When people would ask me as a child “ What do you want to do when you grow up?” I would respond: “I want to be a wand maker.” Their doubt in the practicality of that was palpable. Now… The joke is on them. I began making wands at the age of six in Albuquerque NM. With an innate fascination of magic, I naturally gravitated towards the mystical realm as well as any story that incorporated magic. Harry Potter was the main influence in me creating my wands. My mother used to read my siblings and I the Harry Potter books as a child. These are some of my fondest childhood memories and is really where the wands began. Lets just say it didn’t take me long to want my own wand and I was a very creative child. I would often make big figurines out anything I could find; foil, balls, duct-tape ect.. I’d construct dragons and a variety of other mystical creatures. It didn’t take long for me to begin crafting my own wands. The first wand I ever made was a carved stick painted silver. I especially loved how the paint covered the knotted areas of the stick where another branch once grew from. It gave the wand so much character. The truth is I never anticipated making hundreds of wands in my life. I would simply break my wand often by accident so I would have to make a new one. My mother always nurtured my craft and interest in spirituality and magic. It is because of my mother I had a safe place to develop these aspects of myself which led to who I am today.

As a child I would spend hours trying to use my wand and upon reflection I can see all the intuitive ways I was actually wielding them. One thing I found myself consistently doing was casting unwanted energy out of my room and sealing all of my doorways/windowsills to protect my space. I even found myself trying to open portals in my ceiling fan as an attempt to try and communicate with my friends. Many of these original practices, which were really just me playing as a child, I have taken forward into adulthood. These magic tools can be used in ceremonies or rituals as well as to conduct energy work. I discovered wands can be used similar to that of a pendulum to bring the chakras more into a space of homeostasis at the age of 19. They can also be used to cast the directions in order to ask for help as well as enter into an intention-setting or prayer space. There are so many more uses for them, but what I really find most powerful are the intuitive ways one can use them. I think it’s so important to conduct all practices with the spirit of a kind, loving, magical child.

These wands became an aspect of my sense of security, an externalized representation of my magic within, so as you might imagine, I always had one. A hand-carved stick sanded down with a little handle was so soothing for me. I began making them for others, first family and then friends, which is where I really started getting creative. In wanting the handles to look like knotted bark, I figured out that I could burn duct tape to create a natural looking handle which was nice to grip. Obviously it was only natural looking. Once I was a teenager my methods of creation started to evolve. I began carving sticks and wood-burning vines, marijuana leaves and other designs into them. It is important to note that at this point so many people would “make-fun-of me” for the fact that I still made and loved wands/ magic. Thankfully my mother was always supportive and I had an inner drive which knew these creations were an important vehicle to spur my curiosity and provoke my spiritual journey. I began getting into crystals and metaphysics as a teenager; that is when I began adding them to my wands. They were originally bound together by burnt duct tape and eventually I replaced it with hemp-string and the evolution continued. It has been 11 years since I began incorporating crystals and wire-wrapping into my wands. Most of the people dearest to me have a wand from me. I have made custom wands for countless clients and all cherish them to this day. I really have no clue how many wands I have made in my life but it has to be in the hundreds.

Like the other things I created as a child, I have not limited myself to wands. I continue to make wire-wrapped jewelry, staves, dragons and much more. I find creative outlets to really enliven me and connect me to more of my core-self, so I am constantly exploring new things to make into reality. One thing I love the most about any of my creations, are that no two are the same. Each handmade object is one-of-a-kind.

It has been 23 years since I began making magic wands and I don’t anticipate stopping anytime soon. What brings me the biggest joy is how much people love them. To have a childhood creation that was oftentimes ridiculed, become something valued so deeply by others is truly a dream come true. I am so thankful to all the supportive figures in my life for helping me keep this dream alive, because now my sweet creations remind others of the magic that is innately a part of them. It is so fulfilling to have forged something people will remember me by, something that will be around even when I am gone. my hope is that these wands can be a reminder to all, that there is space in the world for each one of us and what we create. No matter what anyone may say, we all have a unique and perfect place. Belonging isn’t just something we find, its something we create.