A touchy topic, and an in-your-face tshirt, talking about my DBA can get a bit uncomfortable. Yet over the summer, I felt a need to utilize my skills in Graphic Design towards this cause.

Starting this venture in late July into early August, we began selling shirts with the hope that we would be able to generate profit towards the Carolina Abortion, as we realized that Roe's reversal would cause a health crisis, leading individuals in other states towards North Carolina as a safe haven for those in need of abortion services and reproductive health care. And within our first month of Paws Off!, we have sold over 45 shirts. While it may not seem like a lot, I have felt the impact of contributing art to social change, and it has created a new meaning of being a designer for me. While Paws Off! will contribute to operate and eventually produce more work in the future, our humble beginings as a pro-choice protest piece still sticks out clearly in my mind. I hope to continue growing Paws Off! in the future, and to keep supporting the fight for reproductive health rights for all.

I have learned many lessons after starting a DBA. Although one day I hope to grow to become an LLC, the DBA has been an important stepping stone in learning how to protect yourself and your work. Especially because Paws Off! is a complicated subject, knowing how to securely protect myself and my work has become extremely important; not just when you create controversial art, but knowing how to protect yourself and your artistic integrity has been an important lesson in my journey in becoming a Graphic Designer.