Guerrera Spotlight

Jacelynn and Shash of Bear Vibes Collection

¡Órale, hermanas y hermanos! Get ready to meet Jacelynn and Shash of Bear Vibes Collection, two beautiful souls whose Apache and Indigenous corazones create medicine through art that will absolutely heal your spirit. As Indigenous artists, they've found each other and their calling—channeling bear energy and ancestral wisdom into every handcrafted piece that becomes a little spirit protector for whoever is meant to receive it. Smudging each creation with love before it finds its way to you. Their work isn't just beautiful—it's ceremony, it's medicine and it's a reminder to honor this sacred land we all share. From powwows to our tiendita, Jacelynn and Shash are keeping Indigenous traditions alive while buildingcomunidad and offering protection through their one-of-a-kind treasures that speak to your soul. ¡Ay, qué hermoso! Let's find out more about this amazing duo and the art they make.

About You & Your Hustle

Tell us a little about yourself y tu negocio!

Q: ¿What sparked that fire to start your own business?

Jacelynn: We are both entrepreneurs. We've had our own businesses, and when we became a couple, it became apparent that we wanted to do something together. I'm a creative and I've had my own floral business, I do graphic design, but when I was looking for a side hustle I needed something with little manual labor. I loved making jewelry so I went with that. As I started making it, it just started happening and I got really good at it. Shash also started beading, and makes medicine pouches, and has always done that. I thought, "I make native-based jewelry designs and Shash makes medicine pouches, why don't we try to sell this?"

And then it kind of just flourished after that. The name we came up with is Bear Vibe Collection. I'm part of a bear clan and Jacelynn really connected to bear energy as well. We added "collection" to also give support to other artists who don't necessarily have the setup, website, or money to do it on their own—they can be a part of our collective.

Q: ¿What creations do you bring to life, and what makes them extra special?

Jacelynn: The creations that we bring to life are jewelry and medicine bags. What I make are one-of-a-kind pieces and I'll never make them again. Everything I use in the process is inspired by my native culture and anything indigenous. I try to use anything that's natural—stones, shells, leather. These materials feed my soul and then I use them as medicine. The whole purpose was to bring medicine to the people through jewelry, through art. It offers protection and it's healing for them and healing for me too.

Shash: I make leather medicine bags. I make smaller ones for pockets and then the larger ones—people tend to use them for tobacco or whatever. It's a whole different realm that I connect with when I'm creating, and the pouches just show themselves before I make them. They speak in the form of colors and materials to fulfill a need—a need for medicine and healing. Nothing that I make is ever duplicated, and when I finish they become their own little spirits. The materials I use come from Mother Earth like buckhide, turtle shells, and seeds that are very special to many native traditions, including myself. I use bear and turtle designs a lot too since they mean so much to local tribal folk, and the pouches continue to evolve as I grow and the needs of people change. We teach our customers to put medicine in their pouches like sage, cedar, or rose petals and how to use the pouches to shield themselves going out into the world.

Our pieces offer protection and are worn during ceremonies and by dancers as part of their regalia. That's why we sell so well at powwows.

The Creative Process & Jefa Magic

Q: ¿Qué te inspira? Where do you pull inspiration from?

Jacelynn: We pull inspiration from our culture and the traditions of our ancestry. I'm Apache, Mexican, and European. I'm a city Indian, so I wasn't raised on the reservation like Shash was, but I was taught the first way by a family over in Arizona. I was taught how to sweat, I was taught the peyote ceremony, and I was taught different ways by different tribes in different places. As a displaced Indian, I don't have my teachings, I don't have my language, and I don't have my people, so I just know what I am and I gravitated towards the indigenous part of myself. It's just something in me. I always tell people there's one person with a red heart born in the family that will keep that indigenous line going, and for my family, that's me. I'm the one that has brought ceremony back to my family. Shash learned his tradition from his dad, who was very traditional in that way.

Shash: When we create the artwork, we connect to the bear energy. We don't work if we're not in that space. We'll mess up. I mess up when I'm not in a good space and I do have to put it down and take a break. It makes you want to be in a good space to work on it.

Walk us through your creative process
Q: ¿how do you turn an idea into something people can hold and cherish?

Jacelynn: For my creative process, I'll usually visualize something and immediately I'll go to what I have in my inventory. I'll think "I have that, I can make this or I could see this with that" and then pictures come in my mind and then I just create it. If I don't have the pieces I need, I go to the jewelry store or the bead store and see if I can find something that will match the picture in my mind. Sometimes I draw it out, but most of the time it's just right here in my mind.

