Drum-Making & Journeying Workshop

Nate Long “Owl”, a Shamanic Practitioner and Intentional Artist, is traveling from Austin, TX to share his medicine with our community.

The drum is a powerful and accessible instrument that invites us to reconnect with our deeper selves and the world around us. Whether you are new to music or have a long-standing practice, this workshop offers a therapeutic journey of self-discovery and connection through the sacred art of drum-making. No prior musical training is required — bring your intentions and an open heart.

In Nate Long "Owl's" drum-making workshop, you will do more than just build a drum—you will craft a spiritual tool infused with your deepest intentions. Nate’s workshops are about building a relationship with your drum, acknowledging that what you put into its creation will shape what you receive in return. This intentional process turns the drum into a living spiritual guide, aiding in inner work, manifestation, and wisdom.

This 3-hour immersive experience is more than just a hands-on project; it's an opportunity to build a deep relationship with one of the oldest healing tools known to humanity.

When we recognize a need, we can transform that need into a prayer and infuse it into the sacred act of creating. By building a drum with focused intention, you birth an instrument that reflects your unique journey, supporting you in your spiritual and healing practices.

Drumming has held sacred significance for indigenous cultures worldwide for millennia, serving as the heartbeat of ceremonies marking life’s most significant transitions—healings, births, rites of passage, and more. The rhythm of the drum connects us to the Earth and each other, resonating with a universal, vibrational language that transcends time and culture. Through the drum, we commune with the Earth’s heartbeat, fostering a profound sense of unity with all living beings.

In modern spiritual practices, drumming is a powerful tool to quiet the mind, deepen focus, and connect to spirit. Scientific research even suggests that drumming can alter brainwave patterns, significantly reducing stress. As one of the oldest and most accessible healing tools, the drum offers a therapeutic experience that requires no prior musical training, allowing anyone to reconnect with their inner self and the world around them.

Blue Eye Art is thrilled to offer this transformative experience to our community. Join us in this unique opportunity to create your own sacred drum, a tool that will serve as a guide and companion on your spiritual path for years to come.

Drum Kits: It will be the participant’s responsibility to order, purchase and ship their drum kit.

• Cost of kits can vary (between $50 and $250) depending on size and hide type. Order multiple kits if possible to reduce shipping costs.
• Please order kit hides with pre-punched holes
• Please order a drum beater kit
• Order at least two weeks prior to the workshop
• Centralia Fur and Hide. You are welcome to order from another vendor, but please make sure your kit comes with a wood hoop, rawhide of appropriate size, and rawhide lacing.

Items to Bring:

• Wear comfortable clothing, we’ll be sitting on the floor.
• If you need special arrangements for your physical comfort, please let the facilitator know ahead of time.
• Bring a water bottle to stay hydrated and snacks if you wish.
• Yoga mats, meditation cushions, and blankets will be provided

Preparing for Drum Making Workshop:

• Order your drum kit at least 2 weeks in advance
• Examine all drum kit materials once they arrive, you should have:
• • Round rawhide (with pre-punched holes)
  • Hoop frame
  • Raw-hide lacing
  • Drum beater kit
• With materials laid out in front of you, do some personal journey work around your intentions for this new drum.
• • Ask Spirit Guides for information on its purpose. Time for healing, meditative, space-setting, etc.
  • Give thanks and honor the sacrifices of both the animal (rawhide) and tree (hoop). Maybe ask them for guidance and a blessing.
• The evening before the workshop, submerge all rawhide, including lacing, in a tub of water (not the suede)
• • Bring the wet rawhide to the workshop wrapped in a beach towel.
• We will be making drum beaters, as well.
• • Bring your drum beater kit with your drum kit
• A Workbook will be provided to all participants

A special Drum Blessing Ceremony will be held the following day and all are welcome to come witness this birthing ceremony! All attendees are encouraged to attend to bless the birth of your drum. Please invite friends and family!

• This is an energetic welcoming to the new spirit that you have birthed into the world.
• There is no charge to attend the ceremony and all family and friends are welcome (witnesses are encouraged!)

Nate Long “Owl” is a Shamanic Practitioner, Intentional Artist, and Ceremonialist devoted to building and nurturing community. His practice draws upon insights gained through meditative journey work, and each of his creations is infused with intentionality, serving as a "made prayer" to address deeper aspects of the self or the world around us. Nate’s work inspires deep reflection and fosters cleansing, healing, and blessing for individuals, sacred spaces, and communities. Whether through art, ceremony, or spiritual guidance, Nate helps raise awareness and ease discomfort in meaningful, transformative ways.

Nate has participated in deeply profound ceremonies for the last fifteen years, learning to "make prayer" by creating drums, rattles, and other ceremonial items. He is the visionary and creator of the Austin Labyrinth Project (www.austinlabyrinthproject.com), which provides a map of Central Texas labyrinths and resources on building and doing ceremonies with these creations. He has been involved in "extreme prayer" ceremonies through Native American vision quests, sweat lodges, and sun dancing. He is the author of "Made Prayer: An Artistic Spiritual Process", two children's books, and several poetry/art compilation books (found on Amazon). Blue Eye Art is Nate's online portal where you can explore all of Nate's many offerings: http://www.blueeyeart.com. Feel free to contact him directly with questions or requests.

With so much honor and respect, he views these experiences as an extreme gift and opportunity to be of service and find love for the self and community. Through amazing teachers and experience, He has been provided with a relatable and real-life practice that revolves around an animistic reality, centered on prayer with the spirits that walk with him.

His first spiritual encounter with the drum came in 2013 when he joined the Shamanic Community of Austin. At that time, Nate purchased a small two-sided tom drum to take to the woods for personal journey work. Eight months later, in mid-2014, he built his first drum, an 18" elk-hide drum named "Dreams of Birds".  After making several additional drums, Nate helped facilitate his first drum-making workshop in August 2016. As of the summer of 2024, Nate has, with the assistance of his wife, Lindsay, and several others, facilitated over 22 workshops, helping to birth more than 240 drums.

Nate views the drum as more than just a tool to work with energy and spiritual work. To him, it is a living entity that guides him through life. It is also an ally and friend with whom he has a relationship. When using the drum, it holds the power to be transported to an alternate perspective and place where to find insight and healing and guided back with gentle completion.

Host or Publisher Ebb & Float