I give a lot of credit to my Mum, Dad & Brother for
supporting me on this huge endeavor over the
years. I could not have done this without you guys.
“My work is my prayer, I move forward with faith & trust that life will guide the right people to me, and me to them. This isn’t just high quality material, it’s a statement. It’s me saying I know who I am & what my purpose is.” - Jaydon
my journey so far & the flow I experience.
When I first started this business I had an idea of what direction I wanted it to go in. Produce lots of buckskin every month or two & sell them all. That was not the direction traditional tanning wanted me to go in. I needed to get this business off the ground as I want to be able to have my own home, family & life to call my own one day.
So I surrendered & let go. I had an intention or a prayer if you will. It was a simple one, “What do I need to do to make this happen?”. That night, I had a dream. I dreamt of me sanding possum skins next to a sewing machine.. on the roof of my cabin. I love interpreting dreams as they hold a lot of value, as Carl Jung has abundantly shown.
To me, preparing possum skins next to a sewing machine meant I was to make something with them that would help me grow. To succeed in nature is to grow, to grow in nature is to go upwards, towards the light. Which is the direction I had been moved towards in the dream, hence why I was up on the roof. So I thought “F*ck it.” what can I make with the skins & the sewing machine? The only thought that came to my mind? A cloak.
So that’s just what I did, I made a cloak, listed it on my website & posted about it on social media. It sold in under an hour. I then not only received requests to make more cloaks, but I had more dreams. One of the other dreams I had, which I hold dear to my heart was of me on a specific hill on our land. I was standing next to my future partner & my brothers future partner was standing behind us. All of us had our own cloaks adorned on us. I’ve since learned that business is not just about making something, selling it & making money.
It’s about developing relationships, upholding values, having strong morals, being adaptable & open to new ideas or experiences. It’s genuinely a spiritual thing, as in the right opportunities will show themselves to you when they need to. We just need to trust life & surrender a bit more. We’re not in complete control, but that is okay as we do not need to be. Life has got our back.
- Jaydon
Who am I & what is TTNZ?
I started learning about traditional tanning mid 2023 after 2 of my close friends showed me a book called “Traditional Tanning, Leather & Fur skin - Lotta Rahme.” 2 photos in there that really caught my attention, a caribou hide parka & a hood made of feathers/bird skins.
That in combination with beautiful & soft possum skins they had tanned inspired me to pursue traditional tanning. My dream is to be able to produce Buckskin, bark tanned leather, possum cloaks, brain tanned bison hides, to host workshops & teach people. I genuinely love this art & know for a fact that I will be doing it for the rest of my life.
Traditional tanning is physically demanding. However, I absolutely love being able to turn something once considered waste or a byproduct, into high quality material that can last for years, decades, if not a lifetime.
Some articles I have written for Rods&Rifles.