Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Carlyle Allen

Hi Rebecca, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

As a full-time artist, I’ve known since I first was able to hold a crayon in my hand that I always wanted to be creating. And that feeling has never left, so I suppose that’s where my journey started. Because of that, when the time came to pick a career the only thing that mattered to me was finding a job where I could put my creative mind to work.

I considered many creative careers in my youth but ultimately my decision to pursue Graphic Design in college has opened up many skills and experiences for me to have allowed me to build the creative career of my childhood dreams. My Grandpa Ray was an entrepreneur as well and that also inspired me. I always liked the idea of running my own creative business and seeing successful examples of it in my life encouraged me.

I’ve always felt very lucky that I had such a clear dream early on in my life. It’s certainly intimidating and risky to pursue a career in the creative arts industry but the truth is I just never saw myself doing anything else.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road and I doubt it’s smooth for any creative entrepreneur. The road to success is often paved with calculated risks and extreme vulnerability both from a personal and financial perspective. Quite often those risks don’t work out. In fact I expect most of my risks to fail. But I think the important thing to remember is that success is a numbers game. The more things you try and the more opportunities you work towards, the more you swing the odds in your favour. But you just have to remember you only need one risk to succeed to move ahead. One person to say yes. One door to open. And from there you can start to build momentum which makes overcoming future obstacles just a wee bit easier.

It’s important to make sure we learn from our challenges and obstacles along the way too. Reflecting on what went wrong and what you can do differently the next time will increase your chances of success. Knowing what your strengths are and how you can use them to your advantage will help. It’s a competitive market out there and owning your strengths is the best way to give yourself an edge.

I’ve learned that there will always be obstacles and challenges and it’s how you deal with those that will define your life. On a personal level when I started my business, I didn’t expect that in less the a few years my husband would be dealing with an unexpected illness. And that while supporting him with doctors visits and care, I would also become the main breadwinner in my mid-thirties. The economy has gotten difficult. Ai art is on the rise and the future feels very uncertain. It’s been a lot of pressure. And it’s hard to not feel afraid or anxious.

But reminding myself that whatever happens in this unpredictable life – that I am a creative problem solver and I trust in my abilities to get me through whatever comes my way. That mindset, plus allowing myself to be encouraged by my wonderful support system (which every creative entrepreneur needs), has gotten me through the bumpy times.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I’m a self-employed Graphic Designer and Illustrator and have been working professionally for 15 years. I worked for a few in-house marketing teams starting out and decided to go solo about 6 years ago. I had always considered one day having my own business and the timing felt right after getting some experience under my belt. I felt ready for the challenge.

One of the biggest bonuses about being a self-employed was having more freedom in my life to live and to be able to pick and choose my projects to work on. It’s something I’m very proud of being able to do in my career. So I really do my best to make sure the work I’m doing is fulfilling and fun. I love my clients and enjoy collaborating with them. I think my bubbly nature, enthusiasm and passion shines through in the work I do and the way I interact with my clients. I’ve also been able to develop a recognizable illustration style and it’s nice to be able to offer that as a complement to my design work. My speciality is creating vibrant colourful designs with lots of character and energy.

I’ve gotten to work with some exciting brands over the year that I’m really proud to have worked on as an indpeedent freelancer. I’ve gotten the chance to self publish illustrated childrens books in collaboration with 2 emerging Canadian Authors who discovered me on Instagram. One of my favourite projects came this year when I was comissioned by a local anti-violence organization to come up with a symbolic illustration for their storefront to riase money for their women’s shelter. It’s a cause near and dear to my heart and I’m so proud of how it came together.

Being able to connect and collaborate with wonderful clients across the country has been a true joy and getting to share my whimsical illustrations in print, with friends and family is something I will never grow tire of. Ultimately, I want my work to feel fun and I want others to feel that energy and excitement when they work with me. That when they hire me as an artist – they’re getting not just the heart and soul that I put into my artwork and designs but my passion and personality too. There’s nothing I love more then bringing to life the dreams of others.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?

I’ve always described myself as a dreamer and it’s been like that my whole life. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been drawing since I could first hold a crayon which was about 2 years old. I spent hours doodling. I’ve always been a bit of a quirky homebody with a vivid imagination. I could get lost in my own daydreams for hours. I made up a lot of stories and characters in my youth.

Despite having a loud and outgoing personality, I’m actually a huge introvert which many people find confusing. Don’t get me wrong I love connecting with others and I even enjoy public speaking and being in a crowd. But my favourite way to relax at the end of the day is with a good book or a sketch pad. My hobbies include either enjoying someone else’s story and crafting my own. Every artist needs their fortress of solitude to run away to and day dream, creat eand explore without fear or judgement.

I’ve also always been quite independent which I suppose suits me well as a freelancer. My mom told me my favourite phrase as a child was “me do”. I always wanted to try new things and see how they would work out even if it means taking a risk. I have a lot of dreams and while I’ve been lucky to achieve many of them I still have so many new dreams to explore. The road hasn’t been easy, pursuing the dreams have always been worth it. I always knew even as a child that becoming an artist would not be easy but I swore to always give it my best effort and that’s something that hasn’t changed. I’ve changed alot since I was a child but my dreams and passion are still a huge part of me. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to stay true to who I am and the dreams I had a small girl. I think that little kid inside me, would be proud of me and that gives me alot of confidence that I’m on the right path.

Pricing:

• Pricing available on request

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tigerlilygraphics.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tigerlilygraphics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TigerlilyGraphics

Image Credits

On the Busy Old Ranch – Written by Katelyn Toney, Illustrated by Rebecca Allen
Toucan Illustration – except from upcoming ABC book written by Rosanna Elves
Portrait – photography by Rebecca Nash
Long Story Short – Illustration commisionned by Embrave
All other artwork are original creations by Rebecca Allen