The Beekeeper 

Myriad feelings and emotions pulse through your mind when nurturing a new concept or idea. Enthusiastic, inspired, electrified, frustrated and exhausted are only a few.  You can work energetically for hours and even days before you reach that magical moment of completion.  It doesn't matter if the project is colossal or diminutive, the most rewarding and exhilarating feeling imaginable, is realizing your vision. 

I am absolutely confident fellow artists will attest to these emotions. Creativity is embedded in our DNA. It is part of our soul, our reason for living, well that may be an exaggeration, but it's what wakes us in the morning and keeps us awake at night. 

The Beekeeper, a fun little project, had all those emotions surging. A mind-blowing idea no, simply a riff on something in the market but I wanted this inspirational, desktop, memo clip to be truly memorable just the same. This simple, yet complicated part of the design was a paperclip needing to be more dope than any ordinary paper clip. In my mind's eye, the shape had to be "bee" related, a honeycomb, hive, flower, wings, stinger, something! I wrapped wire in so many promising shapes with such potential that sadly under-performed. So, I wrapped, and wrapped and wrapped until, voilà, I had it, combination bee's wings and stinger! I know it sounds so straightforward, but let me tell you paper clip designing is something I now admire. 

So once I had that off my plate I had to decide, of the plethora of "bee" related inspirational phrases, which should I apply to the notecards.  The words needed to be, pun intended, relevant, witty or motivational and offer a touch of joy for each day. I then decided there must be a "teen" version of The Beekeeper which posed yet another dilemma. Not having teens of my own, I called upon my lovely and talented friend Kathy to conduct a focus group with her daughter Kirstin and friends. Additionally, I tapped into the spirit of my 14-year-old great niece Kaitlyn for aid. Both resources influenced the final choice of sayings and, I have to admit, their words surprised me, leaving me delightfully impressed and hopeful.  

The Beekeeper and The Beekeep Teen has buzzed to life as a whimsical accessory. As you enter your workspace or any space, I hope it will bring a smile to your face. 

Until next time, "bee" creative and kind.

Jackie