Your introduction to π―ππππ πππ π―ππ πΈπππ
Buckle up & get your popcorn, because it IS that deep...
Read the story below, or watch a chatty GRWM/vlog while I discuss whatβs included in this article with visuals and more π
Hello, reader. Itβs time for me to explain what this project is so you can see if it resonates with you β¨ and in hopes that if youβd like to add any of these apparel pieces to you (or your dogβs) collection, you can appreciate the love & meaning they were born from.
My name is Elisa Marie, and Iβve worn many hats until now - but I started & am ending with the title of Artist.
As a lifelong & forever destined dog mom (Iβve never experienced the desire for bearing or raising human children), dogs have been one of the only constant sources of joy & meaning in my life.
As a lifelong loner, the bonds Iβve had the privilege of forming with the best dogs in the world (donβt grab your pitchfork - the magic about dogs is that every single one of them is the best dog in the world. Thatβs what makes them so special.) have oftentimes been the only thing to get me through the unexpected & also universal heartbreaking seasons of life.
There was my first deathbed dog, named Patch - who Iβve shared one story about before. He was a Brittany that was my best friend, partner in crime, and guardian as a child, while my father was building his commercial beekeeping business & my mom, who had immigrated from Colombia to a new world & reality, was figuring out WTF was up with america & learning how to be a mother.
Although not deathbed dogs, a formative part of my love for dogs includes my momβs unexpectedly successful empire she built breeding & homing Bichon FrisΓ© puppies.
What started out as maybe an unorthodox way of making some money doing something that our home had the space & my mom had the time & patience for ended up resulted in many, many happy families & the excitement that puppies brings, for me & my sisters.
Although I feel like communicating with dogs, appreciating their simplicity & joy has been innate - perhaps itβs the years spent in the born - 8 week stage of life for several puppy litters that have made my knowledge of the care and repetition required to properly care for dogs something ingrained in who I am.
As a child, where my momβs dogs were less of human companions, and now an income stream (donβt worry, she cared for those dogs & they lived a great life on my familyβs multi acre property), and my fatherβs dogs throughout my childhood were hunting dogs and nothing more, the greatest yearning I ever felt was for a dog of my own.
The first adult death bed dog that changed my life forever was named Vixen.
I was in my last year at University, nervous & unsure what the future held with my degree in Apparel Design & my soon to be husband having recently enlisted into the Air National Guard in hopes of providing for our family & leveling up his already impressive automotive mechanic skills.
One of my best friends at the time had decided to adopt a tiny deerhead Chihuahua mix from the shelter, but wasnβt exactly dog savvy - nor did her parents even remotely let her think the dog was allowed to come home with her after graduation.
The first time I saw Vixen (named βLucaβ back then, if i remember correctly) - I experienced love at first sight, but with a dog. Let me know if this has ever happened to you, because I experienced it again, with one of my current pups - Villain.
I offered to babysit Vixen whenever my friend needed, and fell increasingly in love with the little tan spitfire with half folded ears and a curly Q tail that literally stopped strangers in their tracks when they landed their eyes upon her cuteness. Iβm not just saying this, it was a recurring experience.
When my friend let me know that the ultimatum from her parents had been given, and there was now an ad on craigslist for her puppy, but did I maybe want her? My heart was set ablaze now that I would be able to call that little angel my own.
And the adventures we had over the two short years of Vixenβs life were ones Iβll cherish forever.
I spent countless hours training Vixen on my parentsβ property in the summer heat of 2014, taking her to the elementary & middle school fields I had trekked to from my house for years, growing up through each grade, now as an βadultβ to proof her commands & carry out my current studies as a hobby dog trainer.
She got to explore the most beautiful parts of the Oregon wilderness with my husband & I, as light on her feet as a fairy, scaling boulders on hiking trails with ease.
She was my constant shadow & companion throughout the scary & unmapped season of life after graduation. During life as a newlywed, during my first attempt to launch a financially successful clothing brand, through the years I spent apart from my husband while he was in Air Force boot camp & tech school. She kept me company as I spent hours getting ready for my life changing position at the MAC counter inside of Nordstrom, and even back then - I was known as the girl with the dog.
And then, one day, after we had played in the idyllic summer late afternoon, Vixen romping around in the grass of the sprawling yard outside my parentsβ house - I drove down the road to put in my time at the gym as I did daily back when my husband & I were long distance - and when I came home, opened the front door & called her name - I learned she was gone.
Having made her way down to the main road, she had been hit by a vehicle and unable to save, like my first deathbed dog, Patch, before her.
At 23 years old, it was my first, true and embodied experience with the death of a being far before it was their time.
And less than one year after her death, my husband, Alex Serrano, was killed in a vehicle collision, too.
As you can see, thereβs quite a literal meaning behind this project. As an artist, art is how Iβm returning to my roots to honor things that mean most to me in life, and as a physical form of expression that I can share with others who βget it.β
Beyond the literal homage in the name of βDeath Bed Dog Moms,β the unexpected embraces from death in my life have also changed everything about the way I live, and my philosophies in regards to happiness & the meaning of life - at least, for myself.
In that sense, the name & this project also represent a reminder to live like a dog until you die.
Loving others who care for you with your whole being, unconditionally.
Living simply, with gratitude for the blessings the world gives us.
Appreciating & soaking up every moment spent outdoors.
