Exploring Life & Business with Chantel Laughlin of R.I.P. Creatively

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chantel Laughlin.

Hi Chantel, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I suppose you could say that I’ve always been drawn to the darker side of things. Growing up, I often found the funerals to be scarier than the thought of my loved one dying. Of course, you miss your person who passed away, but that was never the scary part for me.

Choosing a career path has always seemed like the most daunting feat. 10,000 different options would flood in and my brain would shut down. Fast forward about 30 years. I stumbled across a video of a group called the Kiwi Coffin Club. They are a non-profit comprised of senior citizens who build their coffins, decorate them to express themselves, and have created a community to talk about end-of-life issues.

As soon as I saw this video, I knew I needed to do something along these lines in the United States. Then Covid-19 happened. It seemed wildly irresponsible to create a business where our elders would be in close contact with each other. I let my brain wander and thought, well I could, at the very least, create a company that allows people to create custom caskets to express their truest selves.

Nobody lives an ordinary life, and we believe your casket, coffin, urn, or burial shroud should reflect that. Starting R.I.P. Creatively has not only allowed me to provide unique end-of-life solutions but to also encourage the conversations around death and our dying to make it just a little less scary!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have definitely had to overcome personal and professional challenges along the way.

I’m sure some readers can identify with being a self-sabotager. It took me 32 years to get past this trait, but struggling with self-worth and those types of ideologies can make wanting better for yourself impossible. I figured out that I needed to work on my negative self-talk and change the way my brain thinks. Changing the way you think about yourself is a lot of challenging and exceedingly rewarding work.

Another challenge has been with the way in which Western culture deals with death and their dying. Most of the United States is very uncomfortable talking about death and are ill-prepared for their death!

WW2 was a catalyst for this change. That’s when mass embalming started, in an effort to get soldiers to their families in an “acceptable state”. We took the important after-care rituals out of the home and into a Mortuary. We try to make our dead look and feel as living as possible. Which denies loved ones the ability to really mourn the death and to be able to look at our own mortality. Looking at our own mortality shouldn’t be something that is “icky” or “dark” or “scary”, it should be a beautiful experience – and that’s what we want to help with!

We’ve been impressed with R.I.P. Creatively, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
R.I.P. Creatively specializes in creating custom caskets & urns at a competitive price, and in a sustainable way.

It is our mission to leave our Earth better than we found it, while allowing people to face their own mortality in a unique way.

Most traditional casket makers (not us) create their caskets in a factory, hundreds at a time, with no regard for their environmental impacts. These makers incentivize funeral homes to sell their impersonal caskets (often metal) at a 3-500% markup. We are littering our precious earth with these and they leach chemicals into our soil/groundwater. The funeral industry in the United States is estimated to be worth around $20 billion annually. Much of this is due to all the up-charging these major mortuaries & funeral homes do.

Unlike these large casket makers, we use sustainable forestry practices, locally sourced lumber, and minimal metal. Every casket is hand-made in the United States. Every casket purchased through us provides 10 days of work for local craftsmen and women! We will always keep our prices as competitive as humanly possible.

I have been lucky enough to partner with an amazing family-owned & operated casket builder out of Wisconsin called Northwest Casket Company.

The owner’s mission is to plant 10 million trees in his lifetime. When you purchase a casket through R.I.P. Creatively, 100 trees will be planted. 10 trees for every urn.

Not only that, but in an effort to combat climate change, R.I.P. Creatively will donate a portion of every sale to protecting our oceans.

We are dedicated to sharing about the death positive movement and providing unique end-of-life solutions to forward thinking Americans!

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is to JUST START! Get out of your head. Strive for progress and not perfection.

I would get stuck preoccupied with things that don’t actually matter, but when you’re in the process of creating something that’s important to you, you think they are monumental. You’ll learn more along the way and inevitably want to change something you spent hours/days obsessing over!

I’ve brought this lesson into all parts of my life. Trying to stay out of my own way and keep moving forward. Things always work out, even if it’s not how you imagined. Let go of your expectations and just be.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.RIPcreatively.com
• Instagram: @r.i.p.creatively
• Facebook: facebook.com/RIPcreatively
• Tiktok: @r.i.p.creatively

Image Credits
Julie Zahn