About Lori Anderson

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I was once asked to write about my "artistic journey”, and I thought of several ways that could go.  I mean, WHICH journey?  The journey I take each day when I sit to design jewelry or melt glass?  The journey I take to find my creative self in the midst of a chaotic day?  Or the journey I took to get to this point in my life, where I make pretty things for a living?

I thought it might be interesting to try the latter — how I ended up where I am now, where I have the absolute joy of actually making a living making jewelry.  It’s a strange, convoluted journey, with lots of twists, turns, and almosts, and it will tell you a little more about me, and in the end, why my jewelry is so eclectic, and doesn’t adhere to one given style.

I’ll start with my first real-world job.  It’s as far from jewelry design as it could possibly be — four years in the US Air Force.  Joining right from high school, I spent a year in California learning Korean, and then off to Osan AB, Korea, to work an intel position.  Lots of fun, except for chemical exercises, but no beading.  I never even thought of it. 

After four years in Korea, I left the military for the civilian world, and held a few different jobs, mostly in marketing.  While marketing didn’t have a thing to do with making cool things, it DID give me a solid background that I now use everyday in how to market myself and my company. 

A quick jaunt to Italy occurred when I realized I was never going to quite be complete without a college degree.  I spent the three months before classes began living in Italy, teaching aerobics for spending money. I fell in love with Venice and, of course, Murano glass.  I spent my time admiring the vases and large sculptures, never dreaming that glass beads were going to become an integral part of my future career.  Oh, if I’d only known then what I know now, and had unlimited money to spend on Venetian beads!

Next came college — two years at community college, then finishing off a four-year degree at the University of Virginia, majoring in Biology.  I’d taken nearly every microbiology and teeny-tiny-things biology class I could, and was in pre-med, so I’d had lots of time in chemistry labs.  THAT gave me an attention to detail that I use now in each piece I make — it has to be JUST so, down to the ending bit.

After self-imposed poverty while getting that degree, I decided to take a year off to make some money before medical school, and ended up in the IT world, smack-dab in the middle of the dot.com explosion.  Once again, I found myself working in sales and marketing, and gained more skills that would eventually serve me well when I owned my own company.

Another twist in the road — meeting my husband!  Deciding to have a family rather than spend up to age 40 in internships, I happily got married, and discovered while making wedding programs, table cards, and favors that I had a bit of a creative side.  I very nearly took the tests to become a wedding coordinator but then, oh joy, we were expecting a baby!

photo by Jen Fariello

While I was pregnant, I spent part of the time on bed rest, and my friend brought me some beads to keep me busy.  Uh oh.  Kinda got hooked.  I didn’t have time until after Zack was about 8 months old to really play around seriously with the beads, but it was addictive.  I sent some things to my mom, who took them to her office, and they sold — and all of a sudden, I had a business! 

Now I exhibit at craft shows, run a web site and Facebook beading group, write tutorials for magazines and books, have been a mentor to a few new crafters, and have never had a job I loved more.  I feel so lucky.  All of those twists and turns in my life could have led me anywhere — a career military sergeant; a PeopleSoft IT professional; a doctor; a wedding planner.  Each of those stops along the way gave me something to take with me to this part of my Journey.  

And I couldn’t be happier.

You can find my work, interviews, and writing by clicking here.  I was also thrilled to have my first jewelry design book, "Bead Soup", published in 2012!

photo by Brandi Hussey

Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack.  Visit her shops by clicking here.  She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party®   and author of the book Bead Soup.