The Macrocosm began as a hands-on experiment rooted in sustainability, curiosity, and respect for living systems.

It started with repurposing unwanted plastic containers collected from friends, family, and my local community, and using them to create clay-based springtail cultures entirely from scratch. I dug, tumbled, and refined my own clay, becoming focused on building exceptionally dense, stable cultures designed for long-term function rather than disposable starter setups. What began as a niche hobby evolved into a skill centered on creating resilient, living systems.

Bioactive Systems & Observation

I’m deeply fascinated by bioactive environments — both how they function and how they look. Building lush terrariums and observing life at a macro scale, from springtails to microfauna, shapes everything I do. That same attention to detail carries into my artwork, where biology and aesthetics are inseparable.

Rescue & Stewardship

After graduating college in 2018, I began taking in unwanted reptiles and amphibians. Providing them with biologically appropriate, sustainable environments shaped my approach to bioactive systems and long-term care. Stewardship here isn’t theoretical — it’s practiced daily.

Environmental Efforts

Sustainability at The Macrocosm starts locally. I actively collect unwanted plastic containers from my community through local marketplaces and repurpose them whenever possible, keeping materials out of the waste stream and giving them a second life within bioactive systems. What currently operates as a grassroots effort is something I hope to develop into a formal community reuse program as The Macrocosm grows.

Animal Ambassadors

Many of the animals in my care live in thoughtfully maintained bioactive habitats and inspire much of my artwork, especially my frogs. They serve as living ambassadors for the values behind The Macrocosm: responsibility, respect, and care for life at every scale.

A Different Focus

In a world often centered on conflict and disposability, The Macrocosm focuses on creatures, ecosystems, and sentient life — and on using creative and practical tools to elevate how we care for them.

The Macrocosm is independently owned and operated by Marcia Chou. Every order is handled with care, intention, and transparency.