Question:
My local bead shop is offering a 3 day session for glass bead making for
$350.00
Budgetary constraints make this sort of investment a bit hard right now,
so those videos offered by River Gems in Albuquerque (I think the videos
are by Wilson) look better and better.
This may have been discussed before; but I'd appreciate any feedback on
the video aspect of learning this craft. I love and probably NEED hands
on instruction; but is it possible to start without it ?? What do you
experienced glass bead makers think ?
Answer:
-I learned from Lewis Wilson's first video (see FAQ) and have never felt like I
needed a class. After all the video lasts almost as long as a class and you
can watch it over and over. But I do realize some people do learn better from
a class. The only reason I would suggest a beginning class (at no more than
$50 or $60 for a few hours) is if you're not sure you'll like it and don't
want to invest money in tools before trying it out.
-I am not much of a glass bead maker because of time. However, I found
videos to be enough for me to learn how.
If a class was offered in my area, I would take it. I would certainly
watch the videos first, though, to be ready to get the most from the
class.
There are big differences in the videos!
I would bet, there would be big differences in the classes.
- The cost of the classes is a lot higher than the ones in my area.
The single day classes are $40 and they offer begining, then advanced.
After that, they offer a "Masters" class which runs $150 for two days.
The teachers are wonderful, their work incredibly beautiful. I guess
it all depends on who is teaching the class you mentioned. If they are
exceptional, than whatever they charge is probably worth it. Even
still, I think it's possible to learn from a video, at least the
rudementry stuff. After you get the hang of that, then it would be
good to take a class so you can follow up and go forward.
