I have a jar in my lampwork studio that I toss beads that I deem “rejects”.  Well, the last time I sat at my torch, I glanced over and saw a bead I made some time ago.  I picked it up, and on second glance, and with a different perspective, it didn’t seem so bad anymore:

I admire Lydia Muell of Ashton Jewels.  So much so that I purchased several of her tutorials.  I experimented, and this bead was one of the results.  I think back then, I was trying too much to duplicate her beads.  Thus, I deemed this bead subpar, which was unfair.  It is wonderful that these artists are willing to share their knowledge and skills.  What I ultimately got out of the tutorial was to learn new/different techniques, and in turn apply them to my own style of bead making.  I think I will keep this bead after all :-).