GRANTED BEADS

BORN AND RAISED IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WEST VIRGINIA, MICHAEL WAS RAISED AS AN ONLY CHILD BY HIS GRANDPARENTS. THROUGH HIS DEVELOPMENT YEARS, HIS INTEREST HAD ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING TO DO WITH HIS HANDS. TAKING HIS 'BIGMOUTH' RADIO APART, OR THREADING HIS MOTHER'S OLD SINGER SEWING MACHINE, HE KEPT HIS HANDS BUSY. AFTER SERVING IN THE AIR FORCE, AND FINALLY SETTLING IN CHARLOTTE, NC., MICHAEL FOUND HIMSELF NOT AT EASE. SOMETHING WAS KNAWING AT HIS SOUL. HE RELOCATED TO THE MOUNTAINS OF ASHEVILLE, NC., WHERE A NATIVE AMERICAN SHOWED HIM HOW TO STRING SEED BEADS IN THE COLORS OF THE DIFFERENT INDIAN TRIBES OF THE AREA. FROM WALKING THE BEAUTIFUL STREETS OF DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE, HE DISCOVERED BEAD SHOPS AND FOUND A WHOLE NEW WAY OF EXPRESSING HIS IDEAS, FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS. THIS NEWFOUND HOBBY WAS STRICTLY FOR PLEASURE. AFTER CONSTANTLY BEING ASKED BY STRANGERS TO BUY THE NECKLACES HE WAS WEARING, MICHAEL TOOK A MAJOR STEP FOR HIM AND SET UP AT HIS FIRST FESTIVAL IN 1997. THE BELLE CHERE FESTIVAL IN ASHEVILLE, NC. THREE YEARS AGO, MICHAEL EXPERIENCED THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER, THE WOMAN WHO RAISED HIM FROM BIRTH. HAVING TRAVELED BACK AND FORTH FROM CHARLOTTE TO WEST VIRGINA, THE DRAIN OF WATCHING HER SURVIVE WITH ALZHEIMERS WAS TAKING IT'S TOLL ON MICHAEL'S CREATIVE SPIRIT. FOR A LITTLE OVER TWO YEARS, MICHAEL REFUSED TO SIT AND WORK AT HIS BELOVED BEAD TABLE. HIS MOTHER HAD ALWAYS TOLD HIM THAT SOMETIMES GOD TAKES THINGS AWAY, IN ORDER TO GET YOU CLOSER TO WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE. I ALREADY HAVE THE GIFT HE GAVE ME, WHY NOT SHARE WITH OTHERS...