We were lucky to catch up with Tiffany Tatsumi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tiffany, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I sort of fell into the art of glass engraving, which has since become a regular activity of mine. In 2021, I purchased an off-brand Dremel online to drill a few small holes for a home project. Prior to this, I had never used any sort of electric drill – and then all of a sudden I found myself the owner of this very specific tool that I had no immediate plans to use again. I was surprised at how powerful (and loud) it was. I decided that I would figure out other uses for my rotary tool so that my purchase wouldn’t go to waste and, honestly, so that I could become a little less afraid of it.

I’m not sure where the idea of engraving came from; I can’t even recall what my first project was. I just knew that I felt compelled to use the one diamond drill bit that came in my starter set for SOMETHING.

That time was about a year from when I adopted my first cat, Mr. Tomatoes – a gross stray that my best friend fostered and nursed back to health – a cat that I could call my own. I had grown up with cats and would always collect the whiskers that they would shed around the house. Always a fun little surprise to find one, and always special. I would keep them in one of those tall and skinny sugar packets I had saved from a diner, emptied out and the perfect size to hold a dozen perfect pieces of them. After they were dead and gone I’d pull them out when I missed them a little extra. I knew I didn’t want to mix Mr. Tomatoes’ whiskers with theirs. MY first cat! I went searching for just the right vessel. What I ended up finding was a corked glass tube that was the right length. Not too big, not too small. Just what I needed, except that I couldn’t get just one; my only option was to buy them in bulk. I hit purchase and decided I’d figure out what to do with the rest of the jars later.

I found myself the owner of a few dozen glass jars AND a very specific power tool. In the meantime, I had also picked up calligraphy as a hobby – why not combine all three? After shattering a few jars in my bare hands, bones vibrating, I successfully engraved my first jar with Mr. Tomatoes’ name. What I didn’t know was how important this jar would turn out to be.

I still had a stockpile of jars and what I thought was a fun idea. At least ONE other person in the world would certainly be interested in a special whisker jar of their own. I made a listing for custom hand-engraved whisker jars and posted it on my Etsy. Three years later and with over 500 jars sold, I can say that I was certainly right!

While I do have a variety of engravables in my shop, whisker jars are not only my best seller, but my most meaningful project to date. Through my work I’ve had the privilege of learning about my clients’ unique relationships with their pets. Their love, joy, and grief, not so dissimilar to my own. I’ve had repeat customers (“we got a new cat!”) and once I made a woman in France cry. I feel so lucky and grateful that I get to make a difference in complete strangers’ lives through my art.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Tiffany Tatsumi, and I’m the owner and maker at Tatsu Mini Mart. In my online shop, I sell whatever I feel like making and sharing with the world. Lately that’s been a lot of custom engraved items, which include jars, pill boxes, and, my favorite, pet portrait glassware. I also sell functional macrame like produce storage and wine totes, earrings, and digital art – some custom and some other fun stuff available for instant download. I also have plans to expand my jewelry offerings; I’m an amateur metalsmith and will be creating one-of-a-kind pieces with gemstones that I collect on my travels. I love exploring my creative side through my shop, trying any and every hobby on for size and running with the ones that stick.

I began Tatsu Mini Mart in 2020, newly having found myself with more free time than I knew what to do with after COVID took my work commute and travel away. I was at home, surrounded by the office plants that I “rescued” (read: “brought to hospice…”), and without a single hobby. My business grew out of my desire to figure out what hobbies I could pick up, combined with a desperation to keep busy and stay productive. Since, it’s become a way for me to have an “excuse” to be creative and have fun wearing all the hats that one does while running a small business.

Growing up, I always wanted to be an artist. Late nights up drawing in my room experimenting with art supplies I stole from school. 2 a.m. always felt like the best time to work, when my world was the quietest. By the time high school rolled around, I replaced art with homework, sports, and club activities. In college, traded those in for day classes, night classes, and multiple jobs to pay for the privilege to do even MORE homework. There was no time for art; I had to prepare for some undefined career I had been working so hard toward, even though along the way I lost all direction as to where I was headed. I hadn’t taken a single art class during these 8 years except for my very last term at university. It was a January term gen ed drawing class that I took to fulfill the art credit I needed to graduate. My first time buying my own supplies and an obligation to make art else I ruin my perfect GPA and have to stay and pay and commute for another semester in a car almost as old as I was and leaking oil. I soon realized and all too late that the biggest mistake of my academic career was so vehemently avoiding art in favor of resume builders. All those opportunities, gone. Graduation, done. The start of a decade of repayment on my student loans, looming.

I’m grateful every day for the opportunity to make art. To use my hands for something more meaningful than writing emails and creating overly complicated spreadsheets that rely too much on the VLOOKUP function. The world had to stop for me to sit and think about what I REALLY wanted to spend my time doing. I take classes and sign up for workshops and give myself all of the creative experiences I wish I allowed myself during those art-less years. When I travel, I make it a priority to meet other creatives and share in their craft, and have made some really cool connections all around the world. And while the trappings of my day job have since returned, I still make space for Tatsu Mini Mart to hold myself accountable for making art.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Support the arts – appreciate it, participate in it, and most importantly, acknowledge its worth.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Bizarre. Silly. Still don’t really understand them. (I wish I thought of the idea first.)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tatsuminimart.com
• Instagram: @tatsuminimart