Hey Everyone, Today I wanted to let you know about a very talented young artist, AmaSepiaChan. She just recently opened her etsy shop, Foxes and Things. I’m obsessed with the fox trend, and I love her art. Today I’m doing an interview with her, please take a moment to get to know her and stop by her shop.
Tell us a little about yourself, Where are you from?
I was born in North Hampton, Massachusetts in 1999. but I moved to Connecticut when I was about 3. I lived there until I was 4, and moved to Japan after my Dad got an expat deal there.We lived in CT for two years one year before leaving for Japan and one year after returning to US. Going to Japan was a life changing experience, even at 4 years old. I enjoyed seeing the temples and shrines and learning about the culture of the Japan. Attending International schools helped me meet people from around the world. When I came back to America and started first grade, I had to deal with constant bullying. I was very influenced by Japanese culture, which made it extremely difficult to find my footing, even though I was American. Degrading language was dieted at me throughout elementary school and most teachers were unsupportive. There were just a couple teachers who tried to understand me. The difficulties continued, even when I moved to NH at 8 years old. It was very hard to keep friendships and most eventually drifted away. No matter what I did or what my parents did, the bullying wasn’t solved. I started doing art at 7 years old, and I increasingly created art because of the stress from school. When I was in 7th grade, things came to a head. I tried to create an anti-bullying program about expressing yourself, and fighting against discrimination. Sadly, it failed, causing teachers and kids to treat me like an outcast. I left the school after falling ill. I was diagnosed with an unknown auto-immune caused by stress and anxiety, which were directly linked to the constant bullying in my life. While going through treatment for about 2 years, I did tons of art and showcased my art in solo shows in town libraries and businesses in my area. The shows and support gained from doing them helped my self-esteem and self-confidence to return. During that time I also created original characters and an idea for a fantasy book called “Whimsy”. Creating the protagonist for the book contributed to my healing and helped me find a way to manage my anxiety and stress. Around August of 2014, the auto-immune disappeared, but I still have a sickness that involves low hormones, specifically the adrenaline hormone, cortisol. Soon after this diagnosis,after admiring the hand-crafters on Etsy for years, I had an idea for an Etsy store called Foxes and Things. I created prototypes for the shop based on my love of foxes and Japanese fox mythology. It finally opened March 2015. It was a dream of mine since I was 8 to create a business based on my hobby and artwork created from it. I was so happy that etsy was able to let me do that. My main goal is go to school for Sequential arts or Graphic Arts and to eventually publish “Whimsy”. The work I do for my Foxes And Things Etsy store is preparing me for the the things I need to do to publish and promote a novel in the future.
What do you sell in your Etsy shop?
Right now I sell mostly fox prints, watercolor paintings, and acrylic paintings. Experimental products such as clay fox figurines, fox paperweights, and handmade fox postcards have been on the shop, but they weren’t as successful with views or favorites as the paintings and prints were. I try to add products as much as I can. The experimental products help me understand what my target audience wants (teens and young adults). Some foxes I sell are based on Japanese folklore, where foxes are seen as guardians, as followers of a rice/fox God named Inari, and wielders of fox magic. Some characters in my shop are from my fantasy book. Each character has a short backstory or description of their personality in the shop. My inventory is still evolving since I constantly have many new ideas. I am learning a lot about how to manage a store, marketing, promotion, how social media works and more. I plan to take high school courses about marketing and entrepreneurship to help me understand more about having a small business.
What do you make? What is your favorite art medium?
I am constantly thinking of and creating new projects for my Etsy shop, Foxes And Things. Right now I’m working on a graphic novel version of my novel, “Whimsy”, which is made with black ink, red ink, and watercolor markers. I love creating graphic art designs with my own characters, and some fan art from my favorite anime, manga and video game characters. My favorite art mediums are ink and watercolor. Most of my art is made with those two mediums, but I love to experiment with card stock, acrylic paint, decorative materials, clay, and much more.I am devastated when I run out of watercolor paper or ink!

What was one of your first projects? Or Favorite projects?
I created my first product around 7 years old. I was doing a lot of clay sculptures with polymer clay, and I told my Mom I wanted to create a lizard wedding with first animals in attendance (see picture below). She helped me create a foam walkway and alter. Multiple clay animals were put on the walkway, and two lizard were at the alter. It was decorated with fake flowers. After that, I started making different clay projects, and began to paint. I remember being inspired to create more art by a sunflower field, which had a beautiful rainbow suspended above it. I saw this beautiful sight on my way home from school in the back seat of my parent’s car. It was the first time my mom described what an an artistic muse was. My art started to change soon after that experience.

‘Lizard Wedding’ created at age 7 my first craft idea and project.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find the most inspiration through Japanese mythology. Japanese mythology helps me create ideas for my book, my characters, and experimental projects. The beauty of the folklore and the backstory of their mythological creatures are extremely inspiring.
I look at the work of other graphic artists to become more inspired, especially when I have artist block. Observing their art and heir techniques motivates and helps me create new ideas.
I also love looking at photographs and paintings of landscapes from around the world. Their beauty inspires me to create interpretations of those landscapes for the creatures I create.
What causes do you donate your work to?
Donating to help others in need is very important to me. I have donated my art to raise money for Tsunami victims in the 2011 tsunami, to help a young girl get a lung transplant, to help raise money for the arts school I attend, to help the homeless, elderly and children of single parent families and much more. My most recent this year donation was to Rise Again OutReach, a local organization whose mission is to “share God’s love with people who are in crisis or poverty by helping with their temporal and spiritual needs.” I also volunteer my time, as a guest writer each month since September 2014, for iamthatgirl.com. They are a “community, a support system, and a movement inspiring girls to love, express, and be who they are.” I design a piece of art for each monthly article. The articles also count towards my high school community service requirement. I will donate 5% from all product sales on Foxes And Things to The Humane Society.
Do you have any advice for girls who want to take up art?
Don’t let others discourage you because of your goals to become an artist. Try to find your own unique style, and develop it by finding what inspires you the most. Find people who will help you become a well-rounded artist, and find friends who support you. Be open to constructive criticism, because that’s how your art will improve. Never give up, even if your environment tells you becoming an artist will never work.
Where can we find out more about you/your work? You can find my art folio, Etsy store, links to Press etc at https://artavita.com/artists/8158-amaranthia-sepia-gittens-jones
My website: optimismrocks.wordpress.com
Leave a Reply