We recently connected with Merrill Rainey and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Merrill thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

The question of just giving up the freelancers life and taking a regular full time job pops into my mind more often than you would think! Being the sole proprietor of a business, I am constantly working; it is a 24/7 job. I am on the clock all the time… working on current projects, thinking of new projects, refining projects and skills, marketing my work, managing everyday office tasks, being my own HR and finance department…it’s all me! In the ten years that I’ve been on my own, I have only taken one true vacation where I didn’t bring any work with me. I did have plenty that I needed to do, but I had to make the decision that this time was time for my family.

What people don’t always understand when I say that I illustrate picture books or design craft projects for kids, is that as cool as it sounds, what I do is a business. I always say it’s an 80/20 split, 80 percent business, 20 percent execution! And we in this business know that the 20% execution is more like 110% execution… so you do the math! But the 80/20 split doesn’t include all of the other things that are so important that also take time. Like helping to raise a family, time with your partner, your personal health…you know, all of those things that are important and allow you to function well enough to do the job.

I have been offered a few full time jobs within the last 10 years, but I turned them down as I am not quite ready to give up on the work I am doing and the difference it is making, not only for other kids, but for my own. If I were to not be here tomorrow, I want my kids to be proud of the work their Dad created, and to know that with hard work and a little ingenuity they are capable of achieving anything they want to do, just like I did. I may not be able to always buy them the next big thing on the shelf, but I hope in the long run, that the morals and values I instill in them now will be the biggest gift I could ever give them.

Merrill , 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?

Let’s start with this… Hello, my name is Merrill Rainey! I am a picture book creator and paper toy maker. I refer to myself as a picture book creator verses an author or an illustrator because the books that I currently create are made to get kids to see books in a different way. My books are made to be enjoyed and interacted with, and even taken a step further to see what else can be done with them or what that book can continue to become! They do have words, but they were made to give kids the opportunity to experience imaginative play and creativity. I am also a paper toy maker, so in industry terminology, I am a paper engineer. This term basically means that I take flat sheets of paper, fold and cut them a few times, add a little glue, and turn them into a 3D paper toy. I’ve been working in the kids/picture book markets for the last ten years, from kids magazines like Highlights, to educational work for McGraw Hill, to now working with publishers like Odd Dot, Macmillan, and Holiday House.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

There is, and that is to try and give kids today the same creative opportunities I had growing up. I like to present to children and work with them based on the idea that anything you can think of can become real. I want them to understand that they can create anything with an idea, their mind, and their hands. I also like to point out that creativity doesn’t mean you have to be good at putting paint on paper. Creativity or the creative process is something that we all have, we just all use it in different ways. There is so much available for our kids to create with now-a-days, and my goal is to try and give them the knowledge and inspiration that they need to bring their big ideas to life.

I also like to talk with adults about the importance of why we need to give kids these opportunities to create. I want parents to realize how these creative moments build so many different skill sets that will serve kids well not only now, but as they grow into adults.

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?

So two things here… When I quit my full-time job 10 years ago I took a pretty big pay cut. A lot of people don’t understand why, but in these particular conversations they are missing the main point of why I did it. Originally, I did it because I had a aspirations of becoming a professional illustrator and working for myself. Now I do it, because I want to make a difference in the world I live in with the work I do for today’s youth. I think most good educators will agree that the goal is not to become rich, but to inspire future generations. Don’t get me wrong, I do like to be able to pay my bills, but sometimes you come to cross-roads in your life and you have to make a choice on which path you want to take. For some that path might be chasing the dollar. For others like myself, we choose the opposite path where the dollar isn’t the most important thing. This path is more focused on the difference we can make with the work we can create.

The second thing about this path is the misconception about what being a creative actually means. As I mentioned above, I like to speak with adults/parents about the importance of giving kids the opportunity to create and what future skill sets are built while doing so. I often use the example of how me being a paper engineer and the creative thought processes I take to plan out my projects are very similar to the creative thought processes that an automotive engineer might take to design how a car engine will work. Or how an electrical engineer might design a way to get the wiring strung throughout a new house. The creative thought process really is the way we solve a problem that has been presented to us, no matter what the career field. Putting paint on paper is one way to be considered a creative, but it’s not the only way to be a creative individual.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.littlerainey.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/littlerainey
• Twitter: twitter.com/littlerainey

Image Credits
© 2023 Merrill Rainey. Note the illustration with the very big blue boy on the left is a spread from my newest illustrated picture book set to release August 1st titled Giants Are Very Brave People written by Florence Parry Heide, published by Holiday House.