Feather On Water Origin Story

Have you ever been in a situation where you feel like you are losing yourself, your soul?  That’s how the story begins. 

 

I was a social work supervisor in an organization where I ‘d been working for over twenty years. My job was working with young people with challenges in their lives and providing them with the tools and support they needed to make their lives better.  It was a lifelong dream to work in this area and I was also working with my staff to do the same. We were an impassioned team. 

 

But things had become challenging for me personally.  The focus of the organization was changing, and it was becoming harder to do my job in a way that was consistent with my values.

​

My heart was hurting and my health was suffering.  

​

Songs often come into my life when I need them and each morning at that time, I drove in listening to “Soften the Blow” by Xavier Rudd and it fueled me to keep going. 

​

“And if you rise, I will hold the ladder.  And help you rise. I will help you rise.”

​

The youth were my passion, the” why” of the work I was doing. 

​

This kept me afloat for awhile, but I knew it wasn’t enough.  I needed another way to balance the negativity I was experiencing and to put something beautiful into the world.

​

I happened to be on vacation visiting my daughter in Scotland that year when I received an email with devastating news about the youth program. It was terminated.

​

No notice.  No discussion.

​

There were so many aspects of this that broke my heart, and I wasn’t sure how I could continue in my job. 

​

After I returned from Scotland, I discovered the music of a British artist, Passenger, whose songs “Let Her Go” and “Things That Stop You Dreaming” spoke to what I was feeling at the time.  I played those daily.   

 

But I was really interested in “Feather on the Clyde”.  It’s a beautiful song about desperation and hopelessness on one side of a river and warmth, hope, and resilience on the other.   It all certainly resonated.

​

Being one who listens to signs and intuition, I knew there was a personal journey in this song if I chose to pursue it.  So, at the end of my next visit to Scotland, I went to the River Clyde in Glasgow and took pictures of feathers on the river in hopes of some sort of revelation.

​

They were ugly pictures.

​

Little white feathers on a murky area of the river on a dull day.  Dang.

 

Not a vision at all.  But perhaps a parallel of my own soul at the time.

​

That step was the beginning of the “Feather On Water” journey .  It was an act of rebellion, a reclaiming.

 

Healing and joyous.

​

I embraced self-compassion and self-kindness, and with purpose, stayed on the journey.  The following year I returned to northern Scotland where I had been inspired by the diving birds, the wind and waters of Orkney, and the remnants of civilizations past.

 

There was something about being out on the edge of a cliff with the wild wind in my hair, watching the sea and the birds thriving in this difficult environment that stirred my soul and gave me a sense of freedom and joy.   And knowing that others had come before made me think of my own story.

​

I connected with myself as the little feather on the ocean.  That introvert who believes in kindness, love, and offering a hand-up for others who need it. 

​

The person who cares for and about our natural world and the creatures who live in it.  

 

The person who believes that small acts can lead to powerful change.

​

This was the final inspiration for “Feather On Water” and I wanted to share it. And reciprocate the blessings I received from that place and journey.

​

I already had a small jewelry business and had never lost my passion for creating pieces especially with natural stones which felt so calming in my hands.  The new name

“Feather On Water” envisioned a brand that represented the concept of the feather on the water and all that was good in the world. 

​

I want to encourage and support others, respect the natural world, and bring out the best in those who chose my jewelry to wear or give.  Or even just looked at it and read my messages.

 ​

I want it to represent kindness, resilience, gentle personal power, with a touch of the wild. 

​

Now I return each year to take in the wind and wild of that special place, watch the birds, seals and otters and feed my soul. 

​

In between trips I imagine myself standing on the sea cliff in one of the windiest places in the world, taking in all the wind has to offer, with the sea and the wisdom of past souls infusing mine with inspiration, strength, and grace.

​

It reminds me that to be human is to be here for a short time.  And that even though I am a part of something much bigger than myself, I can still have purpose and impact. 

​

“Feather On Water” is me.  It might be you too, even partly.  My jewelry represents beauty, resilience, grace, and wisdom.  It is the ongoing search for meaning in this beautiful world, a world that can be harsh and difficult to navigate at times.  It represents a journey to an honoured soul and a gift back to the world.

​

Feather On Water lights me up and it is so exciting to be sharing it with you!

 

With gratitude, Mary