A REINTRODUCTION

So much has changed over the past five years since I launched this website in 2020, and I am wildly impressed that I’ve made it this far without ripping my hair out at the follicles. I don’t think I’d be half as attractive without my mane, so for that I am grateful. What a trip, this incredible and multifaceted, wonderfully savage and serpentine life. Since the debut of Birds Nest Studios, LLC back in 2020, I have lined my pockets, then lost my shirt, created beautiful, inspiring and challenging artwork for people all across the USofA. I grew the business, and then dissolved the business, in two states twenty-five hundred miles away from one another. I still make art, of course, but not as often as I’d like, and I operate as a sole proprietorship now as opposed to a business, which I suppose isn’t so much a failure as it is just returning to my roots.

With any story there is always some kind of despondency that happens along the way. For me, that came in the form of losing two of my most cherished family members since then. First to leave the planet, my Brother in February of 2021, and then my Mom followed in April of 2023. I never thought I would see the day, even though I knew it was inevitable at some point. Mental health issues and that dreaded C-word we all know and loathe can be blamed for their demise. I miss them every day. But I keep their spirits alive also, reminiscing on good times when I am engrossed in an activity that sparks a memory I have with them, or by analyzing the more garbage times of the past when I want to try and understand how and why things panned out as they did. Their absence is noted in many ways. They’re in good company, of course, with the ilk that has gone before them: my Dad, Grandparents, Great Aunt and Uncles, Piblings, etc. An honorable mention to the friends that also have gone on to explore the aether. You have all had an influence in my life.

I left the wooded, grassy southeast for the arid, rocky southwest in the fall of 2021. I took a leap of faith and ventured into the unknown with my cat and jumped ship to set roots in Las Vegas. I met the love of my life here, and together we traipsed around the country, went SXSing all over the Nevada desert, went through some wooden rollercoaster-like ups and downs, bought a house, and in November of 2023, welcomed our firstborn Son into the world. What an eye-opening and transformative experience for my soul. I was always the gal that shirked the idea of motherhood, and here I am now, almost seventeen months into my greatest project and blessing, and it has reshaped my entire life. He is a gem, the sweetest little guy, and I know parents can be biased but I hear that sentiment from everyone that meets him, so I know it’s not just my rose-colored glasses. My little blessing, my pride and joy. There is no mixture of words sufficient enough for the love that I have for him. I guess all you parent friends of mine were right: there is nothing quite like it. As I sit here, we await the grand entrance of his Brother, expected sometime after the summer solstice. Who would’ve thought five years ago that I would relocate to escape, and end up being gifted with a family all my own.

These days I have gotten reacquainted with the old-time homemaker skills: gardening, making my own food and household items, sewing, etc. I finally have an opportunity to explore this kind of lifestyle and so I jumped in headfirst. That is partly what this website will be transforming into: a tell-all of my discoveries and creations as I navigate my way into this new role of mine. I’m looking forward to sharing all the things I find and all the new ways I intend to grow.

Anyway, I just wanted to give a little real-life update to all the people who have been following my journey throughout the years and to get you up to speed with where I am right now so I can delve right into the good stuff from here on out. I am learning to be more consistent with my own personal journaling, and I hope that carries over into this digital world. Welcome to the new and improved, A Word With Bird. I’m glad you’re here.

Powerful Like The Sea

As I stared into the vast blackness of the sea yesterday evening, I thought about how small I really am, but how connected with everything I may actually be. We may think that our thoughts are solitary and our existence to be insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But we’re like a tiny water molecule in a wave, tumbling in the ocean. Connected to all the other water molecules that make up the life force of the world. We will never know what other molecules that we’ve touched and where they end up going. We’re part of this hydrological cycle of people, of energies, our thoughts recycle, our words and actions and just our existence are like the waters, powerful enough to erode the earth, to create raging storms, to provide the rain that waters other people and allows them to grow, the steam that powers the engine of life, because we’re part of a beautiful system where one small act affects absolutely everything else. And our energies never really leave, even when we eventually do, kind of like evaporation. Things in the very distant past are still discussed and influencing things today. I am always amazed at this universe. I am positive that it is all connected. And I am equally certain that no matter how insignificant you feel, no matter what you’re doing, you are filled with enough power to change the world, and you’re doing it right now. Just a thought.