Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Reichenbach. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rachel, we are so deeply grateful to you for opening up about your journey with mental health in the hopes that it can help someone who might be going through something similar. Can you talk to us about your mental health journey and how you overcame or persisted despite any issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
My health issues, both mental and physical, have proven to be both a challenge and a blessing in disguise when it comes to running my business. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, at 21 years old, and it really threw my whole life off track. I was a digital art major, but my arms were in so much pain that I couldn’t even hold a stylus to draw. But I was so determined to make art anyways, so I began using my mouse to draw some really simple frog characters. And soon enough, frogs became the only thing I drew, and now are the basis of my entire business! Fibromyalgia forced me to find an entirely new way to make art, and I was able to find success that I never would’ve found otherwise. But at the time, it was completely devastating. My entire future that I had imagined for myself was taken away in an instant. I was only just beginning my life at 21 years old, and I had no idea how I would could ever live my dream of being an artist if I couldn’t even hold a pen. But that became a turning point in my life, and I was able to discover a new path that I never would have found otherwise. Chronic pain still plagues me, and trying to manage it can be a tough balancing act. But I’ve learned to accept the fact that my body can’t handle as much as other’s, and to not be so hard on myself. It is what it is, and that’s okay.
Having ADHD and running my own business has also presented other types of challenges for me. I started my business while still in school, so I was accustomed to the structured environment that school provides. Not having any teachers to hold me accountable and a lack of deadlines and organization has been a constant struggle for me. The only person to hold me accountable is myself, and perhaps some angry customers! I’ve had to do a lot of research in order to understand ADHD and how it makes my brain work, and find techniques to help work with my shortcomings. Having a digital planner software, Notion, where I can set my own deadlines and reminders has been amazingly helpful in keeping myself on task. I’ve realized that by not giving myself a deadline, and instead saying “I’ll do it when I have time”, will result in said task never getting done. Notion also allows me to create detailed, step-by-step plans for each project. If I think about the big picture of everything that needs to get done, I’m pretty easily overwhelmed by it. By breaking it down into small tasks, it takes a lot of the anxiety off me. Getting myself a smart watch has also really helped me! I sometimes misplace my phone, but with my watch attached to my wrist, I can’t ever set it down somewhere and forget it. It notifies me of meetings and calls I have, and also alerts me when I’ve been sitting still too long and need to get up and stretch!
Despite all the challenges ADHD causes me, I don’t think my business would be where it is if I didn’t have it. I feel like some of my ideas can only be dreamt up by someone who has a certain level of insanity. Plus my ability to hyper focus and get work done at record speeds feels a bit like a superpower sometimes.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hi! I’m Rachel, and I’m an artist who draws cute frogs who like to commit crimes. I created a company called Rainylune, which is dedicated to making things that are bright, fun, and just a little bit weird. I create fun, frog-themed products based on my characters Son, Friend, and Sprout. Their cute, unsuspecting appearances (combined with a penchant for light criminal activity) has endeared them to fans across the globe 🐸🔪 What started off as a silly hobby of making poorly drawn frogs turned into a business overnight when my frog bag Kickstarter went viral in 2020. I’ve since sold over 10,000 frog bags, and my products and designs can be found in 100+ stores worldwide! I’m currently working on a partnership with Daiso, a Japanese dollar store chain, which will launch a Rainylune collection towards the end of 2024!
You can find me at my website, rainylune.com , or across social media for fun froggy chaos!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think the top 3 things that got me to where I am would be my ability to research and learn, the community I managed to build, and luck. When I started out, I pretty much had no clue what I was doing, and honestly, I still don’t! I managed to figure out how to manufacture products and run an online store by googling it and trying things out for myself. It’s a lot of trial and error, but you won’t get anything done without taking some risks. I think the second biggest factor in my success was the community I was able to build. I was able to find a lot of people like me online, who had silly senses of humor or health issues. Being able to build a community of likeminded people who support my artwork has been such a great support for me! And lastly, luck was one of the top contributing factors. It’s hard to predict what will go viral, or how to be in the right place at the right time to meet the right people. There’s so many people out there who work so hard on their art, and having a little bit of luck definitely plays a role in success.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
One of the challenges I’m currently facing, and have been for a long time, is not having enough time in the day to handle everything myself. Learning how to rely on others has been a really big challenge for me, because just trying to explain all my little systems to another person is such a daunting task! And once you decide to seek help, finding the right person to handle each task is another challenge entirely.
Contact Info:
- Website: rainylune.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rainylune
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rainylune
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rainylune
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rainylune
