Goodbye Guerrilla Graphix, Hello DNA!

This is an important post for me, and I hope my good friends will take the time to read it and check out my photo album.
A major chapter in my life has come to a close and I wanted to take this moment to acknowledge it, enjoy some good memories, and thank everyone who contributed to this creative journey.

The rumors are correct, my dad sold Guerrilla Graphix on January 1st 2019 — and he and I are both moving on to explore new horizons. ​

For those who don’t know, Guerrilla Graphix was founded by my dad, Travis Parkin, and I in 2008. It began as a t-shirt shop where we came up with original artwork for the shirts, stickers, etc. I was a student at UNM when we first opened and learning how to start a creative business at only 18 was a very valuable experience. Within a few years we set up a tiny screen printing shop and began doing our own printing as well as printing for small businesses in our community. Though we always had our ups and downs, the business grew and grew. We relocated several times and expanded to provide full service graphic design and printing as well as entering the wholesale market with our unique line of gifts and shirts. Fast forward to 2018 and we have two successful retail stores (in Old Town Albuquerque and Taos, New Mexico), a large professional screen printing facility and hundreds of wholesale accounts around the state. We have collaborated with countless local businesses to help create their marketing materials and it has been a joy helping our community in this way. 

With growth and success of a business comes a great amount of responsibility, which can bare a tremendous weight. Over time, my dad and I were both getting burnt out from the never ending workload. We are both extremely creative and highly motivated to follow our dreams and passions. It became clear for each of us that it was time to pursue new creative avenues. 

My dad found the perfect buyer for the company: Dave and his brother Carl. Dave has been the screen print shop manager for several years and we know him well and trust that he will carry on Guerrilla Graphix in a positive way. We are excited to see what the new owners do to evolve the company.

I am a sentimental person and also a bit of a control freak, so it has been a gradual process of letting go. It has not been easy separating from my identity as “the Guerrilla Graphix girl” and redefining myself as an independent artist. I began the separation in 2015 when my daughter was born and I decided to focus on my art full time from home. Now that Guerrilla Graphix has been sold, the separation feels much more final. I will miss the crew and the work tremendously, but I am very happy to be starting a new chapter.

I am now fully focused on expanding my new business, Divine Nature Arts. I am taking the skills I learned from Guerrilla Graphix and using them to promote my art through this new channel. I am making lots of new paintings, jewelry and apparel; and I’m not exactly sure where this new road is taking me yet, its a little bit scary stepping into the unknown and trusting it is the right path. All I know is that the goal is for my business to carry my unique visionary artwork out to the world, while allowing me the freedom, flexibility and income to live a healthy, happy and balanced life. 

My dad is very excited about the new chapter as well. He is enrolling in several continuing education classes to learn about writing a memoir, podcasting, print making, and….. we are signed up to take an oil painting class together! This is something I am absolutely over the moon about. This could be life changing for me. I have never painted with oils and I have wanted to learn for years! I have a feeling I am going to love it. And the last bit of exciting news… we are having a father daughter art show at Java Joe’s in July! Stay tuned for details. I am so grateful to have such a motivated and inspiring dad who I get to continue collaborating with. How lucky am I?!

So that’s the scoop! My pops and I are all finished with Guerrilla Graphix, on to new adventures, and we are so thankful for this past decade and all the wonderful people we have worked alongside. It has always been a team effort, so thank you to everyone who made it happen! You guys are amazing. You know who you are. As for Guerrilla Graphix… it is still going strong! Please go and support them in this transition. Things may be a bit rocky for awhile as they figure out the new ownership, but the staff and owners are wonderful people and we hope you will enjoy continuing to support them!

Thanks for all the wonderful memories!
And please enjoy my little trip down memory lane in this photo album of highlights from the past decade!

Wishing Love, Creativity, Passion & Abundance to my community! XOXO
Ramona Snow Teo