Meet Cynthia Winters of Bead Spy Studio in Chula Vista

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Winters.

Cynthia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am always on the hunt for beads. The first time I remember spying beads were at the Sprouse-Reitz five and dime store in the Clairemont Square shortly after my family moved to San Diego in 1969. From the craft display case, I picked out some turquoise and orange glass “seed” beads (the tiny type that are often used in traditional Native American beadwork) and strung them onto some wire to make a daisy chain ring. Around that same time, my Grandmother took up an interest in the art of classical French Flower Beadwork (creating intricate floral arrangements using beads and wire) so the two of us would go out looking for beads together. One place we loved to visit was The Shepherdess in Old Town. Though no longer there, it was a true treasure trove of beads and art-making materials, and I still miss it!

I soon discovered there were wonderful beads to be found from all over the world in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials, and I was hooked. In the following years, I continued to string beads into jewelry as a hobby, and this lead to the pursuit of a degree in Jewelry and Metalsmithing at SDSU, followed by museum work at Mingei International and a subsequent career of editing and writing about jewelry and wearable art for several publications, as well as many years writing about family related issues for San Diego Family Magazine, and a travel book, “Fodor’s Around San Diego with Kids.”

I have spent most of my life in San Diego (with a few years in San Francisco and Los Angeles) and I have lived all over this town – Clairemont, University City, Santee, Kensington, and Rolando before settling in Chula Vista with my husband and three children. At this point, I remembered that I would rather be making art than writing about it, so I picked up the beads again. My sweet Grandmother has passed on, but I inherited her substantial collection of beautiful seed beads, so I started using some of them to make beaded snowflakes – stringing the beads on fine, nylon thread to create the shapes.

And 14 years later I am still using this technique to create sculptural beaded objects and jewelry. I also still hunt for beads wherever I go. In 2015 my online business, Bead Spy Studio, was established. This has allowed me to showcase and sell my beadwork and jewelry and also to share travel snapshots of shops, museums, galleries and other resources for beads and beadwork that I have discovered while out “spying”. I also have an online shop through Amazon Handmade.

It’s a good thing our family landed in San Diego all those years ago, as it turns out that San Diego is kind of a beader’s paradise. We have about a dozen good bead shops in the region, an active bead society, and several traveling bead, gem and jewelry shows and workshops that visit here each year. We are very lucky.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One thing I struggled with for years was finding a creative outlet that worked well with my lifestyle. As much as I enjoyed working with metal to make jewelry and sculpture when I became a mother, it was hard to find adequate time to spend away in a studio.

I needed something portable that I could work on at home at my own pace, and a return to beading solved this issue for me.The work can be taken anywhere, the materials are small, and no torches or harsh chemicals are needed to complete a piece.

Also, as an introverted type, one of the things I struggle with is self-promotion. That and the technical aspects of creating an online presence has been a challenging learning experience for me. But with much research and courses through the local Small Business Association, I learned to put together a website, and do business online.

Bead Spy Studio – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Most people use beads to make jewelry, what I think is a little different about my business is that I also make sculptural pieces with the beads, usually inspired by flora and fauna, both real and imagined.

I tend to build the pieces almost like small stuffed animals, sewing the seed beads together into a kind of fabric with nylon thread, and often using pieces of cotton to stuff the objects and give them structure.

The other thing that may set me apart is the focus on beading resources – I search out bead shops and exhibitions whenever I have a chance to travel, as well as those here in San Diego County, and offer profiles of them on Instagram and my website for other beaders out there.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success in artmaking is usually tied to exhibiting and selling your work, and I have been fortunate to do both. But I think my true definition of success is to have the time and resources to freely produce work that is truly your own.

I am fortunate to have a support system that allows me to work this way. If you are expressing yourself by making what you want to make, how you want to make it, then you are successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: Beadspy.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: BeadSpy
• Other: www.amazon.com/handmade/Bead-Spy-Studio

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