We were lucky to catch up with Sara Battaglia recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sara, appreciate you joining us today. 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 started beadwork very early, I was a little girl. Over time, I discovered other techniques besides the only one I knew, so I started learning new techniques for myself. In parallel, I discovered that geometric shapes could be made with seedbeads. Thus, my passion for geometry and drawing found their outlet, and I started studying on specific books and online channels, specifically for this type of final product.

I could have accelerated my learning by purchasing the books much earlier, and not just following the amateur tutorials I found online.

The essential skills that allowed me to get to do what I propose now were certainly manual skills, a great imagination and the ability to logically analyze the instructions and steps necessary to reach a particular result. Understanding the technique and making it your own is, in my opinion, a fundamental step, which also allows you to differentiate yourself.

The obstacles that still slow me down are first and foremost the lack of time to dedicate to study and research. And then energy too. I often find myself coming home from work and I’m very tired, and I can’t find the energy to start studying and trying new solutions and new techniques.

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

I’m Italian and I live in the province of Treviso, northern Italy. I studied architecture in Venice. I am a self-taught beadworker. Since I remember, I have an unconditional love for beads. I started with the beadloom stitch using a wooden board with 7 nails on both sides. Little by little, especially in recent years, I started to study other weaving techniques besides the beadloom and to distinguish the various types of beads.
My inspiration is geometry and precise lines. I love art, especially Neoplasticism (De Stijl), Abstractionism and Optical Art, as well as fashion, even if I haven’t had a chance to study it yet.
When I found out that geometry and beads could live together, it opened a whole new world for me. I started rehearsing, watching video tutorials, bought books and studied and tried again, until the geometric shapes started to be, to my eyes, perfect.
The jewelry that I propose are as geometric as possible. I like defined, linear and precise things and also effective, even if small.
I start from an idea, I draw it down in one of my (thousand) notebooks, and then, when it’s time to “convert” into something concrete, I start to choose the colors, the finish of the beads, the type of components to match, I make math calculations and diagrams to understand how much material is needed and I study the definitive design. And then off, I stitch the seed beads with needle and thread one after another.
I wish you could look at the sead beads with different eyes. And fall in love with them.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Appreciation from other artists and creatives, and no less, from those not involved in the work. Being told “you’re an artist” is priceless.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I live in Italy, and here, paradoxically, saying “I want to be a crafter” is seen as nonsense, something unachievable. It’s very difficult not to let this little voice into your head because it is a very limiting thought. And that’s one of the reasons why I haven’t yet taken the big step towards opening the VAT, to make SaraBMade a real job.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarabmade/
• Other: https://substack.com/@sarabmade