If you’ve seen my stuff around on the internet and don’t know me personally (or we haven’t talked in awhile) it might be confusing that I have the last name Inzana in some places and Heron in others. You might ask “is this Craig Heron guy and Craig Inzana the same person?” (yes, I put that in there for the robots to understand)
My concert and event brand is Happy Heron Presents and my media/freelance company is Inzana Media to make things more confusing.
The answer is that I changed my name when my wife and I got married.
Both of us did.
My attachment to the Inzana name was always pretty loose. There are lots of great relatives in that family but I was never very close to any of them. My dad had been adopted into that family. He was previously an Emhoolah (which is a Kiowa name). Inzana is Sicilian for anyone who is interested in that sort of thing.
My wife and I had both agreed before getting engaged that when we did get married, we would both create a new surname to carry on a family legacy. We considered Emhoolah, but I don’t have as close of a connection to that family line as I’d like either. We decided we’d figure it out after we got engaged.
When we got engaged, a name found us. Literally during the proposal.
After the engagement ring spent nearly a month burning a hole in my pocket while I waited for the right time to ask, we were about to leave to fly back to Omaha. This, at least to me, felt like the absolute last moment to do it and for it to still feel special.
We were in a special place.
The cemetery near my childhood home. (A cemetery!?! I know. Hang in there with me for a second. I’ll explain.) It was one of our favorite hikes up over the hill, through the woods, and down into this little valley cemetery. It also happened to be the place where I started practicing meditation which led to a fairly big spiritual awakening that righted the course of my life just a few years prior. So it was a pretty special cemetery, and the place really stirs up pondering about one’s legacy.
She was doing yoga for quite awhile. Almost an hour. And I was spiraling in anxiety in my mind trying to figure out the right thing to say.
Then a great blue heron flew overhead.
We took our time and watched. I asked Jill what she thinks the heron represents. And I told her what I thought it represented.
In part, it was directness. Assertiveness. The heron stands patiently and lets many fish go by preserving its energy until it sees just the right one and then it strikes with all its might.
With that assertiveness in mind, I finally asked. She said yes, of course.
We immediately started discussing if Heron should be our last name and shortly after decided that it should.
And now it is. (Thank you Iowa for making name changes part of the marriage certificate process!)
We are the Heron family. The herons have graced us with their presence many times after this. Elders from different native communities have told me the importance and different meanings of the heron many times now as well. I pay close attention to the heron and its energy and the way it carries itself and try to learn from it.
The reason some things still have the name Inzana is because I still haven’t learned that decisiveness lesson yet entirely. And I’ve just let some of these websites and brands and old social handles sit. But anything new you see will be our new name, Heron.
PS. When I call my son a silly goose, he corrects me and tells me he’s a silly heron.
Writing a bio is always hard. What to pin down in a life well lived? My background is a blend of many things, always finding the intersection of creative and analytical. Mostly I’ve made indie films, organized many community events, more recently worked in tech startups. I also spend a lot of time learning new skills as well as deeply connecting with people through conversation and shared experiences.
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