How much do I work?

I am currently employed full-time as a baker/line cook with a slightly varied schedule. I try to spend a few hours beading or quilting in my free time each week, while still fulfilling my responsibilities as a dog-mom, auntie, sister and daughter.

 

How do I spend my free time?

I am a pawrent of two dogs at home that require lots of love and attention. I play Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Minecraft and other games on Xbox and PC. I like to collect and study cookbooks, and trying new recipes in my kitchen. I’m also using Duolingo to learn Japanese.

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How did I start Benjamin's Beaded Bling and why is it called that?

I tend to keep most parts of my life private and at first that included my beadwork. I started beading in 2009, when I was about 11-12. I have wonderful and inspirational women in my life to thank for teaching me: Nichole Ray (of Powwow Fabrics & Designs), Dr. Rebecca St. Germaine, my grandmother Joycelyn Shingobe, and my mother LeAnn Benjamin. Nichole taught me the two-needle applique, and I continue to learn from her today.

 

I enjoy beading as I've found that the repetitive movements that go into stringing, counting & tacking down beads to be relaxing. Beading has been, and is, therapeutic for me when I felt like my life is spinning out of control.

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I've also been quilting blankets on and off ever since I was young, thanks to my mother and grandmother's teachings. Recently I've started branching out and learning more about quilting, and will be adding those creations to the store.

 

As an artist, I feel the urge to be inventive and original, which sometimes leads to some questionable creations. Other times I make pieces with traditional designs. Other times I give traditional pieces and designs a refresher with a modern style and color(s).

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As a mega-consumer of various forms of media, I also feel the need to make pieces inspired by, or include references to, today's pop-culture.

 

My main focus and goal is to create beautiful pieces that anyone and everyone could wear throughout their lifetime. One thing for sure is that my creations are sure to be unique for individual people.

 

During my senior year in high school, I took a class in graphic design and learned how to make a website. I decided to make my own site to be an online, public showcase for my beadwork. Then this idea slowly evolved to be an online showcase and a store where people can buy my beadwork.

 

The name "Benjamin's Beaded Bling (BBB)" stems from my grandmother, who reserved a table at a craft show for me under the name "Beaded Bling". I stuck "Benjamin's" in front of the catchy name to make it more personal to me, and to let everyone know who they're buying from.

 

After a lot of thinking and playing around with layouts and colors for the site, I finally settled on what we have now. I feel like the color scheme really shows what this business represents: bold, beautiful beadwork with a touch of calm collectivity. The plaid design is just a personal preference.

 

Then BBB was launched on April 3, 2016!

 

Today things are still being added to the store, or moved to the galleries, as stock comes and goes.

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How do I balance it all?

I will be brutally honest here and say that for the longest time, I wasn't great at managing my time. Between work, college classes and home, it seemed like my responsibilities were through the roof.

I was so busy worrying about all the work that I felt needed to get done ASAP that I didn't allow myself time to hang out and do the things that I actually wanted to do.

I was burnt out and just working. Funnily enough though, I was on the verge of a menty b while at work (this was long before I became a line cook) so I turned on the radio to chill out and the host shared this quote:

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“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.”

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Somehow that struck a chord in me and I was like, “Oh, okay." Ever since then I’ve basically been doing what I wanted, when I wanted to do it. The only exception to this mindset would be my job because I can't be showing up there randomly, that'd be weird. However, this "whatever, whenever" mindset helps me to balance my responsibilities better than before.

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