Living in the moment.
Being absolutely and unequivocally unapologetic about who you are, and unafraid to set boundaries with those who you donβt respect your way of being.
Honoring your physical, mental, and somatic physiological needs as a creature with a body to take care of.
Taking baby steps to overcome your struggles, or to achieve your goals.
Being thankful for something as small as a ball, or a stick.
And most importantly of all -
Taking any chance you can get to play.
This is just a handful of lessons Iβve learned from my dogs. I would loveeee to hear the lessons your dogs have taught you.
So with that context being given, I hope you can get a sense of how much meaning these pieces hold, the way they honor my dogs and yours, and how I hope they can serve as a physical reminder when you wear them of how to live your life -
Like a dog. π
I would hope it wouldnβt have to be said, but since Iβm the one in charge here - Iβll say it anyways.
I know thereβs new clothing brands being made every day, people with a dream just like mine, and also empty money grabs made by savvy entrepreneurs who know how to calculate what clothing and designs might sell to consumers.
This is not that.
This is an art project born from love and pain, and itβs uncertain what the future holds for it.
If enough people resonate with this project to keep it going, that would be so lovely. But if itβs a limited time project that canβt sustain itself forever, then thatβs okay too. Itβs an experiment, and Iβm so grateful to anyone that has taken the time to listen, & to hop on this ride.
Every piece has been made with intention - and as Iβve said before, quite selfishly. Iβve always viewed clothing as a form of expression, evident by the craaaaaazy styles Iβve sported over the decades and, of course, my decision to spend four years acquiring a degree learning about the history, construction, and business behind clothing.
Getting to learn & help structure the ins & outs of our boutique style, high volume owner-operated silk screen printing production facility & service based business in Oregon was the last puzzle piece this project needed.
Iβve had the opportunity to learn the ins & outs of different clothing pieces made for different garment decoration methods, Iβve gotten to see what sets pieces apart from the rest and also what shortcuts are made to deliver budget conscious options for those who arenβt looking to offer a premium piece of decorated clothing.
This means these pieces set for sale by me, and made possible by my partnerβs screen printing shop, Donβt Lose Hope Screen Print, are pieces made by those who have the experience, discernment, and professional ability to provide what many brands wouldnβt be able to:
afford
receive the appropriate ROI on
even be able to offer at this small of scale
Iβve been able to be as hands on as you can get in this process of bringing these pieces to fruition, while collaborating with other professionals to cover the areas Iβm unable to carry out myself.
Okay, now Iβll clarify who this brand is forβ¦..
Essentially, anyone who resonates with the visual aesthetic, and/or the deeper meaning behind the collective art project.
Thanks to my marketing & psychology training, & natural taste, itβs been SO FUN using the βalt dog momβ niche as the simplified target market, because of course thatβs who this brand is for when you take it at face value.
Macabre graphics like skeletons & scythes, nods to the occult with pentagrams & moons - oooooof what alt girly doesnβt LOVE???
My personal twist is to also offer this vision in soft & neon PINKβ¦because thatβs also me. And maybe itβs more girls, too. Weβll find out!
As an artist, contradictions make me happy. And my own life & the way I live is proof that you donβt have to be one dimensional, predictable, or fit into a box of assumptions that others may have about you.
BUT, I want to explicitly state that as someone who is passionate about inclusivity, just because the project name is βDeath Bed Dog Momsβ doesnβt mean itβs only for women - I intentionally curated designs that would be gender neutral, without βdog momβ verbiage on every single piece because these pieces are so much more than a self identifying label to wear on the street.
This clothing is for whomever wishes to wear it and embody the values and meaning I described prior. Men, non binary peeps and heck, children, to me that would be rad - anyone is welcome to wear my art. π You donβt have to be a dog mom, identify as a woman, or even like dogs - if you dig the art, then youβre welcome to add these to your collection.
As for this project & how it fits into the framework of my other work, itβs just one way Iβm trying to uplift others & embed meaning into your daily life using art works to serve as visual reminders.
This podcast, or these personal broadcasts, are another format Iβm using to connect with people like you who love dogs, consider themselves to be deep thinkers & feelers, and donβt shy away from reflecting on life & our place within the universe.
Iβm working on structuring these broadcasts into series to help simplify things for those who ONLY want updates on DBDM releases & updates, etc because I knowwww thereβs gonna be peeps who donβt care to hear allat from me, and thatβs okay!!
For those who are open to hearing further broadcasts from me, I will be continuing to document this experiment of building a brand for My Work - which will include the stories behind my art works, my reflections on dogs, grief, love, creativity, and current events - because thatβs the life I live.
As an artist, and not a content creator, Iβm happy to say that my priority is my artworks, and not the content creation in order to promote it.
This means that for better or worse, these broadcasts are mostly unpolished & raw as a form of documentation for my own heart, and to help filter out those who are only interested in being entertained by shallow & addictive βcontent.β
Because although content can be an art form, itβs not the one that Iβm called to spend my time on.
Wherever this all will lead meβ¦.I wake up every day remembering I will die. And to honor this, I will follow where my heart and my intuition takes me.
Peace & Love,
E.S.
If this piece made you think, Iβd appreciate if you shared it on a platform of your choice or sent it to a loved one directly to raise awareness of My Work.
I encourage you to check out my work on the platforms below & subscribe to the channels that resonate most. β¨
