We were lucky to catch up with Rebecca Hollen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I believe it was in High School when I openly made the decision to my parents that I wanted to pursue art. It was something that I always enjoyed as a hobby but I really wanted to do more with it.

Rebecca, 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 grew up in a small town in East Texas and was the first of my immediate family to go to college. I knew in High School that I wanted to pursue art as more than a hobby.

My current work is mix media that incorporates paper, paint, sewing patterns and thread. In my head, it’s a balance between the nostalgia of my childhood living in a small town and the present day of our lives in the “city,” while also thinking of the woman’s role and how it has changed through generations.

I did not sew as a child but watched my grandmother and mother do so. My mother is currently working on a quilt and I have a lot of fond memories watching my grandmother quilt and make us clothes when we were kids.

My husband and I just had a baby this summer and we both work full time. I often think back to my childhood; how my mother would read stories and nursery rhymes to me, my grandmother would sew…thinking about how the “woman’s role” has changed through the generations or what some may think of as more feminine.

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

I think one of the most rewarding parts of being an artist is the challenges you face. Making art is not easy and it if is easy I think you are doing something wrong.

It’s those challenging moments that are most important. You have to push past the difficult parts in order to see the light on the other side. It’s how you learn the most.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Right now I am making work for myself. I feel like my current work is going in a direction that has more value and meaning to it than what I have made in a few years and I think a lot had to do with having a child now and that I find my peers and students truly inspiring. Plus being around a creative environment really helps.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: hollenart