OUR STORY
PART 1: FAMILY
Never in a million years did I think I’d have cowgirls as daughters.
Even my wife was drawn to the western life long before I was. She grew up in Texas & Arizona and had a dream of one day riding her own horses. The seeds had already long been planted. I should have seen it coming.
I grew up on movies, baseball, snowboarding, punk rock, and art. My heroes were athletes, skateboarders, musicians, illustrators, and filmmakers. My brother and I both spent our younger years drawing, going to hardcore shows and chasing creative pursuits.
The “Western life” was never on my radar.
But life has a funny way of rewriting the script.
For me, that shift led to a beautiful family of five, a fulfilling career as an artist and designer, and eventually the opportunity to live and work on our little ranch in Washington State.
In 2011, our daughter Flora was born. With her first word being “horse”, and an obsession with all things equestrian, she quickly inspired the rest of our family to follow suit. My son and I are still the black sheep in the family though, mostly trading reins for riffs. More on that in the coming months.
Along the way, I fell in love with the country life—working outside, doing farm chores, caring for our animals, and spending weekends at rodeos and horse shows with my girls. It was a world away from the life I knew as an artist.
It all resonated with me in a different, yet familar way: stay grateful, work hard with your hands, and treat life like an adventure.
Those values didn’t feel that far off from the ones I carried growing up around punk rock and design—figure it out yourself, build something from nothing, and do it with integrity…
PART 2: THE ARTIFACTS
I’ve always been a collector. But somewhere along the way I became fascinated with old west artifacts—objects from a bygone era.
The typography.
The movies.
The books.
The hand-painted signage.
The rodeo posters.
The leatherwork, saddles, belt buckles, and silver.
Weathered artifacts built to last generations.
These objects weren’t necessarily made to be fashionable.
They were made to be used, worn, repaired, and passed down.
Western movies, songs, and characters that shaped the mythology of the frontier. Tales of outlaws and lawmen, dusty towns, silver spurs, and the simple code that good always rides tall in the saddle.
Over time I found myself collecting pieces of that history—advertising objects, toys, photographs, trophies, rodeo posters, and artifacts that told stories about a time when craft and grit shaped the culture of the West.
I began to daydream about a new adventure—a new brand that could include all that I loved about the western aesthetic and the ideals that came with it…
PART 3: ENTER WESTERSEN
In early 2023, a simple thought came to mind: What if I combined all of this?
The gratitude I felt, the experience of ranch life, the outdoors, rodeo culture, and the timeless design and illustration work of the West—with the perspective I’d developed over decades working as an artist.
That question became the spark. And that spark became Westersen.
Westersen is a lifestyle brand rooted in thoughtful design and illustration, inspired by the enduring spirit of the American West.
It begins with apparel, but the vision extends further—into objects, artifacts, and accessories that feel timeless. Pieces meant to be used, worn, and kept. Things that gain character over time.
But I didn’t want to do it alone. Over the years I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most talented artists and makers in the world—many of whom I’m fortunate to call friends. Westersen is an opportunity to invite those voices into the story and create something meaningful together.
In 2024, our family moved to sunny Arizona, trading the Pacific Northwest for wide skies and desert light. A much-needed new chapter for us. In many ways, Westersen is simply a place where all these roads meet: hard work, dedication to craft, the love of the outdoors, weekends at the rodeo and most of all—blazing your own trail.
Stir Some Dust.
-Don