Same Old Tired Topics....

They appear on all the beadmaker's forums - and probably in forums related to art s and crafts in general. They are often looked at with weariness and sometimes even anger and frustration. They are topics that just won't die - and should they? I am talking about those very conversations that we as beadmakers hear and read over and over again.

Sometimes we forget that there are new beadmakers coming along all the time - our art is really exploding these days. And those beadmakers often don't follow the forums religiously like some of us veterans do. So they come on the scene not really knowing how often we've seen those forum threads and blog posts coverying the dreaded copying issue. The much-maligned mass-produced beads debate. The annealing conundrum. The giving-away-info-for-free argument. Or even the basic beadmaking questions we all see in forums - what glass/equipment to buy, is safety really important, do I need a kiln, how do you make this or that kind of bead, and for the love of all that's holy, why can't I keep my propane tank in the house???

I just have one thing to say. Okay, okay - two things. First - for those of us who have really been around - we might do well to look at things from a newbie's standpoint from time to time. We were new once, too. Hell, sometimes I feel like I still am!! Second - to all you new beadmakers out there - please, please for goodness sake, learn how to search the forums for the answer to your question before you post it. Lampwork Etc and other forums like this are virtual libraries. I can't think of a lampworking topic not covered there. Chances are - if you can think of it, someone else has posted about it. Search your question, read some or all of the topics - then, if your question hasn't been answered, post a new topic. Seriously, that will help everyone. You won't get told off for posting something we've all seen a zillion times (**cough**copying**cough), and we won't need to rip our hair out from frustration.

Kisses! :D