We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachel Johanningsmeier. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachel below.

Alright, Rachel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

I have worked in the food and beverage industry since I was 19 and continued even after graduating college. The flexibility and payout from these positions provided me with a decent wage while allowing me the time needed to develop my art and business during the day. Most people who have worked in this industry would agree that everyone should work in the restaurants at least once. There are many takeaways from this job, especially as a server or bartender. You learn how to communicate with people and build relationships, how to think on your feet, and how to work in a constantly evolving team. It can be grueling work. You are on your feet for long hours without break and when its busy you can become quickly overwhelmed with tasks while expected to maintain your composure. This teaches you the necessary grit to operate in a high stress environment. It is arguably the best experience you can have for any customer-service related position. It would also appear to be completely irrelevant to the arts, or at least that’s how I felt.

While the lessons in hospitality I’ve spoken on did have a large influence on my life, I failed to see how it would contribute to my career as an artist-besides helping me pay the bills. Until I was commissioned for my first public mural. This was largely due to the relationships I made at a locally owned bar where I bartended. Then, through the network of industry owners and workers, I was granted my next public art opportunity at yet another restaurant. It will lead again to another here in the near future. Shortly after I completed the first mural, I began hosting paint and sip classes at bars that I met through my part time work. Now, other local restaurants reach out to invite me into their space. And to add, many of the friends that have posed for me as models I have met through working together in this industry.
It is easy to track all of this retrospectively, but at the time each of these ventures popped up, I was blindly grasping at the chance to move forward with my art. I was completely unaware of how this would continue to unfold and sometimes I wonder how different my life as an artist would be if I had not worked in hospitality. So perhaps the most significant insight I gained from working in the industry is this; no matter what you are doing to make ends meet while you pursue your creative work, it will become an inseparable part of your journey. For those emerging artists that are still working part-time or maybe even full time jobs, I would encourage you to embrace its potential offerings and be resourceful. You may have more opportunity than you realize.

Rachel, 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?

I have been drawing since I was a kid but it wasn’t until I changed my major to studio art halfway through college that I began to create again, and it wasn’t until my final semester senior year that I adopted the title of “Artist”. During college, I was introduced to sculpture and in the last semester I had groundbreaking moments in my work when I started to focus on the anatomical form and scaled up my pieces to life-size. Some of my greatest work came out of this time of intensive sculpting, but it is only a fraction of what I do today.
Currently, my main work is expressed through fine art murals, acrylic paintings, and various mediums of sculpture. In addition to selling and commissioning original artwork, I create approachable fine art paintings that I teach to group classes at partnering venues around Raleigh, NC. Hosting these classes in the heart of the community, these venues consist of local bars and restaurants where people come together to share space, time, and drinks while learning to layer paint like a true artist.
When viewing my work, it’s important to know I use imagery of the nude figure to convey the raw and often hidden human conditions that we all experience. Self-perception, belonging, and suppression are just a few of the emotional topics my work encounters. I believe that we are not as different as we might think and that we can connect through art because it acknowledges these shared states. The days I meet someone who feels seen through my work are the days I feel purpose in my creations.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think it is difficult for people who are pursuing non-creative careers to understand the unconventional development of my career.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding feeling of creating is when someone feels understood by my work. Knowing that someone has connected with the story embedded in the work and thought that little “me too” is simply moving.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.racheljohanningsmeier.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Rachel_johanningsmeier
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/remarkablyhumanart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-johanningsmeier/