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

Alright, Raè thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I am fortunate enough to be able to support myself and family through my career as an artist. Prior to becoming a full time artist I was an educator. During the time of being an educator, I had always wanted to pursue art full time but was terrified to. Terrified of being a “starving artist”. I had no clue how I was going to make it work. Once the pandemic hit, I got laid off along with 400 other educators in the district. After being horrified by the news, I immediately took it as a challenge and a sign that I was supposed to do art. I was supposed to share a piece of myself with the work via art and so I did.

It started with clothes. I have always had profound and deep appreciation for fashion. I believe that what we wear is our first introduction to people. Fashion is a silently powerful expression. People have always been interested in my fashion and custom 1/1 pieces (wearable art). I decided to officially introduce myself as an apparel designer. My form of design is customizing wearable pieces with paint, making the piece stand out. In addition to creating 1/1 pieces (hats, jackets, pants, shoes, etc.) I launched my official brand called Art Money where I’d have collections that dropped once a month that were not to be recreated.
The collections are typically based on powerful messages rooted in love and positivity. Sometime the collections consist of hats, crewnecks, t shirts and denim jackets.

After having a successful run with my apparel collections, I decided that I wanted to paint murals and do some canvas work. I began painting the walls in my house and sharing them via social media. That sparked a lot of interest and I began to be requested to paint in different establishments. I also would volunteer my time and use my art as a catalyst to debunk vandalism on buildings in my community. Carver Community Center which is a place where I frequented as a youth had been dilapidated and covered with graffiti. As a board member of the grassroots organization (Miracle On Craig Street) leading the efforts to reopen the center, I decided to put murals all over the building and involve local youth to help me.
This created a lot of attention and demand for murals in the city. This has also allowed me to create and provide youth mural programs in schools and community.

I also launched an annual solo art exhibition that takes place every year for my birthday. I showcase and sell both canvas art and wearable art at the exhibition. It has been quite a success the last two years.

In a nutshell, I continue to look for ways to expand my brand through genuine expression and things I am interested in which has helped me generate income in different art lanes.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My brand “Art Money” is a mood board and acts as a reminder to give yourself permission to give it all you got!! Whatever you profession is. I believe that essentially everything is art! And we as artists deserve to be compensated for our contribution to making the work more beautiful. Whether it be through painting, dancing, sculpting, yoga, etc. It’s all art. One of my missions is to remind creatives of their power and to continue debunking the narrative around being a starving artist. I’m passionate about spreading the message that art is a respectable career just like a lawyer or a doctor. Not everyone always respects artists as business people. And in addition to spreading my art across the globe, I want to simultaneously educate and empower people with the necessary tools to be successful creatives.

I feel very fortunate that people trust me with theirs canvases whether it is wearable art, wall art, wrapped canvas, etc. there are so many amazingly talented people on the plant. To be repeatedly choosen to bring different visions to life is always a surreal and dope feeling.

I think one thing that sets me a part from other creatives is my confidence and fearless approach to projects coupled with my ability to be consistent and hustle. I pride myself on being consistent in my craft and my ability to troubleshoot “issues” and obstacles. It is very easy to have creative blocks and to want to quit. I’m intentional about balance and also not creating just to make a dollar. I always create from the heart and every message I put out is rooted in LOVE.

I am most proud of creating a platform that connects all kind of people via art! I wasn’t always someone who had a great relationship with vulnerability. Becoming a full time creative has taught me so much about myself and what it truly means to connect with myself and others.

I come from a neighborhood where it has always been easy to access anger and go into survival mode. I always want to give a big shoutout to my hood, Hamilton Hill in Schenectady NY. That place made me who I am. Taught me a lot of hard truths about grit, grind and hustle. Hamilton Hill is a big part of why I am a successful creative today. My brand is dedicated to anyone who has a dream. My brand is dedicated to those feel like they don’t know if they can achieve their dream. My brand is dedicated to anyone gets butterflies about ideas they want to manifest. I am living proof that with consistency and live for yourself, you can do whatever you want!

I’ve painted nearly 40 murals, sold almost 2,500 wearable pieces, been a part of 10 different art exhibitions, launched my own solo annual art exhibition all within 3 years of becoming a full time artist.

If you would have asked me at 10 years old if I’d be painting 50 foot buildings and be clothing designer, I’d look at you like you were crazy and then say “heck no!” The interesting thing is, I’m no where near where I want to be in life. I’m still just getting my feet wet and looking forward to getting all the way in.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’d say one of the main goals that drives my creative journey is the ability for my art to allow me to travel the earth. I have not reached the moment where I’m traveling out of state to create. I am looking forward to that moment and I know that it is only a matter of time before it happens. My art is for everyone who has a heartbeat and I’d like to expose my gift to as many humans and places as possible.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Something I had to unlearn and turn away from in my journey is the classic cultural saying “My haters are my motivators” . This is certainly a saying I once believed. There are many people who believe that if someone is t hating on what you are doing then you aren’t going hard enough or you aren’t doing something right. My creative journey has allowed me to take a deep dive within myself and through that dive, it has allowed me to create a very healthy relationship with truth and vulnerability. After a while, focusing and giving attention to those who aren’t fans or don’t support my art felt daunting and like a large waste of energy. The truth about art is, not everyone is going to like it. In fact, there will always be some one who doesn’t and I think that’s okay. Art invokes free thinking whether it births good or bad thoughts, it’s just what art does and as artists, we have to accept that. Don’t get me wrong, it can be hard receiving tough criticism about art as creatives are naturally sensitive but I truly think it’s all okay. I’ve learned that we have to let things be what they are and let people be who they are. I’ve learned that love is always accessible because it resides in ME! So why would I voluntarily spend time on negative energy that is rooted in hate?.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @artmon3y
• Facebook: @artmon3y @Rae’ Frasier