Meet Rebecca Ford | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rebecca Ford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rebecca, what role has risk played in your life or career?
If you were to ask anyone who knows me if I am a risk taker, they would probably laugh in your face and say that you must have me confused with someone else. Risks are scary and I prefer my scares to come in the form 80’s horror movies with rubber knives and corn syrup dyed with food coloring. I have always been someone who follows the rules, puts in the hard work to get from point A to point B, because that is how it’s supposed to work. Like a lot of people, in 2020 I found myself with a lot of time on my hands and started toying with the idea of making art and trying to sell it online. I had been an artist my whole life, why not make some things and throw it out into the internet and see what happens. So January 2021 I opened an Etsy store, made some TikToks, and figured the worst thing that could happen is I become a wizard at home vinyl cutting machines. By July of 2021, I had been at my full time job for 5 years where I did the rise and grind to work my way up and I was so miserable. My mental health was the worst it had ever been and I was angry that I put in so much time, did the right things, and saw no future. The only thing that made me happy was running my Etsy store. So I decided to quit and step away completely from the industry I had been in for 10 years, the only work I knew how to do, and take a huge risk on myself as an artist. So far it has worked out so fingers crossed it doesn’t backfire.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As someone who survives heavily on nostalgia and pop culture references, I really wanted to make things that made people stop and go “Oh my god that’s totally me!”. Finding a style was surprisingly easy. As a kid I was very inspired by 90’s cartoons, as an adult I am inspired by American tradition tattoo work. I just sorta combined them into something that has bold lines and bright colors with a touch of mental instability. I am not saying I am the only one to do that, but I try to make things that will connect with an individual on a deeply unhinged level. Some people don’t get it, but that is okay. I do it for that one person who sees my display at an event and comes running over dragging their friend in tow, pointing at the sticker or pin or print that they saw and NEED to have. But not every design I do is like that. I have made plenty of things that I think people will absolutely love, but totally flops. I am very grateful for the online community of other artists and small business creators as well as the people that show up in my comments on every video giving me ideas or feedback. Also they make me feel a little less crazy and that making a tote bag that says “Save Plants Eat People” is a totally normal thing to do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If there is some event or cool thing happening in LA, I am most certainly not there. Whenever my best friend comes to visit, the first thing we do is hit every tourist trap on Hollywood Blvd. We just can’t say no to a novelty coffee mug. Then, on some random weekday, we will drive down to what I’m pretty sure is the last Marie Callender’s restaurant to exist for a mid day pot pie. We always have to carve out a day to drive around for hours hitting every used book store we can find, working up an appetite to eat our weight in empanadas from World Empanadas. I will always use the excuse of having a friend in town to hit up my favorite plant nursey, Mickey’s Plants, which is very close to Cactus Taqueria where we will yet again, eat our weight in fish tacos. The best places I like to take my friends are my comfort places, where I want to go after a stressful week or when I want to treat myself.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I feel that I am very lucky in that I have always had a great support system. I have amazing family and friends who have always encouraged me and been excited for the work that I have done. My best friend, Hannah, is always willing to drop everything and fly out from Chicago to help me with whatever craft fair and listens to my mindless monologues about some random idea that never make sense but she’s too nice to say so. The only one I ever had to work against and prove wrong was myself. Fortunately, the one person who seems to have mastered shutting up my endless shit talk to myself, is my husband. He has been my partner and best friend for 13 years, he has seen me at my best and at my darkest. He has also suffered through every single hobby that I decided for that month would be THE ONE. When I went to him and said I wanted to start making stickers and selling them on the internet, all he said was “Okay, what do you need to do that?”. Through this whole journey he has given up closet space, then bedroom space and when product boxes started taking over our living room, he said “I think we need to get you a bigger work space”. His support has never been “just say yes to make her happy”, he challenges me, he questions me and he pushes me. He backed me up in quitting my job even though he knew it meant sacrificing our financial security because he believed in me and what I was doing with my art. Danny, if you are reading this, I swear when my laminator that makes that weird rattling sound every time I turn it on but refuse to replace finally dies, I won’t make you spend your Saturday driving all over Hollywood looking for a replacement. Again.

Website: https://www.mourningbreathshoppe.com/

Image Credits
For picture of me, credit to Aaron Kroger.