing up in the southwest. I was obsessed with the bright colors, art deco style and frequent triangle patterns . And then Geometric Deco was born.

The best part about Geometric Deco is that even though the jewelry is large, it is incredibly lightweight. I feel like a lot of jewelry wearers want a focal piece, but that can often mean heavy and painful, especially for earrings. I have earrings that are 5 inches long that I’ve worn to 3 day music festivals without issue. It is incredibly freeing to have wearable art that melts seamlessly into your life.

I am most proud of creating something unique in a sea of incredibly talented beadweavers that came before me. It is so awesome to hear customers tell me that they’ve never seen anything like what I’m doing. It strengthens my resolve to keep going. Everything that I’ve ever made was made because I wanted the person to have a moment where they captured a glimpse of themselves in a mirror or reflection and seeing their jewelry brought a tiny little smile to their face.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I mentioned earlier that I spent a hefty chunk of my early creative development listening to other people’s opinions on my art. It often lead to me having guilt over other people’s expectations of what I should be doing with my time and talents. There was a particular incident with an ex boyfriend where he essentially told me that I was wasting my time and that this wasn’t art.

I am so thankful I didn’t listen to him. I would never have gotten to do shows, meet my followers and fellow artists from all over the country if I’d have let his opinions on my time matter more than my own.

My best advice to anyone in a creative endeavor is to listen to your heart and do what you want to do. Also find your community and surround yourself with people who are growing in their own crafts. It is so helpful to know that we’re all on a path and can support each other on our journeys.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I wish our society enabled third spaces where we can work and craft with like minded individuals. There are so few places where anyone can just walk in and create. I’d love a little warehouse space where you can pop in and craft for a few hours with others who are doing the same! Like a wework for artists!

Additionally, I think there should always be more art shows. They bring communities together and help artists connect with patrons and other artists in the most beautiful way! It really shows what matters most to the people in your city and it is one of the best ways to bond with your community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.geometricdeco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geometric_deco/