Living the Dream:Rachel Austin
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Name: Rachel Austin
Age: 28
Location: Portland, Ore.
Education: B.A. in Management and Finance, George Fox University in Newberg, Ore.
Job Title: Artist. See samples of her work at rachelannaustin.com
What She Does: Rachel is a self-taught artist and painter who works with various mediums including watercolor, oil, and mixed media to create richly textured, abstract, colorful pieces. She works from a home studio and shows her art at boutiques, shops, galleries, coffee shops, wine bars, and restaurants across the country.
How She Got Her Gig: Rachel graduated college with the goal of working for a nonprofit, and even did so for six months before she realized that the small, slightly disorganized nonprofit that had hired her was not a good fit for her creative self. So, she tuned in to her love of creative hobbies—sewing, drawing, and woodworking especially—and got a job at an art supply store to help find a better career path. “After being there for three years, I left with an amazing education of materials and supplies,” says Rachel, who began selling her paintings on the side. “The first painting I sold was out of a window in the art supply store!”
Balance, Balance: Though she loved making art, Rachel didn’t initially want to run her own business, so she split her time working as a part-time administrative office assistant and painting in her spare hours. “After a year, I began showing more and having online sales and shops pick up my work. Sales did become consistent, and I eventually had to leave the office job if I was going to keep up.” Since then Rachel’s business has grown so much that her husband recently left his job to take over some of the business aspects of her company.
Setting Up Shop: To segue into being a full-time artist, Rachel kept exploring and painting until she’d developed a strong body of work in a couple of series. “Then I started showing anywhere that was looking for artists—coffee shops, wine bars, restaurants. Sometimes I had two or three shows up at a time, but it started getting my name out there. After doing that for a year, I had places contacting me to ask for shows instead of me looking for them, which felt amazing,” she says. To further market her body of work, Rachel also built a website and opened an Etsy shop online to increase sales.
The Good and the Bad: Rachel loves getting to paint daily and having people appreciate and respond to her work. However, with painting comes solitude, a fact that sometimes challenges her. “I miss working with people and interacting more. Painting can be a lonely job,” she says. “I know I’ve been working too long by myself when I go out for coffee and have trouble speaking when I order.”
This Job Is for You if: Rachel names an ability to take risks, endurance to create often, and a savvy business sense as key traits for her career. “Create what you love, rather than what you think will sell,” she says. “You’ll be much happier.”