We recently connected with Rachelle Hinkley and have shared our conversation below.
Rachelle , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
Growing up I was considered the weird kid, and I was told that I’d grow out of it but I never really did.
I guess having a different outlook and perspective on things can make you stick out and even now in my 30’s I get called weird. As a kid, I got bullied a lot for it and it made me feel awful.
I don’t really mind being judged or misunderstood now. I’ve leaned into it and let myself get comfortable being myself.
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 an embroidery artist and illustrator. I started embroidering in 2018 and I do what I always do when I find something I love to do, I obsessed over it until I got good at it.
I make a lot of pop culture references and spooky stuff that I think looks cool, as well as embroidery patterns so that anyone who wants to make my art for themselves can.
You can find me at any of the live events I have on my site or just find my art online at www.rachellemakesstuff.com.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I started posting my art when I honestly wasn’t very good, and I’ve seen a lot of people use their social media to only highlight the best parts of their work, but I think showing my growth has actually worked out for the best.
It might be curated carefully, but I think that showing my reality, even the ugly parts of my story, has given me a group of people that genuinely care about my work.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Encourage kids to be themselves. Every kid has creativity in them wanting to come out in some way, shape, or form. My parents weren’t perfect, but my mom and dad saw that I loved to draw and they nurtured that.
Nurture the weird in your kids so that they can be happy with it later on.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.rachellemakesstuff.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/rachelle_makes_stuff
- Facebook: Www.facebook.com/rachellemakesstuff
- Twitter: Www.x.com/rachellemakes