pugdog
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Jan 24, 2005, 7:04 PM
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On another forum, I saw a post about how "old" and/or "stale" the patterns were, in that they never changed much.
I gather, there were no new ones, because the folks on that forum seem to think that posting items, or showing off items (including tutorials) is to toot their own horns, rather than "share" ideas or techniques. So, why add patterns, and "give away" something they seem to feel is "priceless" (or at least worth $25 as a kit!)
This is the same forum, where the concept of "copyright" is totally misunderstood. Only the instructions as written down can be copyrighted, the final product, cannot be (it *may* be able to be trademarked, but that is a different story).
Are pictures of jewelry, good enough as ideas? Or do people really need/want actual plans?
Usually, looking at something is enough to figure out how to work with it, except for either very new beaders, or very tricky designs.
One place patterns *do* help is learning, or showing a certain stitch, or knot, or highlighting a specific technique.
I know in our classes, we tend to *not* do whole projects, but rather teach techniques that can be used to make many different projects. So, when a person leaves, they have skills to work with, rather than a single project.
More than once we have heard that purchasing a kit, or a video, simply leads to more marketing to purchase additional "kits" or videos, to learn the next item. The videos and kits do not teach skills, or techniques, but rather how to make a specific thing.
In a wire working class, learning to make the instructors bracelet is not as important as learning to make a loop, a bend, a bind or a twist. Once you learn the hows and whys, you have to tools to go on to make your own items, and to use those tools in a variety of different ways.
It is very common for people who take one of our classes, to come back in with a variety of their own creations shortly after.
We're not saying we have some sort of magic, only that we teach SKILLS and TECHNIQUES. We are happy to share what we know, and have fun doing it.
We don't have much time for creating instructions, but would photographs of finished designs, and stuff be helpful?
In the second issue of Beadwork Presents STRINGING , beadwork showed one design, and how just by changing the beads, the same "pattern" can give completely different looks, that look nothing alike.
If you haven't looked at that, you should. It's a real creative nexus.
PUGDOG's Rock & Bead Shop
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
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