About Stevi

Boozhoo, Giizhik Kwe ndizhnaakaz. Bkejwanong ndoonjiba. Ma’iingan ndoodem. Anishinaabekwe ndaaw.

My name is Stevi, I love to bead and create. I’ve always loved crafting. The earliest memory I have of jewelry making was when I was around 12 years old. My friend and I were trying to make wire jewelry and we spent hours making different earrings. I was so fascinated by the fact that I could make jewelry with my own hands.

The first time I got excited about beadwork was when someone told me a story about how a fan made and gifted The Backstreet Boys medallions and they wore them at one of their shows. I was so excited about the concept of getting a band you love to wear something you made with your own hands and I asked family and friends for help making 6 medallions for my favourite Canadian band at the time, Down with Webster.

I think I only had a week or two to make them before the concert I was going to in Toronto. I didn’t see it as a problem because I was so determined and excited to work on them. It was an ambitious project but I ended up making 5 and when I told my cousin my plan she wanted to make one, too.

I went to the concert and I wasn’t able to give medallions to each of them but I was able to meet my favourite member, Patrick Gillett, and gift one to him. I was just a really starstruck teenager but it was a magical moment.

I beaded on and off for a few years, mostly pop culture items for myself based on what I was obsessed with at the time. I beaded the wings from Daryl Dixon’s vest of The Walking Dead multiple times. Each time I did it, I got better. I would sew the wings onto a backpack and wear them around proudly.

I was never afraid of complicated projects because I was so determined. When I teach beading classes I don’t really like to give people simpler projects if we have a lot of time because I feel like I became an amazing beader by challenging myself.

I started getting more and more obsessed with beading the better I got. I started hoarding beads and dreaming about beading projects and seeing beads when I closed my eyes. When I’m passionate about a beading project I feel like it’s hard to think about anything else.

The first portrait I tried was a massive piece of David Bowie as The Goblin King in the cult classic film, The Labyrinth. I thought it would be an easy start because he has such a distinct look in that movie, but it flopped and I didn’t finish. I want to get back to it but the idea is stuck on the back burner for now. I saw a Goblin King themed car driving around in my city and I think it was a sign to get back to it.

The next portrait I tried was Willie Jack from Reservation Dogs and it actually turned out really well. I was obsessed with making it and I couldn’t see anything else for days. Sometimes I feel like I’m going to explode when I can’t keep continuously working on certain projects. I’m always a mix of worry and excitement when I’m making something because hours go into it and it’s never certain it will turn out. Especially if it’s something I’ve never done before.

I hope people can see and feel the love and excitement I put into each piece I make.

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I would like to acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.