We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anastasia Sultzer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anastasia below.
Anastasia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on would be my ongoing pet portrait series. I used to own and operate a 501(c)3 animal rescue and would paint pet portraits for fundraisers. I did that for three years and got pretty fast. I’m currently taking a break from animal rescue to focus on tattooing and painting murals – but I’m still painting pet portraits!
I recently finished my largest mural yet for the city of Homestead’s Cybrarium – an interactive media library which includes Virtual Reality headsets and 3D printing. The murals are a two story series indoor I did with Before It’s Too Late. They include an educational Augmented Reality experience. Upstairs is all about space exploration and terraforming, while downstairs is all about the Everglades and endangered/invasive species.
Anastasia, 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?
I’ve been an artist my whole life – I’ve been drawing and exploring creativity since a young age. I’ve been in and out of the tattoo industry for almost 15 years between apprenticing, being a front desk girl, and managing shops – now tattooing full time.
I love custom artwork – where a client comes to me with an idea and I help them bring it to life.
I’d say my specialty falls on a spectrum from realism, cartoons, to pop art. I can do anything well if I’m given creative freedom. If I’m going to be trapped in a box, we’re probably not fit to work together.
I’m really passionate about our animal companions, that’s clearly reflected in my pet portraits.
Something I’m diving into more is psychedelic art. I’m a big advocate for plant medicine and it’s helped me heal and overcome many challenges. I’m coming to a point in my life where I want to paint and illustrate my experiences and vivid dreams – and I want to extend those experiences and messages to my audience.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I have an extremely vivid imagination and even more vivid dreams. It is my goal to create the time to paint my dreams. They are so vivid and profound, I often wake up psychologically changed and affected – in a good way.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I think a common misconception is that I’m doing “fine” out here. People don’t know how close I’ve been to homelessness, having my lights turned off, and losing everything for the sake of chasing my goals and dreams.
The amount of suffering I’ve gone through working endless hours for people who I thought had my back in return, only to be pushed away and mocked.
I’ve been laughed at, ridiculed, told I’m crazy or stupid… I’ve been told my art is terrible, and that I’ll never make it as an artist.
My advice is to listen to YOURSELF. You live once and life is short. Take everyone’s words with a grain of salt, even mine. You are your own best and worst judge. It’s important to understand yourself and know when something isn’t good for you so you don’t waste your precious time. It’s also important to know when something is good and working for you – keep at it!! 
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