Designer in the Spotlight, Bead-Patterns.com

Jeanette Shanigan
Web Site - View Patterns - View Biography - e-mail

Jeanette Shanigan
by Sigrid Wynne-Evans © April 2004

Jeanette is a long time beader, and a long time author. I can remember her books from the days when there were relatively few beadwork books available. Perhaps I am dating my self, and Jeanette, but I think I seem to remember her books dating back to the days when desktop publishing was not common.

Jeanette's designs are full of fun and full of spirit just as she is. Several years ago, I taught bead classes in Anchorage where I first met Jeanette, and I remember her to be lively, and an incredibly 'quick study'. I am sure that what ever she tackles will be successful.

I sent Jeanette a list of questions for this 'Spotlight' interview. She answered them much better than I could write myself, so I left her answers to my questions fully in tact. Why change a good thing, right?

Tell us about your background: Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

I was born in Miles City, Montana. I was a preemie and only weighed 4 lbs. 5 oz. at birth, thus spending the first 2 months of my life in an incubator. My dad tells me the hospital charged him $1.25 per day!! These days preemies are fairly normal, but 53 years ago, I was a bit of a miracle baby. My dad was in the oil business, so I grew up all over the western part of the United States. I suppose we were like gypsies, following the next possible oil strike. In 1962 we followed the oil to Alaska.

Did you go to school beyond High School? Where do you live now?

I graduated from Dimond High School in Anchorage, Alaska, but like most kids wanted to get away from home, so I went to college at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. I graduated with a BA degree in German/English and teaching credentials. I worked year-around to put myself through college, and only had a $500 debt when I graduated. During the summers I returned to Alaska and worked in salmon canneries. It was smelly, exhausting work, but most of my co-workers were also college students and the pay was good. That's where I met my husband; he was a salmon fisherman. My husband and I live in Wasilla, Alaska. We have 2 sons, who have married, and provided us with 3 grandchildren, 2 girls and 1 boy. They also live in Wasilla, so we often get together as a family, that's important to me. My husband and I have been married for 30 years.

Nathan

Do you have a 'day job'? If so, what is it? How did you come to choose this type of job?

I'm a high school teacher at Chugiak High School in Eagle River, Alaska. This year I'm teaching 4 German classes and one jewelry-making class. Very early in my life my maternal grandfather began calling me "his little red-headed school teacher." My grandfather died when I was nine; I always remembered his words and certainly they made an impact on my life. But truly, I never really understood how he could predict my future, until I've watched my own red-headed granddaughter with other children. She's a natural teacher; obviously she's inherited more than the red hair from me. I don't know if I can encourage her into a teaching career, though. Teaching in public education today is extremely stressful, under-appreciated, and under-paid. But that's a soapbox I'd better not continue. This is my 31st year of teaching. I will finally graduate (retire) from high school in June 2004. Then I hope to support myself through beadwork: teach classes around the country, write more books, and design more patterns for Bead-Patterns. So, please consider me if you need a beadwork teacher at your show, store or bead society!

Embellishment 2001
How did you begin beading? Have you taken bead classes? What are your pieces that you are most proud of?

About 37 years, I suppose, but I've always been entranced with beads. One of my earliest beady memories is the beadwork on the toes of my paternal NA grandmother's moccasins. Unfortunately, it wasn't cool to be Indian in those days, so I never learned beadwork from my grandmother, just "proper" needlework, crochet and embroidery. I was a teenager in the 60's, so my first real work with beads was making "love beads." I also did macramé with beads and bead embroidery (beaded clothes and wedding dresses and Christmas stockings). In 1986 I picked up a copy of Deon DeLange's brick stitch earrings book and the rest is history, as they say. I wrote my first beadwork book (Beaded Holiday Earrings) in 1993. Since then, there have been more published books (Suncatcher Beaded Jewelry, Beaded Adornment, Beaded Holiday Adornment, The Beaded Basket, Beads for the Holidays, Beadazzled Cabochon Jewelry, The Big Book of Beautiful Beads) and lots more waiting to be written in my head.

My bead heroes are Virginia Blakelock and Deon DeLange, primarily because I view them as responsible for the current popularity of beadwork. I've taken beadwork classes from David Chatt, Don Pierce, Sig Wynne-Evans, Gini Williams, Sandy Forrington, and Barbara Grainger. It's important to be a student sometimes, not always the teacher, and experience the other side of the bead, so to speak.

