our human team, circa 2018



I'm Shannon





I want to help you honor the love you have for and share with your non-human family. That's what I am about.


I am also about stories. Listening. Reflecting. Compassion. Laughing until I pee just a tiny bit in my pants and have to make a run for the toilet. Learning. Looking up, literally and figuratively. Hugs. Uncomfortable conversations. Grief. Hospice. Legacy. Rituals and ceremonies. Death and beautiful cycle of life. Creative expression. Inherent value of all lives. Sunbeams. Naps. Crying. Partnership. Rough edges. Massive dust bunnies and tumble floofs. Feeling loved and accepted.


Small talk stops me in my tracks. Highly polished photographs and paintings feel uncomfortable, because if I were in those spaces in real life I'd feel uncomfortable. Unsettled. Like I shouldn't touch anything.


I want to bring you comfort and the sense that you and your family are seen, heard, and honored. That can be a messy, emotional process and it's much more about reflecting on the connection you have and how you influence each other rather than what will look nice on your wall. My style is candid, conversational, and poignant, and my goal is to translate your emotional connection into something visual so you have it in front of you every day.


Your family is full of stories, and every one of those stories is important.


My family and I live, love, and play in Tacoma, WA, and I travel within the Pacific Northwest for photography and create art for families world-wide. This photograph was created by The Boy in 2018 and is one of my favorites because it's me being me, being seen with love.



this is The Boy





He is my favorite artist and one of the best teachers I've had. I'm biased because I'm his mom, but I tell you he's really really fabulous.


His days are about playing outside, regardless of the weather; devouring anything he can about cosmology, astronomy, and physics; cataloging the creatures who live in our forest; playing and snuggling with Greer, his service dog in training; and telling jokes. So many jokes. Jokes about butts and farts.


He's handy with a camera and my favorite student. His work was accepted into a state-wide, juried photography exhibition when he was five years old and unlike me he has won awards for his photography (I am too scared to enter any of my work); his favorite photography subject is the humble dandelion.


He also enjoys painting using watercolors and acrylics, and most everything he creates is inspired by the universe or the ocean.


He loves hard. He falls hard. He even drinks his vegan chocolate milk hard, as you can see from this photograph. He's all in every time while still being totally in tune with his body and resting as he needs.



ADVISORY BOARD



VAUGHN



Leadership



1999 - 2007

He was gentle, benevolent, wise, patient, gregarious, kind, magnanimous, and gracious. Vaughn demonstrated that the strongest leaders are often the ones in the back of the crowd, quietly supporting those doing the work. His influence encourages me to invite people to come along rather than to try to motivate them or flat out tell them what to do.



MOIRA



Intuition



1999 - 2016

Moira was particular. She didn't apologize for doing something other than what was expected, and she lived by her intuition - she decided in the first moments whether she liked someone or something and there was no changing her opinion because she just knew. Mo reminds me to trust my gut.



GREER



Partnership



2019 -

Greer is dedicated, intuitive, driven, clever, and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. She adores tasks, solving problems, and being part of a team, and she gently pushes me to learn how to be the partner she needs.



ARDEN



Kindness



2001 - 2018

Teeny meow, teeny cat, enormous heart. Arden existed to love and be loved, It seemed she saw only the good in others, and she was the first to show up with her heartfelt purr during difficult days. With her I remember that kindness is always possible.



ANGUS



Confidence



2002 - 2012

Angus presumed to own every room he entered, even if he didn't. He was rough, demanding, tenacious, and absolutely had to feel like he was in charge of stuff. Vaughn humored him. I call on Angus when I feel like I need a confidence boost and imagine him strutting into a room like he was the king of the world.



CONAN



Joy



2004 - 2014

Coney did this bouncy happy dance when he was excited and full of joy (which was often) that was ridiculously adorable from such an enormous beast. He lived with curiosity and delight (and a lot of fear of things) and once received an award for having the longest tongue. Coney taught me that joy is contagious and necessary.



RHYS



Creativity



2007 - 2018

Of everyone in our family, Rhys changed the most as he aged. At his core, he was eager, concerned, compassionate, and reliable. After Conan died, Rhyslet encouraged me to create beyond photography. It is because of him that I have the courage to do play with art. He also gave me the very best death experience, even though I was sure it wasn't what I wanted. I call on Rhys when I want to look at something differently at find a new way of doing things.



SOPHIE



Boundaries



1982 - 2013

Goodness, she could take up space. hold it, and defend it. Her space was here space, and there were no two ways about it. She had a quiet, fiery resolve and stood up for what mattered to her, and she was compassionate and firm in defense of her boundaries. Sophie showed me that boundaries are necessary and that maintaining them is a gift of freedom for both parties.



MAX



Wildness



2017 -

Max walks the feral line hard. There is a wildness in him that refused to be tamed, and as snuggly as he can be with the right person at the right time, he was stressed by indoor living. Max needs to be free of confinement and expectations to feel like himself, and as inconvenient as that sometimes is for me, I admire his gumption. Daily he invites me to come outside, cuddle him, and breathe in the tree sap on his fur; I remember that wildness can be a very good thing, indeed.



WEAN



Comfort



2002 -

Wean unabashedly seeks comfort. He is the cat's cat, chasing down moving sunbeams, warm laps, and cozy blankets for his napping spots. His interest is in doing what feels most satisfying to him at the time, and he doesn't give a rat's butt who disagrees. He is affable and approachable, and he hopes that anyone who visits our home for any length of time can spare a moment or several to show him love. He shows me that doing what feels good is a delicious way to live.



Slobbered Lens



Slobbered Lens is a mother-son team based in Tacoma, WA, USA, that creates art to honor the amazing love and partnership that grows between humans and non-humans. We specialize in memorial portraits and end-of-life and hospice support through art.


We acknowledge that we are on the traditional land of the Puyallup Coast Salish people and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Puyallup Coast Salish.




Shannon@slobberedlens.com