Cre(Rave)tive

by: Colby M.

When I first entered the exciting and often colorful world of EDM one of the first things I noticed was the abundance of creativity, from the DJs to the installations there is art everywhere you look.

Themed events went much further than just flyer design, but rather enveloped the festival goer in an entirely new reality, be it an alien invasion or a trip down the rabbit hole to join Alice on her adventures in Wonderland.

This aspect remains one of my most cherished aspects of events.

Not only is the environment beautiful to step into, but so many attendees brighten up the events with their own costumes, kandi and totems.

While I’m partial to the festival fits and kandi trades which are a great way to meet friends and commemorate special moments, there are endless other ways to creatively contribute to an event.

My own kandi collection now servers as a treasure trove of beautiful beads all individually tied to memories made at shows.

I grew my hobby of kandi making over time. Starting with singlets I made before my first event.

The next step was learning a simple “x” pattern which formed the base of most cuffs and other layered pieces.

This part although looking simple on the instructional videos took me a few tries and fails before I finally got that down.

From there the sky was the limit. I made kandi masks, cuffs, and even started adding LEDs to my creations.

After that the next step was of course to drag my best friend into the process.

She also fell in love with it and surpassed me in skill quickly, making entire shirts out of pony-beads.

What started out as simple strand of beads evolved into a great hobby, and with all the time that covid has given us, we even sell some of our designs on a shared Instagram account (check us out at @retorgravedesigns), now that there are far fewer events to trade at this helps to fill the void. 

The point of that story being that, you never know where inspiration will take you.

Follow your dreams and the music and see where your creativity takes you!

About the author: Colby M.

25 year old artist/lawyer and avid advocate of the dirty bird vibe! Come find me at your next event! @gingger.bum