Before We Were Here

I’ve always been drawn to the past.

History has fascinated me for as long as I can remember, especially Native American culture. For years, I hoped that one day I’d find my own arrowhead.

One afternoon, I was walking in the creek when I quietly said to myself,

“Today’s the day.”

And somehow…it was.

I found my very first arrowhead.

I looked around, hoping there would be someone nearby to celebrate with me, but I was alone. I stood there holding it, smiling, completely overwhelmed by the moment.

But almost as quickly as the excitement came, something else took its place.

I stopped thinking about the arrowhead.

I started thinking about the person.

Who made it?

Who held it in their hands?

What was their life like?

Did they find the meal they were hunting that day? Did they have a family waiting for them at home? What dreams did they carry as they walked these same Appalachian hills, long before my footsteps ever reached this creek?

Those questions stayed with me.

They became the inspiration for the very first piece in a new fine art collection I’m creating.

For me, the arrowhead was never just an artifact.

It was a reminder that every place has a story, and every object was once part of someone’s life.

Sometimes, the land remembers long after we’ve forgotten.