Getting to Know...Malliga Nathan

Malliga at the torch

You already know Malliga Nathan as a sales representative at BeadFX, but did you know she is a total 'Renaissance Woman'?In addition to mastering lampworking, she has also delved into working with seed beads, wire and now resin! This isn't a matter of dabbling in different mediums - Malliga pushes herself to learn about new techniques and then she asks 'what if'. The results are astounding!

Creativity was normal for Malliga. "One of my Aunts used to joke that if she gave me an egg carton I could make a purse out of it," says Malliga. "I was often looking for items around the house that no one wanted in order to create other things."

She further explains, "I used to make jewelry out of old broken jewelry in mine and my mother’s collection. I would sometimes even take apart perfectly fine jewelry in order to use it’s components elsewhere. After that at around age 10 my mother bought me approximately $5 or $6 dollars of seed beads and findings from Lewiscraft and it snowballed from there. I really just learned as I went along, first trying it my own way, then looking it up in books from the library and then by observing and receiving advice from others. After I started working at BeadFX,  I learned how to lampwork from Sue, our previous Studio Manager, and began taking classes as well."

Malliga gets her inspiration from many sources. "God, love, colours, beauty, nature, music, people, conversations, pictures, paintings, clutter, organization, my budget (lack of budget tends to incite creativity for me)…probably even garbage if I look at it the right way," she says. 

Creating projects can take a bit of time! "First, I get inspired whether it comes from beads, or a colour combo or whatever," says Malliga, "then somewhere in the mish mash of thoughts going on in my head, things usually come together in my mind first, then I have to make it happen outside of my head. I sometimes carry around a notebook to write or sketch out my ideas. I’ve got pieces of paper everywhere full of ideas. Usually I record the idea and come back to it later, if it’s still a good idea I may run with it."

Malliga's transition to teaching as been fairly recent. "I love seeing the students do their own thing with what I have taught them, seeing the creativity of others and being able to share what I know and have learned. The students inspire me as well and I love that," says Malliga enthusiastically. "On the flip side, it's hard when you have non-expressive, unenthusiastic, unimpressed, judgmental faces looking at me while I am teaching. Sometimes students don’t realize how encouraging or discouraging their expressions can be."

Malliga's advice to others who love to create? "Don’t get stuck on what’s in front of you or the idea in your head," she explains. "Sometimes it’s good to be willing to change and go with the flow if an idea is not working out. It is also good to put the project aside for awhile until you get the right components to make it happen. And sometimes it’s good to hold on for dear life to your brilliant idea, make it happen and make it happen now, in other words: persevere!"

Upcoming classes with Malliga Nathan:

Friday, March 14
"Call me a Cab - I'm Resin-ated!" Making Resin Cabachons
6:00 - 9:00pm

Complete information about Malliga's classes, including class and kit fees, are available on our website.