Jody Mitchell

"I am in a relationship with beads, and it is complicated.

For the longest time, I tried my best to avoid the beads I adored from a distance. Too many choices, too busy raising kids, and a tendency to become overly infatuated. More than twenty years later, I have learned to trust my heart rather than my head when choosing beads. My kids are grown, and I am still captivated by those enticing pierced objects.

​The process of creating jewelry is very gratifying for me. It is an exercise in patience, tenacity, problem solving, and the joy of repurposing. I can’t say it is relaxing or fun but it is, nevertheless, very rewarding.

​For the longest time I did not consider myself an artist because I do not create the individual components that make up my jewelry, or create the designs in advance. For me, it is more of an intuitive process. I have a talent for taking various available objects and putting them together in a way that makes them aesthetically pleasing. 

But aesthetically pleasing is not enough to motivate me. I have a strong affinity for rare and ancient beads. They are a tangible piece of our world history. Where did they come from, how were they made, what meaning did they hold for their makers and owners? Were they used just as an adornment, or as a symbol of an important ritual, an accomplishment, or an exchange of goods between our ancestors?

​If beads could talk..."

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