We were lucky to catch up with Rikki Milbrandt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rikki thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Being an author came pretty easy. I have loved writing since I was a kid. The writing part is fun; it’s the grammar part I don’t like. LOL. I have written two mental health books and will be working on a fiction book at some point. Daily writing is the best way to keep my skills up to par.

Now, I am learning graphic design and how to create a blog that is fun to read and keeps readers coming back. That is a slow process. I write a new post at least once a week and host it on Medium. With graphic design, I am slowly learning all of the Adobe products. I hope to build a business around book design and marketing or work for a design company if it aligns with my values. I take classes online to better my skills as a designer and writer.

Right now, my current job keeps me very busy, so that is the biggest obstacle in my way. I spend an hour or two a day learning new things. I started doing my own learning before starting my work day; otherwise, my brain is spent and my eyes are done with the computer.

I hope to gain a client or two by the end of this year. I would like to start creating book covers and designing book interiors to start. And branch out to marketing eventually.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a writer/author, first and foremost. I have two published books, both about mental health. One focuses on depression, and the other on addiction. I chose to write books because I had stories in me and had to get them out; whether or not anyone reads them or resonates with them, I needed to tell them.

My husband and I moved to AZ almost two years ago. We found the joy of hiking right away. People seemed to love our posts on Facebook about our hiking and outdoor adventures, so we recently started a blog. The blog is called Milbrandt Milez, and it is on Medium. We write about what different hikes are like, how we feel about them, and how it helps our mental health. We love how friendly and helpful people are when hiking, so we thought it’d be fun to write about our experiences and help others find trails and what to expect.

I work for a publishing company right now and am learning graphic design on the side. My goal is to start my own company, helping others publish and market their books and help businesses with marketing.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being creative is seeing how much I help people, whether it is someone who has read one of my books or asks me to help with marketing their book. I find so much joy in seeing how much I can help people. Getting to be part of someone’s journey is an amazing experience.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Honestly, I don’t think there is such a thing as a non-creative. Everyone is creative in their own way. My husband claims he is not creative, but he is. He comes up with creative ways to fix things around the house, build things and fix vehicles. That might not sound creative, but to me, it is very creative. I would never be able to fix things the way he does it. He also loads trucks in a warehouse for a living. Sometimes, he has to be very creative with the way he loads all of the parts to be able to get all of it in one truck.

Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes. You may think you aren’t creative, but I bet you do something other people can’t figure out.    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://medium.com/@rikki107
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rikki.milbrandt
• Other: Milbrandt Milez Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milbrandtmilez

Image Credits
All images were taken, edited, and created by me. Headshot taken by Criss Voss Photography in 2021