Strong Taxidermy: 2025 In Review
Happy New Year from Strong Taxidermy!
I want to first say thank you for your support, kindness, and everything you have allowed me to accomplish this year. I started Strong Taxidermy in June 2025 after countless sleepless nights and endless hours pouring my heart and soul into a company I had dreamed of creating for years. Although I’ve worked as a museum taxidermist for a decade, these last few months are the first time I’ve been in charge and able to build and foster a community of my own making. I am deeply grateful to my family, friends, and everyone who has supported me—your encouragement has made it possible for Strong Taxidermy to thrive, and I’m excited to keep growing and sharing our work with you.
Since we are stepping into a new year filled with plenty of unknowns, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on all of the taxidermy happenings and milestones since I opened my business. This year started off busy, but after my launch, it only picked up the pace exponentially. I had projects multiply, deadlines creep up, and opportunities arrive quicker than I could add them to my calendar. I’ve networked with incredible people, made new friends, and reconnected with old ones. Though it has only been a few months, the intensity and richness of the experience already feel like a lifetime. I can’t imagine what will happen next, but I’m beyond ready for whatever comes next. I can honestly say that throughout the challenges and many difficult days, this has been the best decision I have ever made (and truthfully, the hardest I have ever worked).
Stills from my basic bird taxidermy series on Patreon.
Since June, I have continuously worked on growing my client base, teaching online with Patreon tutorials and creating content for social media, doing taxidermy, study skins, and restoration. In fact, here is the breakdown in some fun numbers:
I had my work on display in South Pasadena for 1 month at Prospect LA!
2 press articles (L.A. Taco included - a dream come true),
2 vendor markets (including the Oddities Expo with Bees and Wings!),
Prepped for 3 sessions at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology,
9 free blog posts,
Over 10 new clients acquired,
12 restoration projects finished,
27 traditional taxidermy mounts completed,
32 insects pinned,
42 study skins prepared for research collections and private commissions,
43 Patreon posts,
Over 45 social media posts created (including process videos and before/after galleries), and
Over 7,300 followers across social media platforms!
Stills from my other Patreon tutorials, including one from my
bird of prey series, and one from my wing grooming tutorial.
Learning to run a small business has come with its share of growing pains—things rarely unfolded the way I imagined, plans had to be redrawn, and so many ideas have been tested and failed before getting into the flow of business—but those challenges forced me to become flexible, adapt to unexpected situations, and experiment widely to discover what actually works. Each setback taught practical lessons in budgeting, customer relations, and time management, while also focusing on creative problem-solving and resilience. It has been the greatest challenge I've ever taken on, but through persistence and experiencing a great deal of humility, it has also become the most rewarding experience of my life, shaping not only the business but the person I’ve grown into.
Study skins for bird collections: Great-horned owl (Bubo virginianus),
and male and female Costa’s hummingbirds (Calypte costae).
Even in the short amount of time that I have spent running Strong Taxidermy, I have grown so much and fostered such incredible new relationships. With my supportive crew, mostly my partner Laura and my mother Suzie, I have been able to focus on creating taxidermy, making content, and growing the business. Without these women, I would have failed in the first week.
Since gaining more flexibility in my schedule, I've been able to dedicate time again to my incredible friends at the Moore Lab of Zoology, where every Tuesday I prep with devoted volunteers and work on remarkable specimens. Dr. John McCormack has been especially encouraging—pushing me to greater heights and cheering me on through the toughest projects. Without my Moore Lab family, I wouldn't be surrounded by fellow bird-nerd friends or immersed in the wonderfully supportive, kind community I found ten years ago when I began my taxidermy career and pursued my bachelor's in biology at Occidental College. Being able to reconnect with my roots and spend time with these amazing individuals has been endlessly amazing.
More study skins for collections: white-throated swift (Aeronautes saxatalis),
and a very electrocuted peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus).
I can't even begin to imagine what 2026 will bring—other than a lot more taxidermy, social media content, events, and collaborations that would have made 12-year-old me faint. I am so beyond grateful to close out the first few months in business and step into the future, ready to deepen my craft, expand my reach, and keep fostering this incredible community that has supported every mount, every feather, and every shared moment of excitement.
Some other fun photos from 2025:
Some lovebird skins I prepared to send to Maggie Fedorov of Boone’s Solace Taxidermy.
A very messy workspace from getting ready for the vendor markets and my flash sale in December.
A very special Christmas project of a butterfly display, commissioned by my aunt.
In-progress red-tailed hawk for the Pasadena Audubon Society, which is now a part of their traveling educational display!
