We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Reese Rand a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Reese, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

As the child of two creative parents, I’ve been drawing since I could first hold a pencil. From making a self-insert “Harry Potter” comic series from the ages of roughly 6 to 10 (that included inserts of friends and even collaborative comics!), to creating fanart and posting it online since I was 12, my creativity is something I’ve always wanted to share with others. It didn’t realistically seem like a career choice until, during high school, I was assigned a project for a creative writing class where I had to do a presentation on a person and their successful career. At the time, I was really enjoying watching small-studio animated shorts on YouTube, such as the highly successful “Bee and Puppycat”, so I decided to base my project around the show’s creator Natasha Allegri. During my research, I realized that Natasha and I had very similar backgrounds – growing up reading manga and comics, watching anime, and having an affinity for visual art. Realizing that someone like me could make a living out of their life-long passion blew my mind. Afterwards, I decided to dedicate myself towards an arts education. So I took AP Art and almost every art class my high school offered, did a summer pre-college program, and graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute with a BFA in Animation. And while my focus has diverged from my major, I’m still extremely grateful I had the opportunity, resources, and support to be able to pursue a visual arts career.

Reese, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi there! I’m Reese, and I’m a product designer and small business owner born and raised in the Midwest. Since I was a kid I’ve always loved to draw, and it’s been a consistent presence in all the twists and turns life brings. I started experimenting with posting art online in the late 2000s, and by the time I was a teenager ended up having a decent following of people who enjoyed my fanart. I noticed peers making physical products out of their art – charms, buttons, stickers, and the like – so I decided to try as well (and failed miserably until I got the hang of it). But my audience didn’t really explode until I decided to try my hand at designing plushes of my favorite characters and sending those designs to a manufacturer to bring to life. Since then, I feel like I’m most well-known for my plushes, but I also design apparel, accessories, and small knick-knacks. This work has also introduced me to clients looking to have plushes and other design work done for them, from local businesses to online shops like my own.
As an autistic person, I’m extremely grateful to have a career that is flexible with my needs and allows me to work at my own pace. I’m extremely passionate about the work I do, and try to meet the needs of my customers and clients while also staying true to myself!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Support local creatives! Unless you’ve been establishing a following for years, it’s really hard to get yourself out there and make a career out of your work. The best way for people to see your creations is to face it in person – either at markets, conventions, or in local businesses through displays or pop-ups. And the best way to have access to these is by making connections in your community – supporting small businesses, participating in local events, and buying work made my fellow creatives. People need people!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of my work is that I can share it with others. I’ve had people come up to me at events excited to see my work in person because they saw it online, and others mention that they saw someone wearing something I designed. Most recently, I had a friend of mine volunteer at a queer youth chorus event who had a sticker of mine on his water bottle – and a teen there recognized it and showed him one of my stickers on theirs! I love that my work can generate these positive interactions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kayochins.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayochiins/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kayochins

Image Credits

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