We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Astin Stratoti a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Astin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the recurring collections I bring to the Sunny Fox Apothecary is my “Maker’s Mashup” series. The product I am most known for is probably my “Stained Glass Halo Hat” – a wide-brim hat that I put acrylic panels and wooden frames into to give it the illusion of stained glass. They went viral over the internet starting in May of this year and the ride hasn’t slowed down since.

With this success, I wanted to bring my fellow small business artists with me in any way I could. I am a strong believer in “rising tides raise all boats” – but how could I accomplish that? I started to reach out to fellow makers and worked on brainstorming with them to see how we could create a Halo Hat that would be an intersection of our talents. I’ve worked with Illustrators, Printmakers, Costumers, Cosplayers, Beadwork Artists, Resin Artists and more! I built a collection of 9 Unique hats for a release in August 2023 that sold out in 2 minutes! Our next collection includes 13 artists and comes out December 10th of this year!

Making Halo Hats has offered me a chance to get so many people’s eyes on my business and send my art all over the world. With the Maker’s Mashup series, not only was I able to offer that same exposure and social media growth to my fellow artists, but we got to make some really amazing things together!

Astin, 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?

Hi there! My name is Astin Stratoti, pronouns They/Them, and I am an artist based on the East Coast of America. My work primarily focuses on the intersection of magic, myth, and mischief – trying to bring the fantastical into your everyday adventures!

I’ve been drawn to the strange and unusual throughout my whole life. I started to carry around a clipboard and pads of paper to draw on from a very young age and always had some sort of new medium I was learning. I loved fiction and fairytales and carried that love through refining my practice and growing into my art.

I studied at Montserrat College of Art – initially focusing my efforts on Puppetry and Creative Writing. After college, I worked at various theater companies building sets and costumes – but none of it felt like it would be fulfilling for me. I started the Sunny Fox Apothecary unofficially in 2019, sculpting monster and creature-themed boxes and pieces of home decor, and that brought so much joy back into my life. I officially launched the Sunny Fox Apothecary as my full-time job in February of 2022 and it changed EVERYTHING!

Since then I set up my online store and started to vend at local events, Comicons and Renaissance Festivals. The Apothecary has grown so much more beyond its monstrous origins. I now make illustrated acrylic jewelry and incredibly unique apparel. I think that people recognize my work through the unique was that I utilize common crafting materials. A wooden box and some clay becomes a magical pet – some silver acrylic and chain becomes wearable armor – engraved wood, colorful acrylic, and a wool hat becomes a magical shining Stained Glass Hat.

I call my followers my Adventurers because that is what we all are through our lives. We are each on our own quests, grandiose or otherwise. Each one of my pieces comes with its own story and lore so that my patrons feel connected to a larger tale.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My journey and relationship with Social Media has been very interesting! I started having a social media presence on Tumblr in the early 2010s when my friends and I would dress up in cosplay and take photos together. I started to learn about what builds a sense of community in your followers, and helps them get to know you and your work!

My current following on Social Media came about unexpectedly in May when I released my Stained Glass Halo Hats which almost immediately went viral. Early on, my work was also scouted to be part of AEW wrestler Julia Hart’s outfits. Since then, the world has watched one of my hats walk into a wrestling ring on International TV almost every week. When I posted videos about that incredible opportunity – the cheers came POURING in! When I am out in the world vending at events, people recognize me and mention how proud of me they are – how excited they are for my shop to grow. It gets me so emotional every time.

Building a connection with your audience is the first foundational step to social media growth. Word of mouth and people reposting your work is your biggest ally. I am constantly creating spaces on my posts and in my stories to hear from my audience and patrons. When I am vending my wares in person, I make sure I take the time to have conversations with people, ask their names, and get to know them in the couple of moments that we have together.

My BIGGEST piece of advice for those who are just starting out: Don’t let the numbers get you down. Having a large following or a viral video does NOT equate to financial success. As creatives, it can be so easy to tie your worth as an artist into the world of social media. I have fallen into so many ruts because I let a low view or comment count get to me. Creating and sharing your art should be done in a way that doesn’t just feed the algorithm and your feed – it should also feed your passions. Participate in the fun audios and trends, don’t stress about putting out some lower effort content, and don’t be afraid of letting your personality shine through!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative is the lives and stories me and my work get to be a part of! I love watching my pieces travel all over the world and I get beautiful photos of their adventures in return. Many times when I am vending I will have a returning customer tell me about how the earrings they got from me last year got them so many compliments, or they wore one of my Halo Hats to a festival and my work got recognized. It’s a very surreal concept that something that came from my hands is now part of someone else’s life.

I am so fortunate that my art can support me full-time. I can follow my passions and discover new mediums whenever I want to. I heard an audio on Tiktok a couple of weeks ago that talked about how as a creative person, the worst thing you can do is deny yourself the urge to create. When I was denying myself those passions while having to work unfulfilling full-time jobs, it did such a number on my mental health. Listening to that creative voice inside you keeps you connected to yourself and inspired by the world around you

Contact Info:

• Website: www.SunnyFoxApothecary.com
• Instagram: SunnyFoxApothecary
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunnyFoxApothecary
• Twitter: SunnyFoxApoth
• Other: tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@Sunny.Fox.apothecary?fbclid=IwAR3b7ogs3bclGpPJgdxvpgBb9PbW5Kexj75jD2Weh-fafoeiEIxu6OsDVOM

Image Credits
Julia Hart – Black Hat – Credits: Speedy.Photo Tent Picture, surrounded by hats – Credits: Olivia Rose Photo