Shash: I think of the material I have too and I'll use what I have on hand, but I am always collecting special materials for my leather pouches. It is very important for me to work with buckhide, so I get that and other special materials from trading posts, Native stores, and/or buying big quantities at powwows.

The creative process is guided by the creator and the materials I use become medicine in pouch form.

These little spirits then become protectors to those who are drawn to them and purchase them.

Q: ¿What do you hope people feel when they take home a piece of your work?

Jacelynn: I want them to feel protected and to know about the medicine they are taking home. For us it's not just jewelry, it's medicine we're releasing to them. We smudge everything before we give it to them, because it's our way and it's important for the customer to go home with good energy and love from our art. We're sending these people off with healing, with medicine to heal themselves. That's why when we say Bear Vibes, it's that love, that love of Mother Earth. I'm very happy that we do the work that we do. It's healing and fun.

Shash: I hope they walk away with a sense of joy, but also protection and feel connected a little bit more to this land. I feel that as natives here our job is to teach the people how to be here on this land, and us giving them medicine through our art is us saying "Be here but be here in a good way. Welcome, I'm glad that you're here but acknowledge where you're at, acknowledge the land that holds you."

Community & Cultura

Q: ¿What does being a vendor at Adelita's Revenge mean to you?

Jacelynn: Being a vendor at Adelita's means continuing to share the beauty of who we are as indigenous people.

I identify myself and all of us as Native Americans and each vendor there has such a unique voice and expression in their art. It doesn't matter if you identify as Latino, Native American, Mexican, Salvadorian, indigenous, etc.—here at Adelita's we're artists, we're creators, we make things with our hands and we share what we are really good at. We come together like pieces of a puzzle from different cultures and different tribes and together we are beautiful. Since we've gotten there, I just feel the people, the energy, the love, the community. Everything embodies exactly what I've always wanted to be a part of. Not to mention the way we are held in this space with Yvonne is so beautiful.

Shash: I identify as two spirit, which is one who comes in this world in a female body but holds masculine traits. I have a lot more masculinity so I thought Adelita's was a feminine thing. When I met Yvonne, I was like "Oh, she's straight up queer and cool like the New Mexico queer folks." I come to find out she used to live in New Mexico in Albuquerque. I just started feeling "Oh, this feels really good" and so I started going and going. I just love the space, the art and just how she has definitely put her heart and soul into elevating artists. I feel that elevated when I get seen and heard and she just does that for all of us.

I'm just so thankful that we have this community to connect with.

Looking Ahead, Dreaming Big

Q: ¿What's next for your business? Any exciting moves or projects in the works?

We want to grow our business and get into more local powwows, which is really hard. Once you get in, you're good, but they can be restrictive. We were finally able to get into Morongo last year, so that was cool—we should be able to get in easier now. We also want to work with more artists so our doors are open to other artists who need mentorship or want to be part of a collective. They don't have to go through the business license process and all those other tedious steps that can discourage entrepreneurship. They can be with us under Bear Vibes Collection.

 Support Bear Vibes Work

Shash: Besides Adelita's, we sell in Orange. We're constantly doing pop-ups and powwows—we find we do really well at powwows, so the more powwows we can get into, the better for us. We try to do different pop-ups wherever we can, whether in San Diego, LA, or Riverside. We cover pretty much all of Southern California. We try to get involved in our community, so we show up at as many Native events as we can.

We share our designs and inventory on our Instagram (@bearvibescolletive).

Q: ¿Any words of wisdom for someone thinking about launching their own creative hustle?

Jacelynn: “I say start small, work up and keep investing back into your business. You have to know that you're not going to make a lot of money at first because you're having to go back and invest into the tent, the tables, the covers, the setup, the business cards, the boxes, stickers, etc. If you get into a collective, take it or work with another person, do it.”

Shash: “Know your people, know your market and know where your art is appreciated and wanted. And not wanted. Above all else it's super important for you to believe in yourself and your gift. Trust in the gift that the Creator has given you and don't stop, because people need the medicine of your art. Love what you do, lead with the love and money will always follow.”

¡Muchas Gracias! We love hearing how our vendors began their business and the beautiful art they make.
¡Órale, mi gente! Come through to our tiendita at Adelita's Revenge and let one of Jacelynn and Shash's sacred treasures choose you—because trust me, when that medicine calls your name, you'll feel it in your alma. Whether you need a healing necklace to protect your corazón or a sacred medicine pouch to carry your prayers, these one-of-a-kind pieces are ready to become part of your story. Support these artistas and take home a piece of healing—¡vámonos!