We were lucky to catch up with Rachael Dux recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachael, thanks for joining us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

The first time I earned money from painting was when a friend asked me to do a commission for them of a man on a building being swept up by ginormous waves. Previous to this, I was just making art and posting it for myself. I felt honored that he trusted me to make his vision come to life and was going to pay me for it. It truly opened an avenue I didn’t think was possible. After this, I was getting more commissions from friends and even some strangers. It made me believe in myself that I have the talent I always wanted to have.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Rachael and I paint! I always loved drawing and painting as a kid but I never thought it’d be something I would make money from. About 6 years ago, I decided I wanted to make something tangible. Something I could see the finish product of and hold. I picked up some paint brushes, paint, and canvases and started creating. I posted these on social media and by the end of 2019 I had friends asking for commissions! I am not professionally trained, I went to school for fashion business, not art. I just had the innate ability to create what I see. I currently have a few different styles of work that I do. I have commissions where I’ve painted Squidward, anime characters, pets, and more. I have paintings that I make to pair with books I’ve read, some including the Scream knife, swords, vampires, and ghosts. These, and my commissions, always start with a sketch before painting. My other work includes freehand painting. These mostly include oceans and abstract art. I think the beauty of art is that everyone relates to it differently. What I see, may not be what someone else sees. I want my art to speak to people and I want to bring others ideas to life. This past year I created my business, Paintings by Rachael. I currently have an Etsy where my paintings can be purchased. Commissions are available by contacting me through email or social media.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A part of being a creative and selling your work is inconsistent sales. There are some months where I get 7 commissions and some months where I get none. At first, it can be disheartening. It’s easy to feel like your work isn’t good enough and that you’ll never get a sale again. Going through these slumps is to be expected and doesn’t directly speak to the worth of your work. I’ve worked through these slumps many times. I’ve had instances where I thought about giving up and not continuing forward. The choice to keep going and keep creating has shown that if I just stick with it, those good months will come again.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is seeing what you can make. Especially being someone without formal training, pushing my skills to the next level and creating something I didn’t think I could really gives me the courage to keep making art. I’ve done a few pet commissions and every time I get to the end of the painting and see it look like them, the excitement is unreal. Knowing that my clients will have their furbabies with them forever and I was the one able to capture that for them cannot be beat.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paintingsbyrachaelr.etsy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paintings.by.rachael/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/p/Paintings-By-Rachael-61556602103633/
• Other: Email for commissions: [email protected]