MY STORY / A CHAPTER

When my daughter was 2 a dream came to me, a harbinger of change. An Eagle flew with me in their huge talons and hung me off the awning of a rustic cottage atop a mountain, and left me there! Within a week of this dream the cottage was home to my daughter Summer and I, along with a family of three wedge tailed Eagles.

The realisation came that I was brought to this land to undergo a series of initiations that would strip me of my trauma. These events came like waves over the coming years. Some were like tsunamis and others were more gentle on me. These experiences form the basis of my work. These experiences and the lessons born from them are woven into my creations along with a bit of my heart and soul.

As a drum maker for over 23 years now, it is an honour to create from those once living thus bringing new life to the animal. Drum making came as a strong calling for me. The facilitator of my first drum creation had made many drums and said that she had never seen a hide with such markings, and felt it was an omen for me to work with the drum in a bigger way. In time, this calling revealed itself more and more and is the reason I continue this work with deep commitment and gratitude. 

I often create one or two drums each month*, usually upon the new and full moons. The paintings on each drum are often inspired by a recent encounter shared with an animal. Your drum is like a living being. From the moment an animal hide arrives at my door until the moment it leaves as a drum, it is treated with the upmost reverence and respect. Created in ceremony from start to finish. All living beings have a Spirit which will return to the spark of creation from which we all came when it ceases to breathe life. 
The entirety of the hide is used, from hand cut drums lacing to rattle heads, nothing goes to waste.
The rattles created can be used as healing and ritual tools, and sometimes as percussion instruments. However, my intention is to create more for ceremony. The rattle will often be used to call upon the elements of nature, to shift consciousness, and to clear any unwanted or stagnant energies.

As a small child growing up, my father worked at the abattoir as a means to put food on the table. Like a karmic circle, there is now an opportunity for me to work in a conscious way with death, bringing an element of love and respect into the work. For as long as I can remember, animal hides have made their way to me. All animals hold a specific gift and I believe these pieces come my way so their medicines can be shared far and wide for they are needed. In deep gratitude and love I create.

No animals life has been taken for the sole purpose of the creation of my works. All hides used are a byproduct of the food industry. This is my way of honouring the animal, bringing it into a new form to be used as medicine.  

*Drums are first listed in my Facebook group. You can request to join here.