It’s all in a name

I think it was back in the spring and I was pulling into our garage with my mom in our car. Swooping around the garage happened to be a cardinal, which totally freaked me out. I have a real thing for birds, some may say hate or just a deep seeded fear. I just don’t like their wings flapping all over the place. Hang with me here… I will bring this all back to a name.

As this cardinal was flying all over the garage (it was also now freaking out because the car was in there) trying to find it’s way out, and as I was starting to freak out, my mom said, “Wait a second, that’s so cool.” Insert me looking at her like she’s crazy because a BIRD flying in a closed space with me needing to get in that space was NOT cool. She proceeds to tell me that God can send a message with animals. She said maybe he is trying to get your attention and tell you something. Me being me and trying to be funny said that yes hopefully that message is that I’ve won the lottery or maybe it will be very clear and the bird will have an actual message around its neck.

The cardinal did make its way out of the garage and I was able to get out of the car and go inside. We looked it up and there are many different potential meanings for seeing a cardinal. One of them was as a message from God offering comfort and reassurance. A few others are hope, wisdom, new beginnings, symbol of change, or an angel with a divine message. Now maybe at this point this sounds a bit “out there” for you. Totally fine! But for me I began to wonder. What did it mean? Was God trying to get my attention?

Skip forward to days and weeks after this happened and I began to see cardinals ALL OVER THE PLACE!! And VERY close to me. When I was running there would be one flying next to me, or it would fly down and sit right in my path about 2 feet from where I would step next. I would see them sitting on our deck railing right next to where I was eating. When I was driving one would appear and be sitting in the bushes next to the garage. At a funeral there was one drawn on the front of the program. I was seeing them everywhere. This was all happening as I was contemplating my next steps for my art and what I wanted to do with it.

This message of the cardinal meant all of the things I shared above and seemed to be fitting; hope- for something I was dreaming about, wisdom- that I would know what to do and be able to do it. New beginnings- yes that was self explanatory for making a new website and pushing forward with sharing my art. Symbol of change- yup goes right along with new beginnings. It was a catalyst for belief in the gifts God has given me as an artist and my ability to share them.

So back to the name… When thinking about my website I was wondering what to name it. Previously I have just called my art business “Kelli Hulst Art”, but I felt like I wanted something different. I thought, “why not Red Bird Art”? But was uncertain. There had been a lull in cardinal sightings but around this time they had started up again. I was talking to my mom about this and she said “well that’s your sign Kelli, if they have started up again, then go with Red Bird Art.”

So where I am…. Red Bird Art. And it’s not lost on me that the journey to get here began with a BIRD of all things.