Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Erickson.
Hi Rachel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I never planned on becoming an artist. I did the art for fun as a creative outlet for my constant anxiety. I could have been more skilled and talented. I just enjoyed creating. Becoming a teacher was my ultimate goal. I didn’t even take any art classes in college because my friend took Art 101 and had to spend 3 weeks drawing a rock. How boring! After college, I worked my dream job teaching special education in Memphis, TN. I quit teaching after I had my first child to stay at home and care for her, hoping to return when my (future) children were grown. While she was everything we had hoped and prayed for, I was sometimes bored. I dove into digital scrapbooking while she napped and became hooked. Over time I could save money by creating my digital paper and elements, so I invested in a Wacom tablet and bought a used Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator program from a friend. I taught myself how to draw and create repeating patterns with the programs, primarily through trial and error and reading blog posts by other graphic designers. This kind of art was finally a perfect fit for me. I loved the control I had over changing colors, adjusting sizes, and constantly using the handy edit+undo button.
Eventually, I started a blog and offered my digital scrapbooking supplies for free for other people to use. Somehow small businesses began to find me and ask to use my art for their business. That opened up a whole new world to art licensing and selling commercial-use products. For several years I worked on custom illustrations for clients while my kids napped or when they went to bed at night. I still viewed my art as a hobby to keep myself sane while home with toddlers all day. Then after my son was born, I started to get chronically ill. I spent the first few years of his life mostly in bed, doing the bare minimum. I hated lying around feeling useless. I felt guilty for not being able to be a mom to my kids. I felt like a burden to my husband and friends. It was a dark time. I clung to creating art as a sanity saver in a different way. I knew that my life would not ever be the same, and I would not likely not be able to return to teaching like I always planned. A few years later, I was finally diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, which I continue to struggle with today (though I manage it much better now).
Around that time, Riley Blake Designs, one of the top fabric companies, reached out to me to see if I wanted to design a fabric collection for them. I had no idea how to design a fabric collection, but I said I’d try. I agonized for months over a princess/prince collection before submitting it. It was accepted and turned into my first two fabric collections, Lancelot and Guinevere. Becoming a fabric designer changed my path. I now had an art career, something I thoroughly enjoyed, that could accommodate the ups and downs of having an autoimmune disease. A perfect fit.
I still illustrate fabric collections and do freelance work for various companies with my illustration company, Rachel Erickson Art. I have also started a fabric and quilting business under the name Citrus and Mint Designs. Next year I plan on expanding my art licensing portfolio and teaching online creative courses. This incredible career has brought me so much joy and an online community of support I never knew I needed. I plan to continue with it for many years to come.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
My art is unique from traditional art in that it is hand-drawn digitally, so it is used multiple times on various products for different purposes. I have had companies license my art, from children’s clothing to teaching supplies to wrap paper, app icons, and cake decorations. The possibilities are endless. I love working with clients to solve creative challenges and make their products stand out. I am known for my whimsical style, clean lines, and use of color. I specialize in repeating patterns, spot illustrations, and creating collections of coordinating designs.
We’d love to hear about your fond memories of growing up.
My Grandma Carol is a brilliant watercolor artist. Growing up, my cousin and I would spend part of our summers painting in my grandma’s studio on the Oregon Coast. I remember many afternoons when we would turn on our favorite movie soundtrack and experiment with art. We would do art drills and watch VHS tapes of famous artists painting to learn the technique. Or we would gather inspiration by going to the beach, reading books, driving along the coast, and watching the wildlife in her backyard. Grandma taught me to love color and embrace mistakes–or flip the paper over and start completely over, which we did a lot. Painting with watercolor frustrated me so much–I am very much a perfectionist and a control freak. However, her lessons instilled in me foundational skills in color and design theory and molded me into the artist I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rachelerickson.art
- Instagram: @citrusandmintdesigns AND @rachelericksonart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citrusandmint
- Other: www.citrusandmintdesigns.com
