About
Our Story
Collective journey began with one man’s pursuit to manifest his own destiny. Born into the Alevi tribe on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, Su-Ata spent half of his childhood in a remote village with homegrown food, handwoven crafts, and other material needs that were directly sourced from mother earth. This primitive lifestyle not only offered him a profound connection to nature, but it has also taught him the importance of community.
His lineage reaching back to Tengri believe system, part of shamanic tribes and nations native to North Asia, his elders shared stories of nomads travelling along the Silk Road, while also witnessing his both parents practising ancient healing methodologies to their tribe members.
Su-Ata’s connection to his ancestral heritage gradually disappeared from his daily life when moving to the city. Although the stimulating concrete jungle had offered him opportunities for higher education, a career in social work it had stripped away the quiet mindfulness that permeated through his home village. It later dawned on him that mass urban culture seemed to erode his true essence: being one with nature.
Healing Gifts and Offerings
Modern day festivals mirror the ancient nomadic ways of the Silk Road in the sense that humans gather and share their art, music, stories, culture, and spiritual teachings. Festival life became the catalyst for Su-Ata to align his heart-mind-soul, so he quit his day job with Employment and Social Development Canada and embarked on a van life journey through North, Central, and South America.
Collective Journey Art’s vision was inspired in a remote village in Guatemala, where local artisans sold their beaded jewelry. This planted a seed of not only supporting local artisans, but to also bring a voice to the cultural wisdom that lives and breathes in their craft.
In a world that everything is degraded in essence and quality this project is so much like building a bridge between the source of inspiration to their new destinations.
Craftsmanship
Every piece we create contains the tender love of a hummingbird; effort, intention, and divine inspiration of the creator, adding a piece of our soul. These timeless pieces are love intensive, transcending past into the present and ascending beyond, into the future.
Elegance
Remembering beauty in all forms, it develops and evolves over time, but there is an elegance we add on to beaded works and art. The word “intricate” is a term which our customers have associated with us and our work type.
Heritage
Every design is one-of-a-kind, inspired by the spiritual journeys that come about from plant-based medicinal healing ceremonies. The patterns, color schemes, and designs vary dramatically from piece to piece. Each unique piece holds a rich history, full of intention and passion. They hold our collective imagination.
Fair Trade
The philosophy of Collective Journey is to empower people with their own talents, lights to share, willingness & engagement to decide the value of their work and worth. We operate and perform on the basis of self-employment, and self-empowerment with the principle of social economy in mind.
Eco-responsibility
Jewelry making is our collective labor of passionate love, earthship in using organic and sustainable materials. Our seed beads are made of glass so mother earth provides sand in abundance.
Exclusivity
We value traditional and cultural symbols of each tribe we collaborate with. Remain harmonious to their distinct cultural regions. Our co-creation in most cases are the color combinations and patterns between us and the local tribes and artisans, resulting in unique pieces not found anywhere else.