BirdSwell was one of the businesses that participated in the Green Mixer Event at The Cafeteria on Newbury Street on March 18th, 2010.

We were among some other great green and local businesses such as City Feed and Supply, Jute & Jackfruit, Jewelry From the Sea, Zip Car, Cabot and others.

We had a great time meeting other businesses and all the people that came to the event. It was a busy night and a lot of people came out which was great!

We did a small presentation and talked to so many people about BirdSwell. It was an honor to be part of this event and we want to give a HUGE thank you to Sylvia and Taro for putting on the event!

Here are some pictures from the event:

I hope we will continue to Spread the Swell and participate in more events!

Spread the Swell,
J-Bird

5 years ago, Jacob and I went to Costa Rica with our friends Tara and Chris for college spring break. We decided to go at the last minute and had no plans except to surf. It was an amazing trip! We have gone back with Jacob’s parents but our recent trip (March 2010) was a return trip with friends.

Our friends, John and Sarah just started surfing and we told them about how much we love Costa Rica. They thought it would be a great idea to plan a trip and go to Costa Rica. We mentioned it to Tara since she loved Costa Rica the first time we went. She and her husband, Morgan are both surfers and they were really excited about the idea too. After months of talking and planning we found ourselves in Costa Rica once again and couldn’t have been happier about it.

The trip was very eventful with both good and bad times. Double surf sessions every day. We surfed Playa Hermosa, Playa Esterillos, Jaco and Boca Baranca. We also went on a horse back ride through the jungle, a hike through Manuel Antonio (national park) and saw a ton of different types of wildlife. We saw a sloth, lizards, iguanas, turtles, hermit crabs, monkeys, and lots of different bugs. We also zip lined through the jungle from tree to tree with great views of Playa Hermosa.

The only down side of the trip was that someone broke into our cars and stole 4 backpacks with wallets, cameras, a passport and other valuables. It was definitely a downside to our trip, but we tried not to let it ruin our trip. We were taught us a valuable lesson that we should never leave anything in the car again. We had a couple more days to go until we had to go home and were able to surf off the bad moods and disappointment.

Over all the trip was really fun and eventful. We all got better at surfing and really enjoyed Costa Rica. We of course told people about BirdSwell and gave out stickers and informational cards. We gave one of our shirts to the Manager, Roger since he was so accommodating and just an awesome guy. He said he would wear the shirt with pride!

Jacob and I have gone back to Playa Hermosa 4 times. Maybe next time we will go to different part of Costa Rica…maybe Tamarindo or Dominical. Who knows where our surf travels will take us…maybe even Ireland!

Spread the Swell,
J-Bird

Here are the pictures from our trip:

I Just Surf blog from Hawaii featured BirdSwell on their blog! Check it out here.

We love your informative and fun posts. Thanks for your kind words I Just Surf!

The online version is MIA, but here is the article that Julia Fairclough wrote for the The Somerville Newspaper (images of newspaper article below)

Taking a new business venture to the tee
By Julia Fairclough

As they say, gifts come in surprising packages; which is why the story of Julie-Ann Burkhart’s tee-shirt business brings to mind that a losing a job can mean the opening of a new door.

Burkhart, 26, was laid off from her job as a graphic designer for a Somerville marketing agency in October 2009. Just a couple months later, she created her own business that combines the things she loves best, working with art and surfing.

BirdSwell (ww.birdswell.com) touts surf-inspired tee shirts (or “wearable art”) featuring Burkhart’s original designs. While going from graphic designer to tee shirt designer happened rather quickly, it was a process that was perking on the back burner for a while.

“I was having some doubts about doing Web design, and wasn’t sure whether I wanted to try something new, like teaching.” she said. At the same time, “I was talking about doing something like BirdSwell.…I’d see a plant and think, how cool would that look as a design.”

Burkhart sat down to brainstorm with a friend who is a creative director. “He asked what my passion was, and I thought, surfing and art.”

Always an industrious woman, Burkhart researched tee shirt forums on the Internet, and spent hours brainstorming with her husband, Jacob. It didn’t take too long to create a few prototypes, and then an initial tee shirt line. Her work embodies delicately gentle waves, curlicued flowers, and diaphanous jelly fish.

“There was a point where I’d come home from work and she’d have a new design every day,” Jacob laughed.

“It has become almost routine to hear stories about job loss and the economy. However, there is one demographic whose story is untold. The “twenty-somethings” out there whose positions are being cut and the ingenuity and tenacity they are showing in wake of job loss," said friend Marcus Andrews.

