How “A Little Bird Told Me” came about.
When my wife Shelly and I moved to the central Oregon coast in 2012 we often took long walks on the beach. We usually kept our heads down looking for agates and seashells. But soon my interest turned to me collecting driftwood and making large flowers, which we placed throughout our yard. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed doing this and how much our friends enjoyed them, too.
Then in 2017, I got the idea to create a “starburst”. This was a bit of a stretch for me, but it was fun searching for the driftwood and slowly organizing the pieces to fill in the image I had in my head. Months later, this is what happened.
Shelly and I agreed it was okay if it didn’t turn out so well, and if we decided not to display it in the house. But we were actually pleased with it and hung it in our living room.
The next year I decided to build birdhouses for our yard. I loved watching and listening to the birds, and I thought it would be fun to make the birdhouses out of driftwood. This began regular trips to the beach for more driftwood and creating bird homes that had a decidedly whimsical nature.
I can’t fully explain or describe how much I liked doing this. When I posted pictures of them on Facebook, they received upwards of 100 “Likes”, and people asked if they were for sale. I really didn’t want this to become a business, but my garage was becoming filled with them.
Then a truly unique thing happened.
Early one morning Shelly went down into the garage and discovered a finch. There is no way that a bird should have been there, but it made us smile, and I decided to meditate about this bird.
At first, there was a long pause and an extended sense of peace. When the bird finally spoke it simply said, “Thank you.” I was really moved by this experience and continued to meditate for weeks and months after.
Here are some of the messages I was given:
You are doing the most valuable thing making these birdhouses – communing with your creativity and nature. It is natural having joy and peace in such a project. Your first relationship is with yourself. So, making birdhouses is nurturing that relationship. You are nourishing your soul in preparation for telling others about it.
You have a great responsibility to your public when you speak because you have been witness to the power and connection with nature. Connecting and communing with nature helps you become aware of the roots of your being. It is high time that all beings in nature are recognized for their perception and integrity. The birdhouses are a way of seeing life anew.
Continue building birdhouses for the love in your heart. That’s why they really sell. Your act of creating birdhouses is so much more significant than the physical act of creating them. You are creating bird homes rather than birdhouses. It is an excellent platform for introspection into life experience.
You are in a relationship with the bird kingdom. Birds, plants, and other beings are far more perceptive than human beings give them credit for. The joy, love, and peace that go into the creation of these homes are felt by the birds. It is a unique way for you to have a new perspective on love.
Now one full year later I have made 170 bird homes and have named this adventurous venture “A Little Bird Told Me”.
— Dean Shrock
Update (December 2020): Dean has made nearly 300 driftwood birdhouses and many have been sold.
For wholesale inquiries or to make an appointment to see current inventory, contact Dean.