Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Riss Zanfei. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Riss thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew when I was 10 years old I wanted to be an artist the rest of my life. I loved coloring, crafting & doodling when I was little and it was very much reinforced when my grandmothers on both sides of my family encouraged my creativity. I was always doing something crafty.

I remember telling my mom that I wanted to be an artist and that I even made a little studio name for myself. I lovingly came up with ‘Tasty Peach Studios’ because well 10 year old me loved the idea of naming it after my favorite fruit, peaches.

It never occurred to me that I could just start a business at first. I knew I wanted to go to art school and get a design and illustration degree, but I always thought I’d be working for a company. I started my brand with just commissions, clay charms and hand made jewelry and almost 15 years later I’m a globally licensed brand!

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.

For anyone not familiar with my work or my story, hi! I’m Riss and I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I’ve always been creative and a ball of energy even though I am quite introverted. I love to design and draw cute characters that bring a sense of comfort and whimsy, and much of that is reflected in my products, plush and apparel.

I’m ADHD/Autistic and mainly self-taught in my work. While I do have a degree for design and illustration, mush of my style and skill was shaped before school. I’m a HUGE plush collector and lover and I feel this is why I enjoy plush design so much. Illustration are fulfilling to craft and bring a lot of joy but plush is a comfort you can hold with you all the time.

I design apparel, plush, jewelry, illustrations and all sort of products! If you’ve been in a Hot Topic, Claire’s, Aquarium/Museum or any candy/toy store you may have seen my Meowchi! They are the top selling character and my most collectable.

I started my business in 2010 officially however I had been taking customs and commissions years before hand. I posted my art online and build a following of kawaii art lovers and started to sell my work at conventions. Mainly anime and some gaming, but all of it was such a new experience for me. I worked in retail and as a waitress for years and customer service was something I was good with, but the moment I was able to quite and really work hard on my craft was when I knew I was good with -people- in general.

I’ve always had a love for people. Bringing a smile to their face, a moment of comfort or a word of kindness when there’s so much dark. I’ve been on the receiving end of a lot of bullying and wanted to do my best to bring a light to the world with my work. So I decided that my goal wasn’t to build a brand or just bring out cute trinkets and apparel. My goal was to ‘Take over the World’. What does ‘Taking over the World’ even mean? I don’t know exactly why that was my goal, but it still holds true as my work is loved around the globe.

Part of me thinks it was a goal so absurd that I would always be working towards it, chipping away at it day by day. A safe goal that couldn’t see failure because how can you fail at something so odd? I still laugh at this answer because it’s the same one I -still- have.

I have people ask me why I wanted to start a business. A big part of it was being tired of horrible boss’ that treated me bad. The workplace is not kind to people like myself with neurodivergencies. There’s no way to just follow along as a cog in the wheel when you hyper focus and fixate at the level I do. So I thought this was the perfect way for me to be my own boss. Little did I know just how much work it would be, but I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

The other bit of starting was because I had a college professor tell me my work was ‘cute but not marketable in any way’. That I needed realistic expectations with my work in a market that was over saturated with anime. That lit a fire in me hotter than anything else and fueled me to prove them wrong. Not in a malicious way but in a ‘I knew I could do it’ way!

Ultimately I needed to prove to myself that my dream was attainable!

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

Honestly the most rewarding aspect of being an artist and running my own business is the flexibility. My own schedule, days off, vacations, taking mental health down time & the simple fact I can spend as much time with my husband and dogs as I want while still creating what I love every day.

It’s freeing and while it has it’s own challenges, I work from home in my comfy office/gaming space. I can have a quiet day to create or stream my process and brainstorm with my fans online. I have a deep love for the freedom this career has gifted me along with my hard work.

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

I’ve had to unlearn monetizing -every- hobby just because I have a following that enjoys seeing my life and my art together. I had a time in my life when I was on too many platforms and it just took so much joy out of things. I would prevent myself from doing things because I needed to ‘save this for stream’ or ‘record this for content’ that I just ended up never ding some hobbies or loosing passion for them as a whole.

I never ended up painting my mini canvases or knit the blanket I planned. I didn’t bother beading new jewelry or crafting paper stars for a jar simply because I thought I needed to make it all into content. I didn’t just let myself exist and enjoy something for the pleasure of it.

same went for recording/photographing everything. I lost the joy of just being in the space and experiencing it. So I have been unlearning things and have games/crafts just for me as well as less photos because I’m living the moment!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tastypeachstudios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tastypeachstudios/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TastyPeachStudios
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riss-zanfei/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TastyPeach_INC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/tastypeachstudios
• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/risstv