“I was amazed at the tenacity Julie-Ann displayed,” he said. “I was shocked when we met for coffee two or three weeks after our last day and she already had a dozen design comps for surf inspired tee shirts. In a couple of months she had screen printed shirts, a new website and a business plan.”

Thus far, Burkhart has traveled to surf shops on both the East and West coast. She learned how to make cold calls and show up with a suitcase full of tee shirts by bravely marching through it.

“I heard so many stories that this was a bad economy, but once people looked at my designs they loved them,” she said.

Several stores in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts carry her designs, and she does a good business on line.

Burkhart grew up in Hampton, NH and went to the beach often as a child. She would watch the surfers riding the waves and was fascinated. When she was 14 years old, she decided to give surfing a try and was hooked. She surfs up in Nahant, and takes surfing trips to Costa Rica and Mexico. She has been creating art since she was 5.

She gets inspirations for her designs while surfing. She will see a piece of seaweed and move it around before taking a few photos for design ideas.

Burkhart, who lives in Arlington, wants to keep her business local. She works with Hemlock Inc. in Somerville to print her designs. She also wants to collaborate with local artists for group shows to accompany her tee shirt sales.

“I finally found my niche, a true outlet for my graphic design,” she said. “I am excited now to get out of bed in the morning and to think of new designs.”

Join Burkhart for a BirdSwell launch party at the Landsdowne Pub, 9 Landsdowne Street, Boston on April 13 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Thank you to Marcus and Julia for this story and spreading the swell!

We found the online version of the article. Here it is – The Sommerville News Article

Here are the next 3 surf spots in the series of “Our Top 10 Rated Favorite Surf Spots”
Disclaimer: These surf spot ratings are based on our surf experiences and not by popular vote.

#4
Punta de Mita, Mexico
We just got back from San Pancho, Mexico and it was a great trip! We heard that Salyulita was the place to go, but we really loved Punta de Mita aka: La Lancha. Awesome longboard waves that consistently broke to the right. The rides were extremely long and clean. It was a bit crowded at times, but it may have been because we went during the holiday season. I have a feeling that during the off season the crowd is small and local.

The best part of surfing at Punta de Mita was seeing a whale breach and also a whale’s tail. It was the first time I had ever seen a whale while surfing. It was unreal and amazing.

#3
Puraran Bay, Philippines
I was born in the Philippines and was adopted when I was very young. Jacob and I went to the Philippines for our Honeymoon. It was the first time back since I was born. We heard that Puraran Bay on the island of, Catanduanes was the surf spot to check out. While we were traveling around, we also checked out Bagasbas on the island of Luzon. Waves were super small and they told us that we should come back in a month and it would be bigger surf (during typhoon season like hurricane season here in New England)

Puraran was a secluded paradise! The water was so warm and barely anyone was there. I didn’t even wear a rash guard, but probably should have since I got a horrible sunburn. There were a couple of Australians waiting for the big swell to come, but it was good enough for us! The owner of the place that we were staying at was kind enough to let us take out his longboards. The surf was chest to shoulder high. It was a great reef break and really easy to catch. We caught a bunch of nice smooth rides. We were the only ones on the lonely reef and we were completely stoked about it!! In addition to surfing, there was a really nice snorkeling area on the way to the reef. We saw some pretty cool fish and star fish too. It was a beautiful place and I plan to return as soon as I can.

#2
Playa Esterillos, Costa Rica
Costa Rica is an amazing place! We have been 3 times and have planned another trip with our friends in March (2010). There is so much to do there and the surfing is phenomenal. We fky into San Jose and then head over to Jaco. We usually stay in Playa Hermosa, but we love surfing at Playa Esterillos. It is not as well known as Playa Hermosa, but it isn’t crowded and feels more local. The swell is always consistent, 4-5 feet – shoulder to head high and clean! Nice longboard waves.

At the beginning of one of our surf sessions, we were heading for the water and a local came running at us shouting “Crocodillio!” Apparently there was a salt water crocodile in the water. We never actually saw the ‘crocodillio’ but we weren’t about to take our chances. We took his advice, and didn’t go in until he told us that we were in the clear.

We are off to Costa Rica this Saturday in hopes of Spreading the Swell and bringing our shirts down there. I am also excited to go with friends and teach some of them how to surf!

Spread the Swell,
J-Bird