About Marika Esarey

Hi, I'm Marika—a bookbinder, reiki practitioner, and artist based in Walla Walla, Washington.

I repair heirloom books and albums, make handbound journals and sketchbooks, and offer reiki and energy healing sessions. 

My work is rooted in craftsmanship, intuition, and a deep respect for the stories we carry, whether in old books, our bodies, or our creative practices.

Bookbinding & Book Repair

I received my diploma in Hand Bookbinding from North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA. Following this, I completed book conservation apprenticeships at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Dartmouth College. I then worked as a conservation technician in the library book and paper conservation lab at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Before bookbinding, I received a BA from Reed College in Portland, OR, and spent several years working for professional artists in Portland and Brooklyn. Throughout this experience, I developed technical skill, familiarity with materials, and creativity that I draw from in my studio today.

A hand holding an art book with a page featuring geometric cutouts and abstract design next to a cup holding tools on a white table.

I've also:

  • Completed an Artist Residency at Makeshift Manufactory in Iowa City, IA

  • Studied Japanese Papermaking with Paul Denhoed at Paper and Book Intensive, MI

  • Studied Chinese Bookbinding History with Soren Edgren at Rare Book School, UVA

  • won awards and received grant funding for my workMy work has been exhibited in group and solo shows and featured in The Nipper, a journal on book arts. I've taught bookbinding workshops to college students and continue working with clients on book repair, custom journals, and mixed media art.

Textiles have been a lifelong interest. Self-taught in embroidery, basic weaving, and natural dyes, I create eco-printed cloths and papers for bookbinding, altar cloths, and mixed media art using plants I grow and dry myself.

Pressed leaves on paper with an overlapping circular geometric pattern in purple ink.

Reiki & Energy Healing

As a Karuna Reiki Teacher and Advanced Practitioner, my practice spans over a decade, with professional work beginning in 2019. Since then, over 500 healing sessions have been completed for clients in Walla Walla and online.

My reiki journey began as a teenager when I found that receiving sessions helped treat my depression and better understand my intuitive, sensitive nature. It opened up the possibility that there might be a place in the world for me and my gifts, but it would be a long time before I fully embraced them.

Faded botanical print featuring various leaves in shades of yellow, brown, and beige.

I studied advanced energy healing techniques at LightSong School of 21st Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine for four years. These courses gave me the tools and framework I use in my healing sessions—gentle yet powerful techniques rooted in universal love and compassion.

I completed my World Peace Karuna Reiki training with William Lee Rand of the International Reiki Training Center (ICRT). 

I've also taken classes in shamanic journeying, working with spirit guides, intuitive consulting, Kundalini Shakti, qigong, and healing meditation, all of which inform my work.

My Approach

Person working on a detailed art piece or print on a table with tools.
Bookbinding setup with pages being aligned on a cutting mat, a metal ruler, a cutting knife, and corner weights on a wooden table.
A tabby cat standing on a wooden stool, front paws resting on a table edge. The table has an open book, a metal stencil, an old iron, and stacked papers.

Process is deeply important to me. How something is made, or how you become a new version of yourself, is just as significant as the end result.

I bring full presence and openness to the work—whether I'm repairing a treasured book, binding a new journal, or holding space for healing. I call this Sacred Artisanship: the practice of being fully present during the process of making or becoming. 

It's both a creative practice and a spiritual one, and it infuses everything I create, from hand-bound journals to eco-printed altar cloths to dried dye plants.

I work with clients locally in Walla Walla and online, offering energy healing sessions, book repair, custom bookbinding, and handmade journals and spiritual tools that invite reflection and connection.

Pressed flowers and leaves pattern on paper with purple and beige tones.
Lush backyard garden with trees, bushes, flowers, and a black cat.
Black cat hiding under tall green plants with purple and white flowers.

More About Me

I love gardening and growing flowers, food, and dye plants. For me, being in the garden is profoundly healing and a reflection of my commitment to creation and collaboration with the natural world.

I appreciate the quiet of working with Spirit and especially those quiet pauses in conversations that allow one to drop more deeply into their own being.

I used to travel and move around a lot, exploring new places, immersing myself in new cultures, and learning new languages. Now, I take that curiosity and turn it inward toward exploring the unseen realms.

These days, I'm interested in being rooted, getting to know one place through many seasons, and living harmoniously with the elements around me.

A person smiling with a tabby cat perched on their shoulder, in a room with shelves and decorations in the background.