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

Rachael, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I feel like I knew since I was young and could see the impact visual art had on others and the world – especially when it was something I created.

Yet at first, while being pressured into pick a college in high school, I was attempting to find a middle-ground solution of following my love for writing into a career that seemed to have more of a defined path like Journalism. I quickly realized it wasn’t so much about the creative writing I was interested in, and was more about reporting, production and other things that didn’t feel as in alignment for me. I figured I would just minor in the arts and that this would be a logical path to a successful future.

Thankfully, I was able to realize my true desires for a more fluid and art-centered lifestyle and career path through the encouragement of my peers and teachers. I was lucky enough to go to a school with a developed art program. I specifically remember my art teacher Mrs. Phares pulling me out into the hallway one day and essentially telling me that if going to school for art was something that I truly wanted, that I could make it work.

I don’t remember her exact words, but I do remember the feeling of pure encouragement from an artistic elder who was passionate about visual art and empowering the youth to follow their creativity, too.

With that supportive message, the “logical” path began to dissolve, and I was able to follow my heart’s calling more clearly. It wasn’t just purely easy and always clear – self-doubt followed me around every corner and still does, to be honest. But equally as present is the reciprocal support and care from an artistic community, loved ones and customers/supporters (who are really more than just that).

Rachael, 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’m Rachael Amber (they/she), a queer & neruodivergent artist, writer & intuitive. More specifically, I’m an illustrator & designer who creates connective, healing tools and visuals in hopes that it will help us connect deeper to ourselves, one another, our planet and existence as a whole.

I work in a variety of 2D mediums, often combining image & text, and usually my work ends up living in the world as a useful, tangible good – like a journal, zine / booklet, accessory, tool, etc. I also paint and draw on wood a bit, and I write lots of poetry which I hope to share more.

My work has always had deeper roots; at first it was about coping with my mental health struggles, finding reprieve from my internal world. I realized that feeling connected to the natural world and my body was a remedy, and so my art has focused around this much. It became not so much about me, but more about connecting, sharing, remembering – what helps me is a portal to what others might need too. Foundational healing is always at the core of my work, as is interconnection to all lifeforms.

I’ve realized that my art feels like a form of channeling; I’ve always had a strong intuition which is continually developing, deep sensitivity, and unrelenting awareness helps me to speak from and for more than just myself through my art. I don’t always share this, but I want to more; I work with my spirit guides (including plants and sentient beings) to share many of their messages. I am just the channel, the medium – and that feels like an empowering relief to me. Yet there is still “Rachael” in there – there’s a human with a perspective, aiming to share from a personal lens while also leaving it open where it should be. It’s really a collaborative process – I’m never alone nor am I creating alone, and that’s just so magical, uplifting and really keeps me going.

One of my biggest continual art ventures began 2018 when I started creating Cycles Journal; a guide to tracking moon & womb cycles. This journey was initiated because of my own desire to keep track of all my health patterns and habits in one place, where I could connect the dots and find some stability in what felt like chaos. The moon was my first reminder that there are in fact anchors and cycles in all of our lives, both inside and outside of ourselves.

For me it started with my menstrual cycle, as anyone who experiences one (regular or not) may know how disorienting and painful it can be. Yet the moon reminded me that there are forces outside of myself affecting these internal tides, and that helped take some of the blame and shame off myself, and instead become an ally to my bodymind which was crying out for attention, compassion and help.

I had tried to many apps and journaling methods, but I felt called to create a space where wholistic cycle tracking of all our physical, mental, habitual and spiritual experiences could be kept in one place for connections to be found and awareness to be gained. This journal grew into an annual self-publishing journey, with a whole community of support surrounding it, and many more branches of self-awareness and wholistic cycle tracking tools to come. I’m ever-grateful for all it has become and continues to evolve to be, and for all who have supported this mission along the way!

It’s been hard heart work but well worth it to grow a microbusiness from nothing. I’m grateful that because of all those who believe in and support this mission alongside me, I’m able to keep our values of sustainability, inclusivity and intentionality in tact in every part of these creations. Our bodies & the Earth’s body are always considered in everything I make and produce.

This tool has also sparked a journey of radical self-acceptance, mindfulness and gender inclusivity which sparked my own genderqueer/genderfluid journey. It really feels connected to the fluidity and ever-changing nature of cycles – it’s beautiful and natural to be multi-faceted. I’ll never not quote Octavia Butler; “The only lasting truth is change”.

Other beloved projects of mine include the Endangered Pollinator Patch series which were created to raise awareness for specific pollinators (including and beyond the honeybee) which are at risk or endangered. I wanted to create joyful pieces of celebration in a patch form so that folks could wear them as a badge of honor and share the importance of all bees, beetles, birds, bats, butterflies and the like. Many compare them to scout badges, which must’ve been a subconscious part of the process since I was indeed part of that cult at one point (kidding).

