Bunny Butt was originally my personal pet project and, as such, really has nothing to do with my “real life” which consists mostly of working towards a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and teaching yoga. I first conceived of Bunny Butt Apothecary as a line of bath and body products with a principal focus on natural ingredients (not a bad bandwagon to be jumping on, in my opinion), but the twist that soon emerged was a judicious selection of certain synthetics, which allowed me to expand my creative palette without sacrificing quality and integrity. My fiance, Scott, has been becoming increasingly involved over the past year as my workload has increased and his need to escape from the mind-numbing effects of teaching high-school physics made soapmaking seem like a downright spiffy past time. Above all, Bunny Butt celebrates the ability not to take anything (including yourself!) too seriously.
What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? People are always surprised to hear that I started my business as a direct result working on my undergraduate honors thesis. There’s only so much time a human being can spend reading literary criticism on Victorian literature, it’s as simple as that. Since then, working with my hands has kept me sane through many a research paper. Not only is crafting super rewarding in and of itself, but it comes with the added bonus of a community full of awesome people! So, yes, both my fiance and I still have “day jobs” in so much as what we do really constitutes a day job (I’m talking mostly about myself here, since I basically read ancient Sanskrit texts and instruct people to flail their limbs for a living), but the wonderful thing about owning your own little company is that it can take up exactly as much time as you need it to.
What do you like best, coming up with ideas or executing them? I live in abstract theory, so it shouldn’t be all that surprising that I love figuring out every single facet of a new product before any ingredients even touch a mixing bowl. Generally, a soap will have a name way before the first test batch is on the way…in fact, it might have a name before I’ve even figured out what the ingredients will be!
What’s the best advice you have been given about your business or craft practices? A while ago, someone told me to know my limits. In my opinion, crafting is only worth it as long as you’re genuinely enjoying what you’re doing, which always shows in what you’re putting out there.
Anything else you would like to tell us about your business? Hmmm…well, neat fact: We recently teamed up with the House Rabbit Society to market a “Bunny Club” soap, the proceeds from which go to benefit the HRS in their efforts to educate rabbit owners about proper care and give homes and medical care to bunnies in need. Wash a limb, save a bunny ;)