In the spring of 2023, I began a series of therapy sessions. The goal was to try and understand my life purpose a little better. 

I’ve been blessed with a lot of abilities and skills (hence the reason I offer all the services I do), so when my job at the time moved me into a new role that I wasn’t sure I wanted to tackle, I wanted to reexamine my career path.

Through that time in therapy, I was asked to reflect on Matthew 6:26 and remind myself of the way God cares for me as much as He does for a creature that doesn’t have “major life decisions” – they just live and survive and thrive in the way birds do. It was when I sat down to reflect on this that a bright red cardinal flew into my back yard where I was sitting and landed on my fence. 

Being from Florida, this wasn’t a normal bird to see. We had blackbirds, sandhill cranes, crows, etc growing up – not these incredible looking birds. I knew that this was a moment God was purposefully showing me the reminder that He’ll take care of me just as he does the birds in the sky.

The next day, I went back to therapy and told my therapist about that moment and she said “See? He’s got you.” 

A few nights later, I had a dream that I was snowboarding down a mountainside and there was what looked like a little hump ahead, so I was going to jump it because I like to feel like I’m super cool. When I went to jump it, it apparently was NOT a hump at all, but a cliff. A very large cliff. I lept off it and as I fell, my rate of speed began to slow down and I landed gently on a narrow path on the side of the cliff. As I rode along that path, it began to open up into a wide, gentle sloping run and I was able to relax as I continued to descend the mountain.

God often speaks to me in dreams like that, and I knew that it was time to make the leap. It was time to jump off the cliff I’ve been scared to jump off for decades and work for myself, helping others build their business and create lasting relationships with those clients.

So I left my job.

A week after I put in my notice, I was running and, like any sane 40-something man with a wife and three kids, I started panicking and asking myself “what did I just do? I have a family I have to take care of, only have a couple of clients, and no idea where the rest of them will come from.” Right then and there, as I thought it, a bright red cardinal flew in front of me, flew with me for a bit as I continued to run, and flew away. 

“Don’t worry.”

A few weeks later the literal exact same thing happened.

The business began to grow (under 8 Track Designs) and every time I saw a cardinal I reminded myself “See? Don’t worry.”

About 6 months after I began working for myself full time, our youngest (who was 1 and a half at the time) had two major seizures while we were on vacation in another state.

I was with my 2 older kids and my best friend and his kids when his wife (who was at home with my wife and our toddler) called and said our baby had another seizure and they were taking her to the hospital. We got in the car and drove to meet them. 

I arrived first and began the check in process and then when my wife got there with the baby, we were quickly put in a room to start monitoring her. The seizures were over but she still needed attention.

As our friends waited with our older 2 kids and their own 3, a bright red cardinal flew in front of their windshield and landed on the car next them on the rear view mirror. As I type this, I’m realizing that in addition to God telling us to not worry, He was also saying “don’t look back. I’ve got this.” This was in Florida, over a thousand miles from our home. (The joke is that it hitched a ride on our flight to make sure I was okay)

All that being said, this story is why I chose to change my company’s name from 8 Track Designs to brightwing creative. I think everything and everyone needs/has a story. I think that, as a client, you shouldn’t have to worry about the company behind your products. You should get exactly what you were promised.

brightwing creative is here to make sure that you are getting ALL of things you ask for. Even if it means we bring in some of our super creative and talented friends, we want your company, brand, business, church, non-profit…whatever you are, to succeed.

So that being said, welcome to brightwing creative! Built to launch. Designed to last.