Meet our Virgo sister, Rebeca Anaya, a multi-talented globe-trotter with a fun-loving attitude and a passion for life. Just like her, her creations are vibrant and full of personality, they are intentional, honest, inspiring and a breath of fresh air. Although she is best known for her lettering work, she has hidden talents as well, her illustrations take on a life of their own. Today, we got to sit down with her and find out what inspires her and have a glimpse into her creative world and process, and who knows, we may pick up a new hobby or learn a new skill.

  

Describe yourself, what you do, and where you come from. 

R:  My name is Rebeca Anaya, I’m a freelance designer and lettering artist from México. I’m 34 years old, I love queer eye and Harry Styles, and my favorite meal is chilaquiles verdes with chicken.

 

How did you get into Designing/Lettering?

R:  Since I was a little girl, I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands: whether it’s drawing, craft projects, or even just playing with play-doh, I always loved anything that involved creativity, so it was almost natural for me to go into design when choosing a career. Then, once I finished college, I came across type-design and lettering and fell in love with it. Typography is needed in 90% percent of what we do as designers, so I really liked being able to give a personality to the letterforms we use besides the message they convey. 

   

 

What is your favorite accomplishment?

R:  I’d say being a freelance lettering artist is what I’m most proud of. When I started out doing lettering, I never in a million years thought I’d be doing this for a living, so being able to draw letterforms as my 9-5 job is definitely my favorite accomplishment.

 

How much of your own life is reflected in your work? 

R:  Since the last couple of years, I’ve been taking inspiration from history and art, which are 2 other passions of mine, and I’ve seen a lot of improvement as a consequence. It’s always great to involve everything you love into your work: hobbies, interests, friends, so I’d say the more you enjoy it the better it’ll be.

 

What motivates you? What/who inspires you?

R:  Paying the bills? Lol. I’d say my dad is the person who has inspired me the most. He was able to start a business of his own and support a family from it, so I think that’s my biggest inspiration: that you can achieve anything if you work hard on it.

Amen, sister!

 

Do you have any special rituals that you do in order to achieve your creative goals?

R:  Lot’s of coffee in the morning, and whenever I want to set up a nice mood to work I’ll first clean my desk with Mrs. Meyer’s lavender cleaner, then I’ll organize my to-do list in my journal, light on a candle, find a nice up-beat playlist and get to work!

 

 

What do you do when you experience a mental block? 

R:  There was a time when I tried to work my way out of a mental block, but I’ve learned to be kinder to myself. Nowadays, whenever I find myself without any ideas or just un-inspired, I try to give myself some rest. Maybe I’ll go for a walk, do the dishes, work on my crocheted sweater that I’ve been doing since like 2 years ago haha, or just something to get the pressure off. A short break can actually do wonders!

 

What was your process and vision when developing the brand guidelines for Tickled Pipa?  

R:  I think from the beginning, Theodora and I wanted to create something that felt contemporary, minimal, and fresh, so even though we had a few bumps, the process was always easy in terms of having a clear idea of what type of brand we wanted to create.

 

 

 

 

What’s your favorite piece you developed for TP? 

R:  My favorite is definitely the fruit series we created for the summer collection! I was very nervous because I don’t usually do illustrations, but I loved how that turned out! I loved the color palette and the different shapes and forms and how they work together with the wordmark.

 

 

Are there any other creative channels you use to express your creativity?

R:  I’ve been doing a lot of knitting and embroidery lately. I particularly enjoy embroidering because it’s basically like painting with different threads and colors, so I really like combining textures and working with my hands to create different results.

 

 

 

What is your favorite color? If it were edible, what would it taste like?

R:  This is a hard question. I think my favorite color is burgundy red, and it probably tastes like a chocolate cake with some cherry on it. Yum!

 

Tell us a little about your favorite playlist these days.

R:  Lately I’ve been really into Amber Mark’s music. I love her deep voice and crazy rhythm. My favorite songs are probably monsoon, heatwave, and her thong song cover. It always gets me in a good mood.

 

Best piece of advice you've gotten?

R:  I’m not sure if this is an advice, or like a “mantra”, but whenever I’m feeling down or having issues, my husband reminds me that “I’ve been here before” Just meaning that I’ve faced hard times before and overcome them, so even though whatever I’m going through might feel like the end of the world, I’ve actually dealt with it, or even worse, before and everything turned out ok.

  

A life hack you live by? 

R:  I recently got one of those color sticks and I’m such a fan! I can basically do all my makeup with just one product and it feels soooo easy. 

 

Your favorite piece of jewelry you own? What does it mean to you?

R:  My engagement ring and wedding band first, but then in a close second I’d say is my pearl ring. It’s really special to me because the pearls were from my grandmother, and then my mom gave me some old jewelry so we could recycle the gold for the ring itself, and a friend of mine designed and created it, so it’s a really special piece for me. I’m always wearing big crazy rings because I work with my hands so much, that I like to treat them to fancy stuff. 

 

What's next? 

R:  This year I’m really looking forward to being just happier and calm. I’ve learned the hard way that the hustle-work-24/7 culture is definitely not what I want for myself because as a creative person I need room to just rest, and grow, and get ideas, so this year my goal is to be kinder on myself, and allow myself to just be happy and enjoy things without such a hurry every time.