Meet Anastasia Ostrom-Weitz | Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anastasia Ostrom-Weitz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anastasia, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Growing up, I always felt drawn to the arts, but I never found anything that I felt suited me. Rather, I found that I was unable to stay significantly engaged in any one thing long enough to really grasp it in full. I’ve dabbled in theatre, painting, guitar, pottery, writing, dance, and more, but while each served their purpose, none ever felt fulfilling enough long term. I don’t know why this of all things stuck, but it has, and I am eternally grateful.
At the end of the day, I really just don’t feel that the typical 9-to-5 is suited to someone like me. I am neurodivergent and I function much better when I wake up later and work into the evenings and early hours of the morning. Sleeping in has never made me lazy, it’s just how I function- but a good portion of folks won’t accept that. Anything outside of the norm is a character flaw to them. But, if you know, you know! I’ve also dealt with chronic pain my entire life, so having a source of income that doesn’t require me to be on my feet all day long has been absolutely critical. About a year into this business, I learned that a lot of my day to day experiences revolved around symptoms of chronic illness. This is something I am still looking into, as we have deduced that it is most likely an autoimmune issue, but that’s about where my knowledge rests as of right now. Being able to completely adjust my working hours depending on the amount of rest I require or the amount of pain-free mobility I have on any given day has been more comfort than anything else, truly.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
While working on my Bachelors, I started selling items from my personal closet in order to keep up with the cost of living. I found that I actually really enjoyed keeping track of inventory and listing items.
From there, I discovered perler beads, another short lived interest, and I made myself a cute little design for a convention I was attending. I attached this design to a choker I already owned. It dawned on me that there was nothing stopping me from doing exactly that with more designs. However, I knew I would either need to do it properly, or not do it at all. I wasn’t about to start buying premade collars online to attach charms to. I needed to learn how to make them from scratch or the effort wasn’t worth it at all.
From there, I decided that the same four colors of metal spikes that everyone else always offers just weren’t doing it for me, and I learned how to make my own spikes using epoxy resin, liquid silicone, and metal blanks. That’s really what made everything else take off. I already had the resin and the silicone and the PPE, so I figured I may as well see what else I can make with resin. That progressed into charms for chokers, earrings, keychains, pins, and more. From there, I decided that a CO2 laser would be a good investment because I already really enjoyed making earrings, and now that’s an essential core of my entire venture.
My work feels a lot like I’m honoring my inner child every single day of my life. I’m creating things that I love, and that she would have loved at age 16, age 12, age 8, onwards. There’s a unique sense of peace in that. I wasn’t always sure I’d still exist by this point in my life- every single day is a day that I was never expecting to be present for, and if I spend all of those days and more making weird jewelry, I will have done well by myself and all the versions of myself that have existed along the way. I am a queer woman, I am neurodivergent, I am chronically ill, and I am a small business owner. Who would have guessed? (12 year old me would be both stoked and mortified about that whole lineup)

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would for sure be going to a drag show. The local drag community in Albuquerque rivals that of much larger cities. There is so much raw talent here. Spaces like The Social Club have been wonderful to me, and their artistry inspires me to improve my own constantly. I try to catch concerts at Sunshine, El Rey, and the Launchpad as often as I can, so odds are we’d end up at one of the three. We’re absolutely getting xiao long bao from Budai, sushi from Sushi Hana, and boba & macarons from Sweet Cup. Then, we’re moseying on over to Old Barrel Tea Company to pick up some loose tea (and I’ll probably restock on Pumpkin Pie Chai for the millionth time). To wrap up a perfect week, we’re catching a show at Dry Heat Comedy Club. The space is beautiful and the owners are the sweetest duo.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband loves me unconditionally, even when that means there is glitter on every surface and half finished crafts in places they most certainly do not belong. My grandparents and my parents always supported my weird art from an early age. My high school Sculptures teacher was also a strong influence on my creative venture towards the start of my adult years- I think he would be so proud of what I’ve done since then. Who knows where I’d be without that support? (Probably nowhere interesting).

Website: https://ratqueenlabs.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ratqueenlabs/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ratqueenbeauty/

Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RatQueenLabs/

Image Credits
n/a