Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Gibson.
Hi Rachel, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I think what has allowed me to be able to draw or create something is my sense of humor and my staunch resolution in trusting that humor and loving that humor. It is not always an easy thing to do, because in almost every way you must appreciate and observe yourself, and for a perfectionist, it can be hard to find joy without a worm burrowed inside it somehow.
I learned to laugh and entertain myself before I knew how to draw, the first time I was in a true art class was because it was the only extracurricular available after I dropped Home Economics. (I was disappointed with the home economics class I was in, finding that we were not making treats and eating them as much as advertised.) From that point on, I was an art person.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am no tortured artist. Sad, sure. Anxious? Clinically.
But throughout my life, I have had an incredible amount of emotional and financial support from friends and family. I was raised by people who loved each other and encouraged by friends close and far. My friendships and my family are one of my main sources of fuel for creating work, and I would say whenever I make anything, it was for them to hold or laugh at or created out of love with them in mind.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an illustrator/ rogue and unrefined poet at times. I would like to believe that I am most known for my humor, sincerity, and heartfeltness. You can see this in my illustrations, that operate like a comic in the sense that my illustrations and commentary are often married together in the final work.
I am immensely proud to have been a part of an illustrated autobiography/ children’s book about Elizabeth Eckford called “The Worst First Day: Desegregating Central High”. It is my first children’s book to have been commissioned for and has given me the most pride to have been able to be a part of the sharing of Eckford’s personal experiences surviving this time in her life.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I love the podcast: Ologies by Ali Ward. I have always been fascinated by bugs, creatures, and parts of life that we have not considered or looked directly at. I am always consistently learning something new from this podcast from inspirational scientists in their fields. It expands on what I think is possible, and because of this it makes me a more hopeful person, maybe what I do not know or understand now will be something new to know and enjoy later. There is so much to be curious about, I think with access to everything and being a creature of habit, it is easy to get stuck in circular thoughts and assumptions, Ologies tend to be an excellent disruptor for me.
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Rachel Gibson