Ultimately, all of my work is focused on reconnecting to our true nature, which is being an inseparable part of the inner and outer cycles of this planet and beyond. My deep love for nature, which strengthened when I moved to the city, has driven my passion to create for a bigger purpose. In college my focus was around environmental activism through poster art, screen-printing, etc. I created zines, booklets and poster designs as my form of activism. My thesis was a series of 4 giant posters speaking to an area of human impact affecting climate change (agricultural pesticides, over-fishing, deforestation, and fossil fuel pollution), along with a zine with some ideas for what each individual can do to make a difference, no matter how small.

My art back then was very direct although I was working to find a healthy balance of showing the beauty and connection points before the uncomfortable pain points. Both are important in order to make an impact of change and create empathy. Yet, my work has been focusing lately on self-regulation, reconnection, remembrance and healing. As I continue to grow spiritually and explore practices and studies of Engaged Buddhism, I have realized the need for connection to help us mend this hyper-individualistic capitalist-colonial society many of us in developed countries exist within. And it starts at the root of our own healing and awareness, and branches out to how we share with others. So the goal of my work is not to shame or point fingers at individuals, but rather to hold system of unchecked power accountable, and to spark inquiry and promote reflection and autonomy for individuals as a part of the greater whole. I am working to weave this into my work in more obvious ways, but it’s probably already in there through the encouragement of grounded, offline self-reflection inside Cycles Journal.

I’ve always had a deep interest in the healing arts, non-dogmatic spirituality, the occult, micro/macrocosms, psychology, science, astrology, and more, which I integrate into my artwork. I’m very interested in the in-betweens, intersections and fluidity of life. I’m very interested in learning from and practicing through Earth-based lineages (Buddhism, Espiritismo, etc.) and respecting indigenous wisdom. I think it’s so important to be grounded in our spiritual paths and I’ve learned and am still learning to not bypass the realities of the full spectrum and of those who are visibly marginalized.

I feel like I’m processing and healing many of my ancestral wounds, religious and generational trauma through my art as well. I hope it inspired or aids others in the same.

My current evolving and newly revealing project is something I’ve dreamed of creating for years (like 5+); The Embodied Ecosystems Oracle – An Interconnected Tarot Deck.

To me this is a deeply spiritual and grounding tool and divination practice to help us in our present experience. Through interconnective visuals, words and prompts, this deck is an invitation through and beyond the system of tarot – to help us visualize, feel and embody our intersections with the planet and the ecosystems we already embody. To realize we are non-separate can help us to find more stability and courage to act from a heart-centered place rather than a scarcity or fear-driven impulse. The world needs more slow, intentional action, not disembodied reactions. Yet it’s a challenge for all of us, and my hope is that this can be one small resource of inspiration and practice that can remind us that it all begins in our own bodies.

These ideas have been floating in my head for some time now, but are now deepened and solidified by being in EcoDharma / Deep Ecology communities of practice and education such as One Earth Sangha and Natural Dharma Fellowship, which emphasize the necessity of self-regulation in the body and nervous system through somatic mindfulness as the foundation before we can change-make in a sustainable way for the climate crisis or any conjunct situations.

Tending to the permaculture of our mind, body, spirt & larger Earth body, this is a tool for remembering & reconnecting as we face our collective climate trauma/grief.
our belonging, as well as our duty of reciprocity with our larger bodies – the Earth and all beings who are a part.

You can follow along this newly emerging but deeply-rooted journey at @embodiedecosystems on IG, or via my pages / websites below~

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

That pain is not the enemy, but an invitation. That my body is not against me, but requesting attention from me. This isn’t about bypassing pain by trying to flip it into a good, inevitable thing and just trying to force positivity, but rather it’s about honoring the full spectrum of experience and not bypassing pain as a part of the whole.

This is ultimately what helped me embark on the path of wholistic cycle tracking, mindfulness and somatic embodiment. It’s still a daily practice, but I’m reminded through this to not dig deeper into the discomfort but instead let it be a doorway to my deeper needs; whether it be rest, time outdoors, exercise, food, a good cry, go to the doctor, reach out to a loved one, or whatever… these cues are a sign to listen not resist. It’s easier said than done, but this practice and realization has helped me not cave in on myself but rather open up to the myriad of potential support that exists all around us and within.

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

I think the constant lessons in uncertainty, fluidity, and non-duality are really a gift, although also a struggle a times. It helps me to not settle or back myself into unhelpful corners. It’s helpful for embracing the never-ending cycles of change, decay, growth, death, rebirth in all forms. It helps me to see and make connections, to not take the little things for granted, to recognize the potential in everything. This has helped me with my social perspectives a lot. As an introvert it’s hard sometimes to want to connect with others, but art is sort of a bridge which eases the gaps that don’t need to separate us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rachaelamber.com/ + https://cyclesjournal.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachael.amber/ + https://www.instagram.com/cyclesjournal/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclesjournal + https://www.facebook.com/rachaelamberillustration

Image Credits
Photography by Stephanie DeFeo Artwork by Rachael Amber