Hey friends,

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how this brand is growing.

Not just what we’re making, but how we’re making it.

Because in a sea of print-on-demand, fast drops, and pop culture designs made with generative AI, we’ve chosen a very different path.

Everything we release is screen-printed by humans with expertise in the craft.
Each design is original, drawn by hand by human artists (currently just me, eventually others too!).
Every garment is intentionally sourced for softness, durability, and ethics.

We work directly with a print shop here in Colorado that specializes in water-based inks, which is surprisingly rare. It takes more time. More setup. More care. But the result is a print that actually lives in the fabric instead of sitting on top of it.

That choice alone shapes everything.

It means order minimums and upfront investment.
It means we’re constantly evaluating size runs, garment styles, and which designs are resonating most.

We’re not releasing massive collections all at once. Not because we don’t have ideas (our design portfolio grows every week!), but because we’re building this through product sales, one run at a time. Bootstrapped. Intentional.

Along the way, I’ve been learning a lot.

I watched what happens when someone picks up a shirt and feels it for the first time.

I’ve heard your feedback about fit, softness, and color. (And yes, there will someday be sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts, hats, and maybe even V-necks.)

I started to see which designs people connect with most and which stories folks share as they connect with the art.

As an emerging artist, sharing designs and seeing which ones connect is always nerve-wracking. I certainly get feedback from my inner circle during the design process, but it’s not until we launch that we get real, direct feedback.

Turns out, these designs have performed the best: King of the Heart (we’re sold out of muscle tanks and t-shirts), El Guacamayo Malu (we still have limited supply!), Magpie Mystery, Kingfisher Clarity, and Ancient Migration (thank you, Crane Festival!).

That feedback loop matters. It helps shape what comes next.

We’re refining our booth setup to better tell the story behind each design as we step into a new season of vending, including music festivals this summer.

We’re being more selective about events, prioritizing spaces that align with our values. Juried art shows. Conservation gatherings. Conscious festivals. Places where people are already thinking about land, community, and connection.

And we’re continuing to build out the online store as a deeper hub for this work. That’s where you’ll start to see more presales, more storytelling, and more visibility into our impact as it grows.

Like many small businesses, we’ve kept advertising minimal so far. But we’re beginning to explore that next phase, learning how to use tools like Meta ads thoughtfully, and looking into support for social media and backend systems so more energy can go into the creative work and the mission itself.

Because time and energy are real. And building something like this requires both.

At the same time, it can be difficult to show up every day and build a brand rooted in care and connection against the backdrop of everything happening on the world stage right now.

There is so much harm. So much disconnection.

AND when I zoom in, I see something different.

I see conversations at our booth where strangers connect over birds, plants, and shared values.
I see people choosing where their money goes with intention.
I see small, real moments of community forming in front of me, neighbors caring for each other, sharing skills, and other networks of support.

And that’s what keeps me going.

This brand is built from that place. Not only as a business, but as a way to participate in something more connected, more reciprocal, and more human.

We’re still growing. Still refining. Still figuring it out in real time.

But the direction feels clear.

Thank you for being here while it takes shape.

More soon,
Johnnie Cloudsong
Founder, CEO

PS Starting next week, I’ll be pulling the plug on Beehiiv! EarthMed Threads will soon be housed within my Shopify domain. You might notice some formatting changes, invitations to read longer writings on our blog, and an ability to select preferences for which type of content you want to see. After almost two years of writing on this platform, I’m really thinking through ways to streamline and simplify the number of apps I’m using, while increasing the sophistication to the way I can reach our community here. So if you see a newsletter from [email protected] moving forward - dats me! Thanks again for reading.