Origin Story.
When I was a little girl, my sisters and I would get dropped off at our grandmother’s house, located at the edge of a huge duck pond in the middle of Buckhead in Atlanta. After walking my grandmother’s huge dog Bear, we would run back to play under the old Willow Tree that perched at the edge of the water. My sisters and I would collect the long fallen willow fronds and braid them into beautiful crowns. From here, our imaginations were ignited, may we be queens or fairies, weaving in fresh picked clover blossoms, azaleas, and dandelions. This is where my love of adornment and my connection to expression was birthed.
I have been creating headdresses for friends for eleven years; I have always been the go-to person for my friend groups across the country for special events. Three years ago I began selling SpiritCrowns at various festivals and events which has gone really well, especially for the amount of time I could put into it as a new mom. SpiritCrowns as a party rental company began by just taking all my inventory to a weekly drum circle event at Kirk Park in Montauk, NY, then someone’s baby shower or birthday party, and then I started getting requests, and then I started getting recommended, and now I have been shipping them internationally for parties with a return shipment label! THANK YOU for supporting small business and making this dream a reality!
I have been creating headdresses for friends for eleven years; I have always been the go-to person for my friend groups across the country for special events. Three years ago I began selling SpiritCrowns at various festivals and events which has gone really well, especially for the amount of time I could put into it as a new mom. SpiritCrowns as a party rental company began by just taking all my inventory to a weekly drum circle event at Kirk Park in Montauk, NY, then someone’s baby shower or birthday party, and then I started getting requests, and then I started getting recommended, and now I have been shipping them internationally for parties with a return shipment label! THANK YOU for supporting small business and making this dream a reality!
Essence.
- Elevate the divine joy and radical expression of individuals and communities using sacred ornamentation.
- Bring people together in the name of celebration and reconnect communities with the ancient tradition of adornment during rites of passage.
- Provide an experience of tangibly connecting with an empowered state of being.
- Make accessible a truly special experience meant previously only for “real performers,” so that all people can feel as special and unique as they innately are.
Note about cultural appropriation: Since the dawn of time, humans have been adorning themselves with the elements of the world around them. If you follow the lines around the globe, countries that touch tend to share 2-3 similar elements in their ornamentation with one bordering nation and 2-3 different elements with another bordering nation. There are countless materials, styles, fabrics, metals, compositions, and meanings to all of these creations, whether they be white clay and flowers from the Omo people in Ethiopia or the striking horse hair headdresses from central Mongolia to incredible Balinese filigree wedding headdresses. During this time in history, we face a crisis of identity. Our culture is looking to re-tribalize and reclaim our individual meaning in a world full of fluff. SpiritCrowns is a part of rewriting that story and supporting the return to what is sacred and connects us to each other and the sense-making of our journey together. While the most recognizable headdress to most Americans is the Sioux War Bonnet, none of these SpiritCrowns resemble this particular honor, which would only be worn by men and would symbolize achievement in battle (similar to a doctor receiving their doctorate in recognition of their achievements). While some creations also have feathers, this is in no way to dishonor or steal one cultures tradition, but to celebrate the practice of adornment shared by humans through history.