Daily Inspiration: Meet Dafné Théroux Izquierdo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dafné Théroux Izquierdo.

Hi Dafné, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
My story is a little bit all over the place, as is my life. 

I am originally from Québec, Canada, and until a few years ago, most of my dreams and aspirations were related to sports. I probably did all the sports you can imagine, from speed skating to triathlon to cross-country skiing or track, but my main focus was road cycling. 

I became a pro cyclist, racing all over North America and Europe, and eventually was ready for university, so I decided to keep racing in the collegiate circuit and got recruited by Colorado Mesa University. 

By that time, I still had no idea of what I wanted to study; I always thought I’d pursue something related to sports/sciences since that’s what I knew the most, but I always had a creative side to me as well. As a kid, you could always see me carrying around a sketchbook full of drawings, and I’d keep anything that people wanted to throw away to “make some craft project with it”. In school, all of my notebooks and planners were filled with doodles and my preferred method of study was to draw the things I had to memorize. 

I initially got into the school for a business major since it opens a lot of doors, but a few weeks before starting, my parents convinced me that I should try out graphic design since all the classes seemed so interesting to me, even if I was still convinced that I “wasn’t an artist.” 

After the first week of school, it was pretty clear that I was in the right field and that I had found a new passion I eventually decided to add a second major in studio art, where I focused in the arts of printmaking and photography mostly. 

With a double major and full-time training for races, my schedule was pretty intense, but I loved it. 

Then, in 2020, a lot changed. I got involved in multiple crashes while racing, leaving me with a series of concussions and broken bones, including multiple vertebras. The recovery was tough, spending weeks in a wheelchair healing my body and brain, and eventually, I had to realize that my cycling career was over, at least for a while. 

It was hard to turn my back to cycling, especially since it was my initial reason for being there, but I was lucky enough to have a newfound passion in art and design and decided to put all my energy into it. 

By the time I graduated, I had started a small business, utilizing skills I learned from each major, and have been running it since. 

I now live in a van that I transformed into a moveable studio to be able to run it from anywhere and go to various events in addition to doing some graphic design freelance work and being back at my roots by being a staff member for a cycling pro team. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As I said in my story, my injuries were a major challenge that completely changed my life, but they were also the reason why I was able to change my focus and start a new path that I now enjoy immensely. I believe that the skills I acquired in cycling, like discipline, resilience, and time management, as well as the contacts I made around the world, are still helping me a lot in this new chapter of my life. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I own a sustainable small business called Dafsquatch Designs, where I design and create cryptids, national parks, and landscape art. My merchandise line is hand-printed up-cycled apparel from thrift stores. Sustainability is very important to me, so every item is one of a kind and helps the environment by giving it a second life. 

To create the art, I use my printmaking background to hand carve designs from wood and linoleum before screen-printing them on clothes and bags. 

I am taking care of every aspect of the business, from the identity of the brand to the designing, carving, and printing of the designs on the shirts and the tracking of the sales and inventory. I also took and edited the photos used to promote the brand and take care of all the social media. 

There are 2 main lines of designs: cryptids and parks & landscapes. The first two designs I made were a sasquatch and a Yosemite landscape, so I decided to make them my starting point for the two main collections. 

I already loved the outdoors, so the nature collection came easy to me, but I had to research more about the cryptid’s world, and I discovered a whole new community. The fact that there are only sighting descriptions for the cryptids makes it also super fun because it gives me a lot of creative freedom to design my own version of the monsters. 

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I have an online shop, www.dafsquatchdesigns.com, and I also love receiving ideas or feedback for new designs or merchandise! 

Pricing:

• T-shirts: 25$
• Crew necks/hoodies: 35$-40$
• Prints: 10-15$
• Onesies: 20$
• Every item is priced individually, but those are some references!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dafsquatchdesigns.com
• Instagram: @dafsquatch.designs
• Other: my design portfolio: www.dafnesdesigns.com