Greetings, I am Jennifer.

I was born and grew up in Cooroy, Queensland, Australia. I completed my Nursing Studies in Gympie, just up the road, and then spent the next four years nursing in Western Australia—in Kalgoorlie, Derby, and as a Remote Area Field Nurse in Fitzroy Crossing. Eventually, I left my nursing career to seek a different way of being in the world. A few thousand miles later, I arrived in Darwin, my home for the next five years.

My time in Darwin gifted me the joy and love of being in circle with women. We gathered to share music, ceremony, and play. Theater and exhibitions, plays and music—exploring the sights and senses of the market culture. People from all over the world came together, sharing their gifts and ways. For a country girl, it was an awakening.

During this time, I learned of the different ways of Spirit: the ways of the Pagans, the Witches, and the Goddess. Yet, among all these ways, it was not them who were calling me. My quiet times were spent with my dog, Jebu-Sun, by the ocean and in the creeks, watching long, storm-filled sunsets by the sea.

My life changed when I bought Jamie Sams' Medicine Cards. It felt like a door had opened. Reading her stories of the animals filled me with delight and wonder. I have always loved time with nature and her critters. Jamie Sams and her teachings showed me a different way of seeing, hearing, and being—a way that spoke to me, a place from where to begin.

I left Darwin, traveling with a friend to Western Australia. I stayed at Bremer Bay for a few months, though it was not an easy time for me. On an icy cold winter's night, I surrendered. I offered my life to Spirit, surrendering my free will to my Spirit Ones. I decided I would follow, no longer wanting to lead my destiny.

Soon after, I arrived in Perth. I had decided to use a coin as my way of following. Tails were my "Yes." I would take a moment, close my eyes, breathe, release, ask the question, breathe and release again, and toss my coin—only one toss. And I followed as best as I could.

Within a month, I had employment, a little house to rent. Jebu and I camped in tall forests, swam in rivers, creeks, and the ocean. We walked long trails, listening to the sounds of the forest and finding feathers. I tended my little garden and watched the Black Shouldered Kites as they went about their day.

I joined a beginner drum circle, where we played Darbuka and Djembe, learning the rhythms of the Middle East. My first taste of drumming felt like coming home. A friend loaned me a clay bowl-shaped drum to practice at home, but it rolled off my bed and broke on the floor. Inspired, I picked up a reprinted paperback, How to Make Native American Drums and Rattles, and followed the instructions to create a log drum. With a hammer and chisel, I tapped, sanded, and waxed. I learned about skins, and before the year was over, I had made three log drums. That was when I knew I wanted to be a maker of drums.

I read Buffalo Woman Comes Singing by Brooke Medicine Eagle. I experienced a sweat lodge and smelled white sage for the first time. I heard sweat fall from my outstretched arms onto the dry, dusty earth. I learned of the healing ways of plants and their oils, the Stone People, and the energy of healing. I met women who spoke with faeries and otherworldly creatures. I sat in women’s circles, listening to stories of the old ways.

I spent five years in Western Australia before moving to Brisbane. There, I explored Reiki and healing. I played with music, and Jebu and I spent our afternoons and evenings by the water—rivers, creeks, and the ocean. We sought peace among the trees in parks and forests.

Another five years passed in Brisbane before I moved with my partner to the valley that I have called home for 21 years. It is here that my vision of being a drum maker has evolved. I create beautiful frame drums and river drums, surrounded by the natural world—its critters, mountains, and river.

For the past 10 years, I have lived here alone. My days are filled with tending the land, planting flowers for the bees and butterflies, making drums and frames, and playing in my workshop. I shape and polish opals and beautiful stones. I listen to the birds, hear the river, and watch the wallabies in my yard.

I am deeply grateful for my life and the journey that has brought me here.