My masterpieces are not pieces of beadwork. Sure, there are some pieces of my work that I'm proud of, such as my beaded Easter basket, or my beaded headdress, but I believe that my real masterpieces are the people that have discovered beads through my classes, books and patterns. Beads have brought such joy, passion and pleasure into my life, if I can pass that to others, that will be my life's masterpiece.

How did you start designing? What prompted you to take the step from following others projects/patterns to doing your own?

About 1990 I started teaching beadwork classes in some of the local stores. I believe that's what initially inspired me to create my own designs. I taught weekly classes and it didn't seem ethical to teach other people's patterns/designs from the books. Of course, there wasn't too much out there then, mostly the books by Peggy Sue Henry, Veon Schunzel, and Virginia Blakelock. That's also what encouraged me to design, the lack of designs. I joined B-P because I have 4-5 large 3-ring binders full of patterns that I've designed. Some will eventually be in books, but those that don't make the cut, can be shared with the beading public through B-P.

My biggest joy is the sense of accomplishment/achievement that I get when a what-if idea floating around in my head comes to fruition. Don't get the wrong idea, there are certainly plenty of failures and false-starts, too, but that's all part of the process and the fun. My biggest challenge/disappointment relates to all the copyright infringement out there. On my web site I have a copyright quiz (http://shanigansbeadshenanigans.homestead.com/copyright.html); every one of the questions comes from my own personal experiences. In other words they're all examples of how my work has been infringed. I've taken a lot of bashing on some of the chat groups, because I put large, specific copyright notices on my patterns and books. My designs are a part of me, they're my babies, my intellectual, creative property. Most people understand that it's not okay to kidnap/steal real babies. Why can't they apply the same understanding to my design "babies"?

In designing, I'm often influenced and inspired by the seasons, holidays, and my Alaskan environment. I've done tons of holiday designs because I enjoy celebrating the holidays and wearing the designs. In terms of stitches, I prefer netting, peyote, brick, double-daisy chain, loom work, herringbone, etc. I don't care for RAW, although I've done several pieces with it. I believe my favorite design is yet to be created.

Do you have a studio?

I have 2 rooms in our home. I call one my bead studio and the other my publishing room. The bead studio has the computer, beads and other supplies, my pattern books, a TV/CD player, etc. The publishing room has the Xerox machines, color copiers, binding machine, laminators, etc. I use MS Word, BeadPlan 3.0, Adobe PhotoShop and Adobe Acrobat 5.0 to create my patterns. When I bead, I sit in my recliner with a lap tray.

Do you have any goals related to beadwork/designing that you would like to see become a reality within the next 5 years? How are you working toward that end?

Since I'm retiring from teaching high school in June, I would like to support myself through beadwork, writing more books and patterns and traveling around the country teaching beadwork classes. I always have the next book brewing in my head. For the past 4-5 years, I've taught at the bead venues that would fit into my schedule. This year I'm teaching at Bead Expo in Santa Fe and the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee. As retirement looms closer, I'll be mailing out flyers that announce my availability as a potential teacher to shops, societies, shows.

What have been your biggest personal challenges, and accomplishments?

I believe that my biggest personal accomplishments center around my family. My husband and I have been married 30 years and created and raised 2 sons to be productive, contributing members of society. I have worked full-time. None of this is easy and takes a lot of hard-work and dedication. Now we're trying to be good grandparents to our 3 grandchildren. They have a sleep-over at our house virtually every Friday night. It gives us quality time with them for cookie-baking, beading (yes, I'm teaching them how), playing, spoiling, etc., and time for their parents to be alone together.
On an even more personal level, I believe my greatest challenge centered around 2 broken ankles. I fell in a pothole in the dark last December and broke both ankles. It's been a challenge to get through the whole healing/recovery process, as I'd never really been sick or injured before.

Jeanette's final thoughts:

I suppose my philosophy can be summed up in two phrases: "If I can dream it, I can do it." and "Success is a do-it-yourself-project." No one is going to hand me anything on a silver platter. I set my goals and priorities and work to achieve them. A little luck helps sometimes, but mostly what I achieve depends on my commitment and effort.

Finally, I'd like to thank Rita Sova for Bead-Patterns.com. It's been a very positive affiliation for me personally, and I believe this site and all the other B-P designers are doing a fantastic job of promoting our art form. Also thanks for giving me the opportunity to tell my story via the designer spotlight. And most of all, thanks to all the customers of B-P who have supported my beadwork through their purchases.

Jeanette Shanigan
Web Site - View Patterns - View Biography - e-mail



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