We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Rosenkrantz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

I believe that not everything we make has to be a product that sells, otherwise it would kill the risk taking factor that is far too important for innovation to happen. All reasonably of course, it is a business after all. I don’t like guessing, I prefer knowing, and there’s only one way to find out if something will work, it’s to do it. More often than not the risk pays off, Mycocaster is a good example of that. And sometimes not as much, such as the kombucha leather that turned out to be too fragile (for now), but even though the knowledge gained from the experience is worth it. Keep room for play in your work, you might end up with a staple product line, or at least not getting in the routine trap.

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?

My name is Rachel Rosenkrantz, I am a luthier of sustainable guitars. I got into guitar making 12 years ago because I’ve been day-dreaming about it for too long to not do it. My background is in industrial design and I am also a musician, both disciplines converged organically and contribute a lot to my current work. My guitars set themselves apart as they are not made of wood for most of them. I have investigated biomaterials for years and experimented with their acoustic properties. Some are commercial products, such as Mycocaster which is made from mushrooms, some are more experimental, such as integrating honeycomb to the structure to boost certain frequencies. I’ve worked with eggshells, fish skin, kombucha leather from scoby, and more recently with bioplastics from algae. I was unsure about how people would react at first to such substrates, and I got a lot of interest which is very encouraging. It echoes with a need that was not answered much in this discipline so far, having alternatives to endangered woods.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I had no strategy except for the good old word of mouth at first, which brought me commissioned pieces in my first year. This quick organic growth allowed me to stop repair work and solely focus on creative work. The other component is exposure, interviews in specialized magazines speak to a targeted audience. A client last year found out about my business via an article that he stumbled upon from 7 years ago.
Trade Shows are important for building a clientele. Getting to talk face to face and try the instruments directly is so helpful since my wooshop is in the countryside and “by appointment only”.
And of course, social media.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I get to make a living doing what I love, and that was not always the case. I get up happy to go to work, not everybody can say that. Moreover, there is no routine in creative work, no projects alike, I am never bored because I am an artist. The most rewarding for me is the transmission aspect of my craft. I get to teach instrument building, to pass down that knowledge is the most fulfilling mission. I won’t trade it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.atelierrosenkrantz.com
• Instagram: atelier_rosenkrantz
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/AtelierRosenkrantz/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-rosenkrantz-57345215

Image Credits
I do my own photos