We recently connected with Lorinda John and have shared our conversation below.

Lorinda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Creating has always been apart of my life, I have always been person who loved making everyone their gifts. During that time of creating the thoughts of having a career in the arts was in my mind but also had negative thoughts that my work was not worthy of money were there. Then in my thirties I just stopped making art. The reason that my creative flow stopped was due to the toxic marriage I was in. There was no personal motivation and no will to want to share what I was creating. Many projects went incomplete and even in the trash. This time stretched about 10 years if not longer until one day when that all changed. It was March 2020, and I spent the prior six months in the darkest most depressed state of mind. You see in November of 2019 I was arrested and got federal charges making me felon. Instead of telling my family or anyone I navigated it alone. Because of my actions the life with my daughters as I knew was about to change again. To say it was hard is an understatement. The countless check-ins with the probation officer, counseling, calling the bondsmen every week to let them know my location, and so much more. Then one Spring morning I had to get out of the house and decided to help clean up the tree so my dad could get into his shed. The tree next to his shed was so over grown you could not get in or out. I grabbed the handsaw and cut the longest branch. As I was carrying the branch to the fire pit something said bend it. That moment I knew I had to a purpose. Every single horrible life experience that I had ever been through flashed fast. I started crying and said “Eleanor grabbed the camera, I’m going to get us a house.” After that first bend it just felt so great and I kept weaving, bending and creating. This moment and creating the hoops were the first step in me wanting to create art professionally and share my work with others to purchase. Little did I know how much this process would teach me about my Indigenous heritage but also about myself.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Getting outside was how I got into bending cedar. From the bent cedar I create dreamcatchers, while all the wood doesn’t bend it is all used for product. The first product that was made are cedar bundles from the leaves that are plucked from the branches. The leaves are dried out, bundled together, and can be used to cleanse your area from negative energy. Second product to be made was buttons. The buttons have been used for Haudenosaunee Regalia, nature lovers, and personally on my chef coat. The third product to be made has been earrings. The earrings are a quarter inch thick and very in diameter size. Most recently these earrings have been given to local painters to collaborate and create with a new pallet. Utilizing every part of the tree that I touch is important so there is zero waste. This teaching was something that has been passed onto through my parents and other elders in the community. While dreamcatchers have been made by multiple artist for many years it is important for me to share the culture importance of the cedar dreamcatchers with others. It has been a growing experience and have learned so much from teaching classes and doing larger community dreamcatchers. Every experience helps me and helps others understand that healing can be simple as long as we are present and being mindful. Creating dreamcatchers with cedar is different than most modern dreamcatchers as they are created from natural resources and there are no feathers. Thinking about the reason why I started to create and how far I have come is a daily accomplishment. There is not a day that goes by that I am not thanking the trees for being there for when I needed it the most. Now I get to share that process along with the Indigenous significance of dreamcatchers with who ever wants to listen and learn.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part with being a creative is seeing the expression on peoples face when they see my work. After seeing the bent and twisted cedar most people ask me questions. Then the second most rewarding part is sharing the Indigenous culture with people that may not have had the opportunity to learn about.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My first dreamcatcher was made in a jail cell and I was taught by an addict. This young lady was an angel, she was exactly what I needed to navigate this uneasy time. Through the cell door she walked me through the process of using the toilet paper to make the hoop, and then the string from my blanket to create the webbing. Just like that I made a dreamcatcher. Prior to this my dad had tried to share this skill with me, I never wanted to learn. Until that one cold day in November miles away from home, scared, and on the verge of losing my mind. A kind stranger shared a skill that helped her and now I get to share that same skill that continues to help and others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.auroratreasures3.com/
• Instagram: aurora_treasures3
• Facebook: Lorinda John
• Linkedin: Lorinda John

Image Credits

All pictures belong to me the artist Lorinda John