Rebecca Kiefer Studio Miami Beach Artist

 

Rebecca Kiefer Studio Miami Beach Artist

Rebecca “Row” Kiefer is a New York, NY based graphic designer, illustrator and photographer. New York City is a very crowded and fast-paced city to live in. Therefore, Rebecca often focuses her illustrations on quiet, peaceful, or even humorous moments inspired by her day-to-day that break the tension of an otherwise stressful environment. Rebecca also has a psychology background, so many of the themes in her artwork focus on concepts such as positive psychology, self care, relationships and love. Rebecca also loves creating artwork inspired by her New York City environment.

In addition to art, Rebecca enjoys traveling the world. Her favorite location she’s visited so far is Phuket, Thailand.

Overall, Rebecca loves meeting new people, learning new stories, and using her artwork to express herself.

There’s a common misconception that art is not a feasible career. Since I was younger, I received messages from the people around me that artists were “starving” or that art was merely a hobby and that it was not a realistic career goal. I remember being able to tune those messages out completely until the age of 18. I was so confident in my photography and in my growing fine art skills. I wanted nothing more than to become a professional photographer and there was no societal fear that was going to stop me from achieving my dreams. My confidence was rooted in my passion for creating and the sheer enjoyment I got out of practicing my craft. I often found myself in flow when I was creating art. Flow is a concept from Positive Psychology that describes a mental state where a person experiences so much passion and enjoyment out of what they’re doing that they completely lose sense of time. Flow allowed me to stay up all hours of the night finishing a painting and not even realize I had done so until I looked at the clock.

I experienced my first lapse in artistic confidence when I entered NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts as a Photography & Imaging major. I was surrounded by a sea of talented artists who were just as good and better than I was. I had to turn in artwork every week and receive critique on my work as a part of a 4-hour long studio. I felt a complete lack of inspiration, even though I was turning out a prolific amount of artwork. Amidst all this, I felt a pressure to pursue more lucrative avenues of photography (i.e., fashion, commercial, etc.) even though I had no interest in that style of art. Ultimately, I found myself very unhappy in my major and decided I should switch to another subject.

Because of my deep interest in portraiture and storytelling through art, I decided to study Psychology. I felt as though getting to learn more about the inner workings of humans would broaden my skillset and inform a greater inspiration for my artwork. I instantly fell in love with Psychology and found myself creating now only when I felt inspired to create something. I was no longer bound by deadlines, grades, or inevitable comparisons to my peers. I felt more confident than ever in my artwork and I also found a new passion in Psychology.