How Clowder Creative Began (with a Little Help from Some Cats)

It all started with some random sketches in my art journal…

Or maybe it started even earlier—back when I fell in love with both art and cats. As a child I was drawing on everything I could find, and completely enchanted by my grandmother’s black cat, Toto. That early love for creativity (and feline companionship) never really left.

Fast-forward a few decades, and I was deep into a career in graphic design. I’ve worked as a designer and art director in the Denver area for over 20 years—but somewhere along the way, I found myself craving a different kind of creative expression. I took a pen and ink drawing class, stumbled onto a few incredible YouTube artists, and picked up an art journal. Something clicked. Drawing just for the joy of it felt like coming home.

It wasn’t long before my cats started joining me at the desk. Woolf and Virginia—two endlessly curious, opinionated cats—loved to sprawl across my workspace as I sketched. They started showing up in my journal pages, then in illustrations, and eventually in the heart of what would become Clowder Creative.

The brand truly began with an illustration I created to honor Virginia and Woolf, two beloved cats who had both gone over the rainbow bridge—at different times, but each leaving an imprint on my heart and my art. That drawing felt like the start of something more—a way to carry their spirit forward. Not long after, two kittens named Oreo and Cookie entered my life, full of energy, mischief, and personality. With their arrival, the idea of a “clowder”—a group of cats—clicked into place. It felt like the perfect name to capture both the memory of the original two and the growing, joyful chaos that continued to inspire me.

While my background in design gave me a strong foundation, building Clowder Creative came with its own learning curve. I had to teach myself digital illustration and surface pattern design. I explored too many ideas at once and struggled to find a consistent style. But I kept showing up—and the more I leaned into my love of color, storytelling, and cats, the clearer everything became.

Today, Clowder Creative is a collection of playful illustrations and gifts made to spark joy. Whether it’s a cat in a field of pumpkins or a fairy tangled in a breeze, each piece carries a bit of the whimsy, warmth, and wildness that inspired it.

Thank you for being here at the beginning of this journey. I can’t wait to share more stories, art, and mischief with you.

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