From an early age, creativity in some form has been a part of Carol Ott's life. Her first experience with beading began at eight when bronchitis kept her bedridden. To stay occupied, she was given a small beading loom. Little did she realize creating beaded jewelry would ultimately become her passion.

A jewelry artist since 2000, Carol finds all beading techniques enjoyable but “free style” is her favorite. “I don’t enjoy making the same thing twice so abstract beading is very appealing. It gets my creative juices flowing as I sort through the infinite variety of beads, their colors, finishes, shapes and sizes. Deciding where to take the work next – or let it take me – is the fun and challenging part.” Although each piece seems random, bead placement and color combinations are always in mind.

She also likes the crisp clean lines of geometric beading, the very opposite of free style. “I like its preciseness. Every bead has to be in the correct position to create the desired form.” Although she has taken classes to learn beading techniques, Carol is self-taught.
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Raised in Oak Ridge, TN, Carol lived in the Washington, DC area where she and her late husband were owners of a corporate art consulting and framing business. She moved to Chattanooga in 2012 where she now resides with two rescue dogs and a very noisy parakeet.