One year ago, Rebecca McConnell, 22, embarked on a career she’d never imagined possible. After catching a TV commercial for the iPad, she decided on a whim to buy one that same evening. “I was drawn to its portability,” she says. “I knew I could take it to a café and not make a scene by bringing out my watercolors.” Two years earlier, McConnell had dropped out of college.“I got really stressed,” she says. “I told my family, ‘I’m done with art.’” For two years she barely thought about it, except when she was assisting customers at Michaels craft store, where she was working at the time. Today, life feels a whole lot different for the young entrepreneur.
You’ve been running your business for a year. How is the transition from employee to owner? It’s hard. I’m sure anyone who’s a freelancer will tell you that it’s hard to go from someone else planning your day to you planning your day. Everything falls on you. You’re human resources, you’re the payroll, you do your own taxes. It’s a difficult transition, but I see it fitting my lifestyle better than a [traditional] job ever would.
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Tell us about what you do? Let’s start with the custom work. I do family, couple, pet, and home portraits. I also create a line of products, which is so much fun. I design stickers, prints, cards, and pins.
What’s your most popular item? The houses, which I love doing, and second is the pet portraits. They’re so important to people’s lives.
How would you describe your style? I’d say it’s hand-drawn, less rigid, and more watercolor-like. I don’t focus on the straight and perfect lines. It took a lot of trial and error.I look back on my style and it’s totally changed, and that was just a year ago. When I was starting out, I did what other people were doing. I wasn’t quite there. Once I developed my style, I became more confident.
What themes do you explore in your work? Right now, I’m focusing on body positivity and female empowerment, like with my “Strong as Hell” sticker. As I grow into a businesswoman in the Midwest, it’s a little intimidating. People see me as a little girl drawing: “Oh, we’ll just buy it because it’s cute.” It’s “No, this is a business.” You just try to spread the word that there are boss babes out there who are killin’ it. They need to be recognized.
What’s the most challenging process for you? Thinking up new prints, stickers, and greeting cards. You want your work to resonate with the client, but you also want to keep your style and not sell out just because that’s what’s popular.
Why do you think people are drawn to illustration? Its childlike charm. I’ve seen entire cookbooks that are illustrated. Photos are great, too, but you’re not expecting to see an illustration. It’s a surprise.
Rebecca Lynn Illustration, rlillustrations.squarespace.com, 417-225-2853
