Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebekah Evans.
Hi Rebekah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always made art, and it’s really been the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do. I was able to get my BFA from UNCG in Drawing and Printmaking in 2017. There I really figured out how to make work that I loved and felt confident in.
Once I graduated, I worked a few customer service jobs and made art on the side. I attended art markets on the weekends where I was able to sell my work, but that got a little tough to do on top of another job. In 2020, the day job I had was really wearing me down, so my partner and I decided I needed to quit. I knew I wanted to focus on my art more and I just needed more time to do it. I was convinced though that it was unwise to not have a steady paying/hourly sort of job. However, at this point the pandemic was in full swing and my anxiety from customer service was too high, so a “real” job didn’t seem like a good idea anymore either. So I decided to see what I could do with my art!
I opened my Etsy shop up with a handful of drawings in May of 2020. Friends, family, and a handful of the wonderful customers I’d met at markets the years before were really supportive. With all that time, I was finally able to make steady work, keep the shop updated, and take on commissions. I also felt really lucky to get work up at Meeple’s Brew in Morrisville, which helped connect me with new people I could share my little drawings with.
Now I’m balancing both the online shop, selling work in person, and taking on other projects. It’s been over a year now and things are still going well! I now have work available at the wonderful Pocket Gallery in downtown Raleigh, the North Carolina Museum of Art store, and have participated in a couple of shows in Raleigh and Greensboro. I’ve also had the opportunity to send artwork to kind people all over the US, Canada, and even to Australia and Europe. I feel extremely blessed to be able to do this.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nope! Not having a regular paycheck was pretty scary at first. There were weeks where my sales were low, or there was nothing at all. Those in-between times where I was making little to no money felt discouraging. I often had to consider if I needed to stop what I was doing and get a different job, or just power through whatever scary week it was and work until things got better – which they did thankfully! I still remind myself that this job just flows differently than a regular 9-5.
There’s also a lot of things I just had no idea about when it came to running a business, like how much to charge for things or how much time I’d actually be spending making shop listings, packing orders, or prepping for markets. I think sometimes people assume I draw all day – and I assumed this too when I started – but this is really untrue. I spend most of my time on everything else, and then just a little bit of time is actually dedicated to making art. This is something I still struggle with and hope to balance out as I continue. Art blocks come and go too – where it’s hard for me to make art when I do make the time for it. These times have been especially tough because I know that I need to make new work to keep things going.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I make drawings! Most of what I make are works on paper, usually with watercolors, graphite, ink pens, and other media depending on how I’m feeling. I make illustrations of animals, foods, and figures in different scenes. Most of them are silly, sweet, or a little strange, usually with bright colors. I try to have fun making each one. I take a lot of inspiration from anime, manga, and children’s illustrations, which I hope comes through in the work.
My favorite works are ones that make me laugh or smile when I draw them, and honestly those are the ones I think resonate the best with others. I’m proud of all of the work I make because I know I enjoyed the process of making it, but the ones I’m really proud of are the ones that brighten someone else’s day too. For example, I have a character I call Tomato Dog – he’s just a humble tomato dog – and to this day, people still squeal when they see him. There’s nothing better than that.
I also try to make my work accessible to buy (at least I hope it is) while still making enough to live on. I’m someone who’s never had enough money to really buy art, so I like the idea that someone like me could own an original work or print without feeling like they’re overindulging.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I’d just like to say thank you for taking time to read about my little business! I also hope that anyone else who feels scared to do what they love knows that they can do it! It’ll probably still be scary but a good kind of scary 🙂 Our communities are more supportive than you’d expect.
Contact Info:
- Email: rebekahevans.art@gmail.com
- Website: www.rebekahevans.art
- Instagram: instagram.com/beckybagel
- Facebook: facebook.com/rebekahevansart
- Other: etsy.com/shop/rebekahevansart
Image Credits
Rebekah Evans
