Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Mansfield. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rachel, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

As a singer/songwriter I’ve definitely done things differently than the industry norm. For starters, I live in a small, rural town and I didn’t get my start in the industry until I was in my 30s. I’m a wife and mother, and run a digital marketing business. I’m pretty much the definition of everything people like me are made to believe isn’t marketable in the music industry – ha! What made the difference for me was that I was lucky enough to find HRDRV (pronounced “hard drive”), a community of independent artists who were just like me, and doing things differently than what’s always been the status quo in the industry. After everything went virtual during COVID, I joined HRDRV and I was able to connect with artists and producers virtually and learn how to record music from home. Because of this I was able to release my own music for the first time, write for other artists, and even have my songs placed in television shows and commercials – all from my house is rural South Georgia. It’s been a dream come true, and truly satisfying to have beaten so many odds.

Rachel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As co-owner of Brocksfield Design Company I’m Rachel Mansfield, but as a recording artist and songwriter I’m known as Rachel.

I got into both industries because of my love for storytelling, I co-own a digital marketing business where my business partner, Timothy Brock, and I help clients achieve their marketing goals through web design and digital advertising. We get to know our clients and their businesses deeply so that we can help them connect with their audiences. As a songwriter and recording artist I help other artists express their emotions and experiences through their art, and do the same for myself. I also write songs for brands, television, and movies that communicate a certain feeling to the audience. Both of these fields seem so different, but they actually both require me to be able to put myself in someone else’s shoes and communicate the right message to the right audience.

I feel like what sets me apart is just that; my ability to tell stories.

In our business, I’m most proud of the fact that we’ve been able to develop systems and processes that have brought us significant growth each year that we’ve been in business. Because we are constantly reevaluating the way we do things and whether or not we’re evolving with the the ever-changing digital landscape, we’re able to consistently achieve results for our clients and help them grow their businesses while we grow as well. In music, I’m most proud of beating the odds and finding success as someone who stands so far outside of what the industry expects of female musicians. I’m just a regular girl from a middle-class family; no industry experience, I don’t look like a model, I’m a mom in my 3os, and I live in a small town. It doesn’t make any sense that I’m here. but here I am and I don’t plan on going anywhere.

I want people (especially women and femmes) to know that you don’t have to be just one thing, and you don’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations but your own. If you have a dream in your heart, lean into it and trust that you’ll find your way there no matter what you see around you, or what anyone else says or thinks. I want people to know that you absolutely can have it all, and you are the one who defines what success looks like for you.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was this idea that I had to be one thing in life. I’m not even sure that anyone taught me that really, but the message came through nonetheless. I’ve always had many interests and paths I wanted to follow but, at the same time, I felt like if I specialized in one thing I’d be shutting myself out of everything else I wanted to do, and that unfortunately kept me stagnant for a long time. Eventually because of the pressure I felt to pick a discipline and find a career, I went to nursing school. I finished school and worked as a nurse for a few years, but quickly realized the field wasn’t for me. I’m thankful for those years though, because they taught me so much about myself and also lead to a job that helped me find my independence while I was still figuring things out. Once I left that field I began to embrace my desire to be multifaceted and discovered my marketing abilities. Everything changed for me at that point and I was able to build a fulfilling marketing career for myself while also pursuing my musical dreams. In the end, trusting myself and learning that it was okay to be more than one thing made all the difference.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The decision to change careers from nursing to marketing was very difficult, I had put so much blood, sweat, and, tears into becoming a nurse, but I knew it wasn’t right for me. I had to learn that just because the choice is difficult doesn’t mean it isn’t the right choice to make. Music and storytelling have always been at the core of who I am, no matter what career field I was making my living in. Once I began to lean into my gifts as a storyteller, I found marketing which seemed to come more naturally to me than medicine ever did. I worked my way up and eventually opened my own marketing business with my good friend, that we run together to this day. I continued performing and perfecting my songwriting skills throughout that time, and even though I spent many years discouraged that I wasn’t advancing in my music career in the ways I felt I should be (and fearing that working in another industry was hurting my chances of being a professional musician and songwriter), having a successful marketing career eventually afforded me the freedom and resources to be able to pursue music the way I had always wanted, without having to be a “starving artist”. To put it plainly: because I have a career that I enjoy, that also pays the bills and allows me to be my own boss, I’m able to create from a place of inspiration instead of desperation. I don’t have to sign a predatory record deal or leave my family to tour, because I now have the privilege of not having to rely on my art to support me financially. I could have never done that if i had stayed in the medical field, and I’m thankful that I trusted my instincts and pivoted when I needed to.

Contact Info:

• Website: brocksfield.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/iamrachelofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/iamrachelofficial
• Other: All of my socials and music links can be found at withkoji.com/@iamrachelofficial

Image Credits
Jordan Whitfield, Jay Houston and Laurel Miller