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

Raquel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am thrilled and proud knowing I can call myself an artist. This year, I have dedicated more time to honing my craft as one of the many recipient artists of the new Creatives Rebuild New York program, offering thousands of artists grants and job placements within the artistic field for New York artists. I am eternally grateful to be given this opportunity for artists; it has truly changed my life this past year. Having the financial freedom to focus on my true passion rather than sitting at a typical 9-5 has been liberating. I don’t wonder what it would be like to have a regular job because I have had regular jobs to make ends meet, and it completely drains all of my creative energy. We can always make time for what is essential and squeeze in sessions here and there. Still, realistically, giving the proper dedicated attention and care that my work deserves becomes complicated when working a regular job.

Raquel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an emerging artist who creates mixed media works based on painting, printmaking, and collage practices. My conceptual artworks are centered around interpersonal relationships that directly respond to the idea of memory and use personal experiences as an origin point. Often, my work challenges the universal belief that a picture tells an accurate, unbiased story. I received my BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in printmaking in 2020 from Adelphi University Upon receiving my BFA, I received the Peter Paone Award for Excellence in Works on Paper. I later received a residency in the Winter of 2021 at the School of Visual Arts in New York and a residency in the Fall of 2021 with the Peter Bullough Foundation in Winchester, Virginia. Through the connections I made in these residencies, I ultimately joined an artist collective named TELEPORTAL, where we have had numerous successful group exhibitions worldwide, including New York, Milwaukee, and Munich.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is sharing my story and myself with the world and having viewers be receptive and resonate with the work enough to allow them to be vulnerable and share their stories with me. My work is based on interpersonal relationships, memory, and visual storytelling, and by dealing with these themes, I have created an open line of dialogue and conversations from which I have learned so much. The links and associations people carry with them when they view my work are so influential to me, and for somebody to be so receptive to my vulnerability that they feel comfortable enough to lend into that themselves is genuinely my most significant and most invaluable gift as a creative. We learn the most through human connection, and I am elated my work can bridge that gap and be a buffer for such meaningful exchanges.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being an artist takes a lot of courage and resilience within itself. Having to push through creative blocks and continue to create when you feel uninspired has always been challenging for me. My work illustrates my strength, as I have taken some of my most painful, traumatic memories and turned these negative life experiences into beautiful and positive visual experiences. I have been able to process my emotions cathartically and ultimately work towards healing myself from these wounds I’ve been left with, proving that my past does not define me. My mentor always used to tell me to “keep fighting the good fight.” and that I shall.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.raqueladler.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/raqueladler