Meet Rebecca Crossing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Crossing.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Like a lot of artists, I started drawing as a wee girl, and somehow knew right away that this was all I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My older sister, Betsy and I grew up doodling side by side as kids. Back then, we mostly just copied our favorite anime and cartoon characters. Anime and manga really shaped my art as a child, and that self-taught foundation gave me a lot of confidence to explore art deeper, and eventually explore myself and the message I wanted to give the world about who I am.

My youth was quite emotionally turbulent and coping with inner turmoil and finding healthy outlets had always been a challenge. Discovering that I could escape into art and illustration was a powerful tool for me. I was a lot more confident and expressive through my art. I’ve always felt as though art was the only thing, I truly was very good at, so while my anxiety and uncertainty in myself grew, I knew I could be grounded and honest in my art.

Through my twenties, I was able to find strength and clarity as my art evolved to be more surreal and expressing darker themes and content. It’s fairly taboo, now more than ever to embrace negative or dark feelings. In a world where it’s common to hear “Good Vibes Only,” it can be a bit scary to firmly believe in sadness and fully feeling its healing properties through acceptance. I believe there’s no such thing as a bad feel, just an untrained feeling. I’ve always struggled with positive mental health my whole life but utilizing art as a way to give my inner demons and melancholic feelings a platform and voice has really helped me love myself and make peace with that turbulence. Through art, I can continue to allow an authentic voice to be exploratory and uninhibited. The creatures that manifest themselves come from a deep love I have of the melancholy, paranormal, occult, and supernatural. I feel it’s important to feel things as strongly as you need to before taming it, and for me, sadness, fear, and that almost romanticized vision of gloom has always inspired me and makes my chest feel full of anticipation. When my creatures start to show themselves to me through the fog of sketches, it’s a thrill liken to seeing or hearing a ghost. I like to keep that horror movie thrill in my heart.

Has it been a smooth road?
Being an artist has not always been a smooth road. Struggling with mental health and confidence has always been a heavy chain to bare. Through the years I have been able to metaphorically strength train to carry that burden with me and control its voice. Additionally, I think any artists can tell you that constantly hearing the same, “you’re a starving artist! You need to get a REAL job!” comments drone on and on and can be exhausting too. Having to always be on the defense or at least faking a laugh gets tedious and repetitive.

It gets easier the more I surround myself with people that cheer me on and believe in me. Since moving to Southern California from Maine in 2014, I have been very fortunate to meet many likeminded and talented individuals that uplift and inspire me. Having that extra push to put myself out there, showcase my art more, and maintain my shops has been a huge quality of life improvement. I’ve always been stubborn about accepting help or relying on anyone or my community, so opening myself up to that important kinship was paramount to my continued success.

Besides general anxiety for pushing myself, I have found my largest obstacle has been maintaining a full-time day job while trying to cultivate my career in art. Anxiety and depression are a lot to grapple with on a daily basis, so with that strain, the fatigue of long hours in an office, then coming home and trying to keep pushing to create and grow my career burns me out a lot faster than I am happy about. The goal is to be making art my full-time focus, however, so I know all this hustle will be worth every second once I reach my ultimate goal!

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am most well-known for dark and surreal graphite illustrations and similarly themed hand embroidery and watercolor mixed-media pieces. I have gotten more into making prints, stickers, jewelry, and zines (self-printed publications). I love exploring new mediums and ways to express my themes and ideas, so the variety of products tends to rotate.

As a freelance illustrator and maker, I have many ways to contact me for work. My main shop is powered by Etsy right now and is very easy to add primarily ready-made items to a cart and check out. Outside of that, most of my clients contact me via Instagram and my email listed. Clients can freely describe commissions that they may be inquiring about or ask questions about print updates and show schedules. My more recent traveling storefront is typically at Zine Fests in the Southern California area from as far North as Claremont, and as far south as San Diego. I look forward to meeting you at OC Zine Fest (Aug. 24th, 2019 – Sat, 11:00 AM – 4:30 PM
200 S Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA) I participate in a variety of group art shows throughout the year, so please follow my Facebook or Instagram for show updates. You will see my work in December at Giant Robot Store (2015 Sawtelle Blvd Los Angeles, CA) for the annual Post-It Note Show.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I love best about Westminster is that my home is only a few streets over from my favorite art store that I have been frequenting since I first moved to Southern California (Art Supply Warehouse). Besides that, there is a variety of really good food including a Poke spot I frequent embarrassingly about once a week (Poki Naya). Something I am not fond of is since moving deeper into Orange County and out of Los Angeles County, it is a bit of a hassle to attend events and art shows up in LA proper because the drive is a bit tedious and parking can be such a hassle and added expense.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.linktr.ee/rebecca.crossing
• Email: Rebeccacolecrossing@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Dennis Pham

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