OUR STORY

Who IS The Bead Muse?

This question is one that I always find I'm ill-equipped to answer straightforwardly.

Who is The Bead Muse?
Well, I'd say it's me. Hi! I'm Califia Hurtado.

Most of my friends and acquaintances call me Cali.

I am an artist. A wife. A mother. A naturalist. A chronically ill person. Some would say that I'm a warrior because I went through a rough childhood. I don't feel like a warrior.

I'm an untreated ADHD goblin who learns skills when the hyper-fixation hits. Some skills stick around and are useful additions to my repertoire. Others fall to the wayside and only pop up once yearly, twice a year if I'm lucky.

I absorb information about all kinds of things. I find inspiration in nature, the incredible artisans I grew up around while working at the Texas Renaissance Festival, and the random bits of sudden insight that happen when meeting new people.

My world is a uniquely visual one. I see things differently than others. I view the natural world as a sacred space: any damage done to by humanity it is desecration. And that makes me "radical," or something.

That's what I've been told.

When I started making jewelry and pursuing this craft, I could visualize the designs I wanted to accomplish. It took a few years for my skills to catch up with my vision. I'm grateful I hung in long enough for the "ugly duckling" phase to pass.

I've spent 15 years learning, growing, and achieving things I couldn't imagine as a child or teen. Even as a young artisan, the idea of winning first and third place in the State Fair of Texas Creative Arts competition was never on my radar. It's been a wild ride with beautiful creations, and I hope I continue it for many years.

Thank you for being a part of this journey, it means the world to me.