More on the Battle of the Beadsmith, and losing it

 Why, oh why have you amphibian alien gods forsaken me?????
In the 3rd round of the battle of the beadsmith, I got my butt kicked.
 Here are a few of my favorite shots of my Battle Piece, Dagon.
This is my friend, Anna. We work together at the shoe store. She has a degree in women's studies, also known as feminist studies.
 This is my friend Melissa. She also works at the shoe store despite the fact that she has a degree in biology, but she will be moving on to be a vet tech soon.
 I am surrounded by incredibly talented, wonderful people, who thanks to the way our economy is as bad as it is, are all putting shoes on cranky people's feet day after day to pay their bills.
And then, when they are off, they are kind enough to model for me for free, and put up with my crazy.

 This is Dagon close up.
 This is Dagon from afar.
 This is Dagon from behind.
 This is Dagon modeled by Samantha Regina Herself.
And this is me at the Bead and Button show  wearing Dagon with Suzanne Golden wearing my last year's Battle  of the Beadsmith piece, Fishies.

Well, I did not win this year either. But I wasn't really thinking I would anyways, and if I had to be knocked down, at least I got knocked down by an equally awesome design by Kris Empting.

There are many ways of going about not winning something.  A couple of years ago I would have been crying my eyes out about how misunderstood I was and how the world is just not ready for my particular brand of awesome.

How silly I was!

This has been such a wonderful journey. I made something that I dreamed up ( in this case quite literally because the idea for this piece came from that inbetween place of being awake and falling asleep, while contemplating H. P. Lovecraft's short story, The Shadow Over Innsmouth),
it reached so many people who got enchanted by the frogmaids/ merfrogs
(not many got that they were alien amphibian gods, but that's ok),
 and I made a ton of new friends in the process.

I went to the Bead and Button show, trotted around wearing it for days, and everyone loved it!
Including the beady goddess  that Suzanne Golden is!

And so it is only right that even though  did not make the next cut, I still feel like a winner.

In case any of your Dear Readers ever feel loserish,
here is my guide for evaluating feelings of beady losses in contests:

-Remember  that judging is very subjective.
-Do not get defensive. Learn from the experience and keep on trying.
-Remember that it's all a silly game, where not winning was very much a possibility from the beginning.
-Remember that in an event where pairings are random, like in the Battle of the Beadsmith, winning and losing  have a lot to do with dumb luck.
-Stay humble. " I am a genius the world is not ready for just yet" is plain silly. Instead of that, just keep calm and carry on.
-Stick with it. Keep doing what you are doing. It pays off. Patience and persistence and time.

You see, life is like a bead contest .
Hopefully we win sometimes. I sure hope that all my  smart and talented coworkers will eventually move on to better things instead of looking at bunions all day.

So remember, you are not defined by losing battles, but your willingness to fight on despite of them, as in beady life, so in everyday life.

Comments

  1. Beautiful post Kinga. Much wisdom about the process AND you end up with an awesome awesome piece!

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  2. Many great designs and the finished products appeal to different tastes. Judging is so subjective. The mini battles along the way eliminate many that would have gone on paired with a different choice. It is such an honor to be included. I personally prefer fishies and amphibian Gods to Soutache.

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  3. Kinga, as the person who's butt got kicked in Round 2 by Kris' piece, I feel your pain. Let's open up the Ben and Jerry's carton and attack that sucker with a spoon to feel better! :)

    Your pieces rock and I love your froggie gods. Until next year...

    Hugs!

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  4. I just remembered I got Haggen Dazs vanilla swiss almond in the freezer Kate! Great idea and hugs back.

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  5. Excellent post Kinga. Lots of wisdom here. Your froggies were awesome!

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  7. I'm glad you found fortune in failure, Kinga.

    Being over critical is too easy a hole to fall into (I trip in all the time). The simple notion you've justified the journey as the real reward means you are a smarter woman than most.

    Your work is amazing, and you are a fantastic person.

    Keep on making magic.

    ~Pashford

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  8. I'm glad you found fortune in failure, Kinga.

    Being over critical is too easy a hole to fall into (I trip in all the time). The simple notion you've justified the journey as the real rewards means you are a smarter woman than most.

    Your work is amazing, and you are a fantastic person.

    Keep on making magic.

    ~Pashford

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  9. This piece of Frog gods couldn't leave anyone indiferrent. it is awsome I could look and look at it ;) Wish you most of luck next year, to kick some butts ;D How long did it take?

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  10. Thanks for the great post kinga!! I am a long time beader who has always been too intimidated by The vast wealth of beading talent out there to enter contests or try to sell my work. But I certainly feel like my beadwork has become an almost spiritual journey in its progression, like life. :-) and your work is beautiful!

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  11. It's all in fun, anyway! Your piece is magnificent, but your attitude is even more magnificent! You rock!

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  12. I truly love that piece in all its awesome frognatious godditude! And you do have the most fabulously educated models (w or w/o fur). Rock on with your crazy awesome visionary self!

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  13. I truly love this piece in all its Frognatious Godditude! You do have the most fabulously educated models (w & w/o fur)! Rock on with your crazy wild visionary self!

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  14. Kinga, you are a beautiful person, inside and out, and your sparkling talent puts smiles on many faces. You are a winner in my books!

    Great blog entry! Your down to earth sensibility continues to amaze me!

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  15. Your work is stunning and I particularly love this piece for its inspiration source. It's also amazing how you dedicated to taking amazing pictures, you must be so proud of yourself!

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  16. I absolutely got that your merfrogs were alien gods. It's one of the many, many, many reasons I adore your necklace. Have you ever seen Dagon the movie? It's different from the story in a lot of ways, but I did enjoy it. The fishpeople were awesome.

    Great insights on rejection! Personally, I enjoy calling myself a misunderstood genius, just because it's silly and makes me laugh. It reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where he signed his paper "Calvin the (Super) Genius." I'm the only person I know who uses cartoon characters as role models. ;)

    I do think you're a beady genius, though. Your work is some of the most original, well-crafted bead embroidery I've ever seen. I'm always excited/impatient to see what you're working on next. <3



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  17. Wonderful! It truly broke my heart to see you and Kris face off in this battle, as these pieces are definitely in my top three favourites. I love your uniqueness, and some day I shall own one of your fantastical creations! You are a true inspiration in all ways Kinga, and I am so sorry you didn't go further in the competition... You did, however, create a piece of beadwork which will be forever recognisable for it's ingenuity and quirkiness! <3

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  18. Very well written.
    Kinga, I adore your work - it's beautiful, original and always recognisable as yours.
    You have a very distinctive style that is quirky and impressive, and results in wearable art.
    Just fabulous!

    Su

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