Reflections on connections

Today is the last new moon of 2025, and I have experienced seven new moons since we started vending in June at Longmont Pride. As the Moon darkens and settles into the quiet space between the Sun and Earth, I find myself drawn toward introspection in the rare moments of stillness. With back-to-back weekend pop-ups, a part-time day job, and the constant pulse of behind-the-scenes operations, all while navigating life as an adult human in 2025, stillness has been hard to come by.

So here, in the darkness of the Moon, despite the 80 to 90 miles per hour winds moving through the Front Range right now, I find a moment to reflect. I reflect on the milestones of Earth Medicine Apparel, and more importantly, on the many connections that have formed since beginning this journey.

There was a moment when the heart of this brand came into focus. It arrived after hundreds of hours of illustration, months spent sourcing garments, and long days preparing designs for print alongside our print shop partners. That moment mattered because I realized Earth Medicine Apparel Co. is, at its core, a community brand. The shirts are, quite frankly, just the widget.

When I started this brand, I made a bet. Not only are people tired of buying clothing made in sweatshops with designs that crack and fade, but folks also care deeply about how and where their products are made. Most importantly, I made a bet (or observation, really) that people are thirsty for connection. I make this because I believe more of us share common values than we are often led to believe.

I see this every time we set up a pop-up in brutal heat, high winds, or deep freezing temperatures. Hours spent folding, rolling, tying, counting, tagging, printing, organizing, and preparing to share these offerings with our community. People are drawn in by the art, and suddenly, the first connection forms.

Do you like frogs?
Have you been to South America?
Isn’t that soft?
Have you ever seen a kingfisher in the wild?

I have met conservationists, birders, biologists, yoga teachers, artists, elders, young adults, ecstatic dancers, facilitators, therapists, musicians, and fitness fanatics. I have spoken with recent medicine retreat goers, plant nerds, and lifelong nature lovers. Sometimes it is a story about a son-in-law working in conservation in Peru. Sometimes it is about witnessing a whole pandemonium of scarlet macaws in Costa Rica. Perhaps it is a couple who met decades ago on the Great Plains and have loved one another ever since, or the person who simply likes cool graphic designs.

As an artist, I often have jittery nerves before sharing my work publicly. Over time, I have learned to let that go. I trust what moves through me, from imagination, through my body, to a drawing tablet and beyond. I trust the lifetime of drawing, observing, and imagining that brought me here. When people are drawn to the art, my heart sings. What sings even louder is what comes next. When I share these visual stories, people offer their own stories in return.

When someone steps into our booth, I bring full presence to that interaction. Of course, I would love it if everyone bought five shirts, but my true intention is different. I aim to create a safe, warm, and welcoming space to share these visual prayers with our community. I open myself to receive the energies and stories that emerge in that exchange. To everyone who has interacted with our brand since launching this summer, thank you. This is what keeps us energized and committed to building what comes next.

To those of you who have taken a shirt home with you, THANK YOU. Your support sustains this work and continues to show me how community forms around shared values. I will keep directing that energy outward, building networks of care and reciprocity along the way. I hope your shirt joins you on adventures, ceremonies, yoga mats, city streets, gym sessions, dance floors, music festivals, and quiet moments of stillness beneath the new moon.

As I reflect on the closing of these first two seasons since launching the Kambo Collection, I turn toward winter with intention. I feel called to bring more designs out of my head and into form, to nurture the creative process, and to prepare for a strong 2026. I carry big dreams, renewed focus, and a deepened commitment to this work in service to the plants, animals, and humans we share this world with.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being part of this story.

In reflection,

Founder, CEO

PS - If you’re new here and would like to see what we’ve been up to, our past newsletters are available on our blog, EarthMed Threads, here.