How This Started

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Are you one of us...? 

If you’re here reading this, it’s a safe bet you’re something of a weirdo. You probably know what it feels like to be judged for being different. Us too. We know what it feels like to be misunderstood, and we learn to recognize that feeling in others. 

Sometimes that carries over to animals. And yeah, spiders.

We used to be terrified of spiders. At some point, it occurred to us, what if we're wrong? What if we're judging them the same way people are so quick to judge anything they don’t understand?

We took a closer look.

It didn’t take long to find our earliest influences. Creators like Tarantula Kat, The Tarantula Collective, and Tom's Big Spiders showed compassion and respect, and helped dismantle the assumptions we had carried. They also showed us that you can order spiders over the internet. That escalated quickly.

After about a year, people started telling us we should turn the hobby into a business. We were spending so much time with it anyway, and it sounded like it could be fun. The plan was simple. Maybe some T shirts. Nothing big.

Then something happened that changed everything.

Our son Kai was diagnosed with FOXP1 syndrome at two years old. There are very few known cases in the world, and no clear guide for what life will look like for him. What we do know is that he will be judged and misunderstood in a deeper way than we’ve ever known.

That forced a question we couldn’t ignore as parents. How do we make sure he’s ok? That he has support, stability, and family around him for the rest of his life?

The answer came immediately.

Spider People.

Not just spiders, but the community around them. A space full of people who know what it’s like to be misunderstood. A community that meets difference with open hearts and open minds instead of dismissal.

That’s why Spider People exists. And that’s why we pour everything into it.

We want to foster a world where being different isn’t something you have to hide or fix. Where it isn't just accepted, but celebrated.

If you’re here, something in this world probably speaks to you too. 

Whatever it is, welcome.

You're one of us.

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