Why do I do mostly animal themed art? In a nutshell, I wanted to raise awareness of the issue of not taking care of animals. Thousands of animals are euthanized everyday at local shelters due to no fault of their own. Wildlife are losing their natural habitats due to us humans expanding. I would like to help raise awareness and help organizations with fundraising and get donations.
I got laid off again in late 2022. Around this same time, my rescue cat Mr. Meeseeks got sick and he had to be euthanized. He purred in my arms at the end and it was like he knew he wouldn’t be in pain anymore. I had never had to do that before. That combined with job loss got me pretty heart broken and depressed. My female cat Kodah was bonded to him and was crying for him for weeks.
I started thinking how hard it probably was for the front end and medical staff at the vet office to constantly deal with pet parents being emotional when they received equally bad news as mine. I believe most vet offices and shelters have cremation and memorial offerings. I thought those were really nice thoughtful things at the time and definitely would offer comfort to those who wanted to keep a piece of their lost pet nearby.
I then thought of all the hard working animal rescues, shelters, zoos, and other conservation organizations that struggle with getting donations or volunteers.
I do not have a particular endgame goal in mind but if I could at least help animals or conservation efforts in some way, that would make me feel like I was contributing in bettering a life at a time.
I’d love to eventually become a resident artist for a zoo or wildlife organization but until then, maybe eventually I can help with fundraising efforts for wildlife organizations or animal non-profits and rescues.