Tapir preservation, upcycling, recycling, creative soltuions to save the planet.

Taking care of animals for a living and using her online Etsy shop to help contribute to a fund to save an endangered species, The Frog Bag sets a goo example for us all…and she makes very cool reimagined goodies to make our lives more colorful.

Cidtalk: Your cat toys are different from any I’ve seen. I really like the unique designs on each one. Do your cats have a preference? Have they ever snubbed a new design?

TheFrogBag: The cats seem to like most of my designs, as long as there is cat nip inside of sufficiently high quality, hehe! I think their favorite may be the key though – the rectangular shape is good for kitty paws to reach around and for kitties to bite at the same time!

Cidtalk: You use recycled elements in the things you sell. That requires a lot of saving items that other people throw away. Are you one among us who sees potential in everything so you are compelled to pack it away until you find a new purpose for it? (i.e. Do you consider yourself a packrat, in a good way?)

TheFrogBag: I am a bit of a pack rat, but mostly with small plastic bits that are hard to recycle. For instance, I have started beading the hard plastic cores of rolls of plastic bags. Normal plastic water bottles are easy to recycle, but what do you do with something like that? I’d rather bead it than have it end up in the ocean! Here’s a link to my new bead: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20177312.

Cidtalk: You clearly are an animal lover, and even donate a good portion of your Etsy sales to a fund to help save the endangered Tapir. Does this passion carry into your life? Are you Vegan? Are you active in other animal preservation or animal rights organizations?

TheFrogBag: Sadly, I have not been able to go vegan yet, although I do try from time to time. I am a life-long vegetarian though. I also have a zoology degree and have worked with animals for a long time. I’m currently a zoo keeper at the Playboy Mansion. Believe it or not a lot of their parrots are rescues! I have also worked as a wildlife vet tech and in behavioral research at the Los Angeles zoo. Unlike normal animal research in this case the goal was simply to watch the animals and not interfere, always asking the question “how do we improve things from the animal’s point of view?” The animals can’t tell us, so their behavior is our only clue.

Cidtalk: What is your studio or work area like, and are you a messy creative type, tidy, listen to music, silence, alone or with a crowd?

TheFrogBag: Currently, I just have a tiny corner that does become very messy! But we are moving and in the new place I will have a whole room to myself. I tend to be organized but it is hard in a small area. I love to listen to music while I work. My current favorite is The Decemberist.

Cidtalk: What is the future of The Frog Bag? Is this a long term project as it is, or will it turn into something bigger in the future?

TheFrogBag: I sure hope it is a long-term project! I hope to start advertising more in the future and grow the shop a little. It already eats most of my free time!

Cidtalk: If you want to give your opinion of my shop and work feel free, whether you like it, love it, or hate it.

TheFrogBag: Thanks so much for asking me about my shop! I am a little in awe of your artistic abilities – your shop is full of the type of line work I am utterly incapable of. Creating balanced dark and light that is pleasing to the eye out of simple lines is a real talent. In my experience, the smaller the number of lines on the page the harder it is to build a figure, hence the scribbly nature of so much of the work you see from new illustrators! Your work is nothing like that – clean lines tell a clear story! Amazing work!

I also sell through the tapir preservation fund: http://www.tapirback.com

Thanks again!

Corinna

Frog Bag online:

Etsy: http://www.thefrogbag.etsy.com

Graphic Novel: http://www.comicspace/heathencomics

Etsy Group: http://www.etsyforanimals.com