We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachele Krivichi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachele below.

Alright, Rachele thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

In my career as an artist I have realized you never stop learning your craft. Even if you think you have “perfected” a medium, there is always more to learn in that medium, or someone who is pushing it farther than you. I try not to compare myself to others and just continue forward with what I am doing. I also find it to be enjoyable to take classes in different mediums I’ve never used before, or try and invent new processes and techniques. This keeps me sharp and prevents me from doing same-old, same-old over and over again.

Rachele, 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 am an environmental artist, which to me means that I take my inspiration from the environment. I aim to inspire people to get outside and appreciate the outdoors, no matter what area I am working in. And, my creative practice spans many areas, from photography to collage to painting to interior design – even writing. No matter what I am working on, I try to carry this this thread of outdoor appreciation through it, that way I always feel authentic to myself and my work.

By staying on this path, I attract collectors who share similar values to me, and I am able to create beautiful custom art work and commissions for their home that they love. I also create art in my studio that I sell at art fairs to clients who love the outdoors. While there are certainly many artists working in the realm of nature art and the outdoors, I would say one thing that sets me apart is the many different mediums I work in, and my use of recycled materials for many of my projects. Using recycled materials allows me to stay true to my values of being a steward to the environment.

I am proud of both my wide arrange of artistic mediums I am able to work in and my use of recycled materials. I think I have a strong message that anyone who consumes my art is able to pick up on pretty quickly. If, at the end of the day, one person buys a piece of recycled art from me that makes me feel like I’ve done a good deed for the day. And, I think that ‘s what our artistic practices should be about – making us feel good about our place as artists in the world.

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

Two huge lessons I had to unlearn is that artistic success comes from:

A.) How much money you earn from your art, and
B.) How “well-known” you are

I would like to say, to anyone who is just starting out on their artistic journey, that neither of these things matter at all. At this point in my artistic career, the only things that make me feel successful are if I am creating art that I feel strongly about, and that I am making time to do my art regularly. Those are the only things that have consistently brought me happiness as an artist. The other things are just nice to have if you happen to achieve them.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

One resource I found to be extremely helpful was “The Smartist Guide” by Ekatarina Popova and Alicia Puig. This book is very practical, and teaches you a lot of things about maintaining a creative practice you might not have learned in art school.

Contact Info:

• Website: rachelekrivichiart.com
• Instagram: @rachelekrivichiart

Image Credits
Image credits: Rachele Krivichi