We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cera Marquez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cera below.

Cera, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

Not only in our local communities but all over the world I am noticing strong, talented, and truly inspiring women embrace the ‘odd and unusual’, making their one of a kind art and leaving a positive impact for change in a very relatable way. We are not super heroes but we are taking back our power and rising above. What was once more predominantly male industries are being forever changed for the good. I see this happening not only in the oddity world, but the tattooing community and even in my newest chapter of work in the funeral home industry.

Cera, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Cera C Marquez, born and raised in Southern California and currently living in Lakewood, Colorado.

My main focus for almost ten years was in the fashion industry; working in DTLA doing anything from pattern making to design production, sales and traveling for regional trade shows. I always admired the independent fashion artists I would encounter and I decided that I wanted to follow in their footsteps. On an adventurous impulse, I came to Denver to find my fashion niche. What ended up happening next I could have never imagined but that is all a part of what makes life so worth living in my opinion. It was in 2019 that found myself in a new city, fueled by my own artistic style and vision. CC Styles by Cera was my personal collaboration with Intrigue Boutique in Denver whose doors unfortunately closed permanently at the end of 2021 which left me to sit and reflect on what I saw for myself next and my future after that.

I currently own and operate a small business, CC Oddities by Cera, which was born from a passionate hobby of creating art of breathing life after loss amidst a global pandemic and great personal loss in 2020. This brand also opened my eyes to my new career path and venture in mortuary science and the funeral home industry. While CC Oddities takes a slight leap from its predecessor, many of the same threads run through both and I plan to continue carrying my good intentions to wherever life takes me. As I begin this new chapter, I can’t help but be overwhelmed with gratitude for everything that led me here.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

With the closing of Intrigue Boutique last year, I spent a lot of time reflecting and being grateful for all the amazing experiences and people that crossed my path during that journey. However, it was also heart breaking and sad and I was forced to reflect what I wanted for myself and what I wanted next from this experience of life. Until that point it had been everything I had ever wanted. But, as the saying goes; when one door closes another one opens. My loving partner helped guide me to the realization that my heart longed to create a big impact that my mind was also ready for. I took a leap of faith and made one call that will be known as another moment that forever changed my life, another chapter I never expected to start but another testimony that you really never quite know what you could be capable of and what life has in store.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I remember as a kid my parents always giving me a hard time for ‘always being on my phone’, technology being such a new and exciting thing I was always fascinated with connecting with others in that way. As it has evolved into a way that I could market myself and spread brand awareness I always stick to one rule. The one rule being, always be yourself. What feels right will attract those with like minds, similar interests, and therefore create genuine connections. You can find me on Instagram @ccodditiesbycera and @ccstylesbycera, but I plan to branch out into the podcast community in the very near future as my new career unfolds. I want to create a brand of transparency and openness around the conversation of death. Resistance to our modern, overly medicalized way of death is intensifying in many parts of the United States. Many people yearn to reclaim the power to shape how they (and those they love) die, but are not to sure how to go about it. And, I find that in my new journey this is a topic that I want to highlight and normalize discussing, we can not have life without death and without death we can not have life.

Contact Info:

• Website: shopccodditiesbycera.com
• Instagram: ccodditiesbycera
• Facebook: ccodditiesbycera
• Youtube: ccodditiesbycera