Today we’d like to introduce you to Jilana McIntyre.
Hi Jilana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started my journey as a misfit in school searching for an outlet to express myself and connect with people and my environment.
Plants always seemed to call to me, I would spend my free time playing outside, making potions and offerings to the fairy folk and plant people and volunteering at the school arboretum. At the same time I was creating art in the form of paintings, and jewelry that was inspired by nature. The two passions soon intertwined and my jewelry took on a new life and form as the plants that I was working and playing with physically became imbedded in the jewelry acting as a talisman for grounding and a reminder of our inherent connection to nature.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest struggle for me was fighting my own negative self talk. It was becoming confident and secure enough in myself and my passion to break free from societal norms and pave a path for myself. It was believing in myself and committing to the beautiful, wonderous, inspiring struggle of being a self taught, nomadic, artist that went with the flow and built a life and business for herself without a preconstructed plan or path.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a creator of botanical jewelry. I collect and press botanicals and then encapsulate them within resin to form forever jewelry, a talisman/reminder of our inherent connection to nature. Each piece is one of a kind inspired by the journey and exploration of life. I find that the uniqueness of my expression is in how I collect all the plants and flowers along my travels. Each flower or mushroom has a story that comes with it, each piece is infused with an emotion, a piece of me and the place it was found in.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Some books and podcasts that inspire me are Herbal Rituals by Judith Berger, Medicine Stories with Amber Magnolia Hill, Modern Psychedelics with Zoey Poulsen and Lana Pribic.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact.barefootsoul@gmail.com
- Website: https://barefootsoul.love
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/barefoot.soul
