Boost Your Creativity with Weekly Beading and Jewelry Making Challenge

Start creating with a weekly jewelry making challenge!

Over the years, I’ve discovered that one of the hardest parts of jewelry making isn’t learning new stitches or buying the right tools, it’s simply sitting down and starting. Like many of you, I’ve had stretches where my beads sat untouched for weeks because life got busy or I felt uninspired. That’s why I recently created a Weekly Beading and Jewelry Making Challenge. I wanted a fun, low-pressure way to keep my creativity moving forward, and I thought others might enjoy the same kind of structure and encouragement.

The weekly beading and jewelry making challenge is not about rules or competition - it's a personal challenge about motivation and inspiration. The challenge takes place on my private Facebook group - Lisa Yang's Jewelry Group. 

If you are not a member, your first step to weekly progress is to join the group. The group is simply a bead hang out. A place to post your projects, ask questions, get feedback and now to challenge your self to create.

How the Weekly Jewelry Making Challenge Works

The Weekly Jewelry Making Challenge is designed to be simple, flexible, and fun. Each week I post a new theme or prompt in the Facebook group. The idea is to spark your creativity and give you a reason to sit down with your beads or wire, even if only for a short time.

You don’t have to be an expert to join in. The group has jewelry makers at all skill levels, and probably skews more towards beginners. The challenge is less about rules and more about encouragement. Some weeks you may finish a pair of earrings or a pendant, while other weeks you might just share a work-in-progress. It all counts.

Here’s what a typical week looks like:

1. Check the weekly jewelry making prompt. At the start of the week (Monday around noon), I post a theme in our private Facebook group. This is just to get your creative juices flowing, it is entirely optional if you want to follow the suggested theme.

2. Create something. Use the prompt as inspiration. It could be a new stitch, a color combination, or even repurposing beads from your stash. Or ignore the prompt and just sit down and make what you want.

3. Share your progress. Post a photo in the group, whether your piece is finished or still on the bead mat. Include any details on why you chose the project, what you like or don't like about it, what inspired you, whatever details you want.

4. Connect with others. See how different makers interpreted the same theme, and share encouragement or feedback in the comments.

The best part of the challenge is the community. Having a group of people working on the same idea makes it easier to stay motivated, and the variety of interpretations is always inspiring. You’ll not only make more jewelry, you’ll also learn new techniques, revisit old supplies, and most importantly, build a habit of regular creativity.

The challenge runs year-round, but there’s no pressure to participate every single week. You can jump in at any time, skip when life gets busy, and return whenever you’re ready. It’s all about progress, play, and finding joy in the making. The challenge itself is divided into 13 week quarters with a general theme for the quarter. This quarter is about experimenting with color.

Why Participate in the Weekly Jewelry Challenge

I created the challenge just because I find it easy to be complacent about finding time to create. I've participated in challenges in the past and found them very helpful to push myself to start and complete projects and eliminate creative blocks.

Some of the benefits that I've personally found from participating in jewelry challenges are:

• It is easier to create consistently, even if it's just a small project or an idea that doesn't exactly work out the way you hoped.
• Being encouraged to try new stitches, color palettes, or designs that I might not attempt otherwise.
• Being part of a supportive group of people who share ideas, cheer each other on and celebrate creativity
• Using materials I already own in new ways
• It keeps me motivated with fresh ideas (and it's fun!)
• Getting new ideas from seeing what other jewelry makers share.

If you’ve been looking for a way to jumpstart your jewelry making—or you just want some friendly company while you create—I’d love for you to join the Weekly Jewelry Challenge. Head over to \Lisa Yang's Jewelry Group and check out this week’s theme.

You don’t need to wait for the “perfect” week—pick a prompt that inspires you and start from there. I can’t wait to see what you create!