Artist AJ starts Sticks and Stonerz Shop during pandemic
Last March when the pandemic hit the economy, the artist AJ was not able to work her full-time job, so she adapted.
AJ turned to selling resin art and freelancing under the business name Sticks and Stonerz Shop, which sells hippie jewelry and cannabis legally encased in resin.
AJ has been working with epoxy resin a little more than three years and has always dabbled in various arts, including digital art, composing music, and woodburning.
Her connection to cannabis art, though, began when one day she stopped at a cannabis plant in her local area.
“Since it became legal to grow in Michigan, we have gotten all sorts of growers in the area,” AJ said. “I touched a leaf, and thought ‘I wonder what this would look like in resin, like how everyone does roses and other flowers?’ And thus began my journey! That night, I pressed some leaves, and within the next week, I had an Etsy shop with a handful of sales.”
Though not a cannabis user, per say, AJ believes the plant is great with a lot of medicinal and therapeutic properties yet to be explored.
“I’ve always been into homeopathic remedies and herbs such as valerian, mint, and mugwort,” Aj said. “The aim of my art is to celebrate plants, their beauty, and how much they contribute to our lives.”
As far as her artistic process, she admits it’s a little chaotic.
“If I see something I like at a store or a sale, I get it,” she said. “Oftentimes, I purchase things with absolutely no clue of what I’m going to do with it yet. For example, one time, I purchased a chess set. If it sits around long enough, and I look at it enough, something will eventually come to me. Last night, for example, I sanded down the Queen piece and put it inside an ashtray with a leaf and black and white swirls. I had seen an ad for Queen’s Gambit recently, and it inspired me to make a modern chess piece. Film, music and nature all serve as my inspiration.”
Aside from cannabis art, AJ also is a writer and musician.
She can be reached on Etsy, at @sticksandstonerzshop on Instagram, or by email at sticksandstonersshop@gmail.com.
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