I had the honor of stumbling into a stream of a young woman who was doing something that I used to enjoy doing in order to de-stress- woodburning, also known as pyrography. You can make so much when you use a good piece of wood and some great pyrography tools.
There are so many tips for the machine in the picture and this amazing wood burning artist allows us to watch her hands create these masterpieces on her Twitch channel and she is always ready to help those of us who loves to dabble in the art ourselves. She is at the ready to explain what she is doing, what wood she uses, what she is making, and any other tidbit she can give us the viewers as she works. So without further ado, here is an interview I had the pleasure in conducting with a Twitch streamer, an artist, and a great business woman.
BIO:
Rachel Rieckenberg grew up in a tiny farm town in Southern Illinois surrounded by her families misfit farm and huge backyard forest. It was there her imagination and love of fairy tales blossomed.
She left home to attend school for Special Effects Makeup shortly after leaving High School. She traveled around working in Film for almost a decade until settling in Georgia, trading in makeup brushes for paintbrushes.
Rachel is now a Traditional Mixed Media Artist focusing on pyrography, Watercolor, and Oils. Her work is a blend of Flora and Fauna, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, with Rococo and Art Nouveau styles.
When she isn’t working, you can find her spending time with her boyfriend Kevin and puppy Devi, playing Skyrim, or vegging out with a good book.
1. What is your twitch name?
You can find me on Twitch as RococoRachel
2. Is there a reason why you chose that name?
I kinda have a fascination with double letter things. I think it stems from my actual name, Rachel Rieckenberg. Also, my artwork takes design elements from Rococo and Art Nouveau styles and mixes them up with a modern fantasy/sci-fi twist.
3. Why did you become a Twitch Streamer?
I didn’t know much about Twitch until my boyfriend mentioned that they were branching out and adding a Creative section. I watched some other artists on there for a while until I gained enough nerve and know how to do it myself. I liked the idea of showing my process and to have some company while I worked the long hours that it takes for me to create a piece. It has been a very rewarding process so far.
4. Why did you choose Twitch to stream on and not another gaming/streaming platform?
I decided to go with Twitch to live stream because their whole platform is meant to run as a streaming site. Other sites really got into live streaming after Twitch was established and became popular. I feel I have more control over the quality streaming to Twitch than other sites because of the use of Streamlabs and OBS. I do stream from time to time on Instagram, but I don’t stream for the same about of hours that I can on Twitch. Plus, there aren’t as many options since you are only able to film on Instagram by using your mobile device.
5. How long have you been a streamer?
I have been streaming on and off for fun with no set schedule for over a year. This year I made the decision to focus more on Twitch with an actual schedule.
6. Do you only stream or do you have another job? And if you’re comfortable saying what, what is your other job?
Outside of streaming, Art is my main job. I do teach Art classes or workshops from time to time though.
7. What do you stream mostly? Games? Creative? Another category on Twitch?
I mainly stream Creative on Twitch, but sometimes I will stream a game if I have time. I use games to de-stress or to get ideas for future art pieces.
8. When did you start your art/writing/music?
I have been doing Art my whole life in one form or another. With doing Pyrography, the Fine Art of Woodburning, I started about 4 years ago just for fun and seriously on the Fine Art side, for about 2 years. I never thought it would be what it is today.
9. What inspired you to strive to do what it is that you do?
Well, I ran across an artist on Youtube named PeterDraws who was doing some amazing pyrography work. I thought it was cool and thought I would give it a try. I ended up loving it far more than I expected and grew a business out of it.
10. Do you sell your works? And if you do, do you have a link to your store or website where they are sold?
I do sell my work. I tend to sell stuff straight off my Twitch Channel, in person at conventions, and soon I will be selling over on Etsy. If you would like to follow my shop on Etsy for when things become available to check here:
www.etsy.com/shop/RococoRachel
11.What are your favorite games to play if you play games as well?
I play Skyrim, Stardew Valley, Warframe, Rimworld, Terraria, etc.
12. Do you have any games you’d like to recommend to my readers to play and why?
I always recommend Skyrim if you have never played. There is always something to do in that game. And if you just want to relax, I recommend Stardew Valley. It has great characters and who doesn’t love building your own personal farm?
13. Was it hard to talk to your viewers when you first became a streamer? How long before you became at ease with streaming?
For me personally, it wasn’t hard talking to random strangers. In my previous career, I was a special effects makeup artist, I always had a new person in my chair and not a lot of time for introductions. It felt very similar to streaming. The hard part was talking when there was no one in there. There are always people dropping in and out of streams and if there is dead silence, most people don’t end up staying. You have 5 to 10 seconds that either your words, your work, or your music gets them to hang around a bit more. The biggest thing that I suggest to people who are nervous to try their hand at it, is to just turn the camera on and work. Then once you are comfortable with that, invite a friend to hang out in a personal live stream with you and talk to them. It gets easier the more you stream. Also, check out other streamers to see how they run their channels. You can pick up good ideas on how to keep the convo going when chat is quiet.
14. Would you like to tell my readers anything else about yourself or your channel?
I really want people to come along on the ride with me and share a bit of the magic of how an artist works. The process of creating a piece is what is important to me and with Twitch, YOU become a part of the process of that art. YOU get attached to the art as much as I do by being there while it comes to life. I find the thought of that so amazing. It isn’t just about me, it is about us as a community.
If you would like to know more, follow me here:Website: www.RachelRieckenberg.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rococorachel/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RococoRachel
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/rococorachel
Rachel is an awesome person and has so many amazing pieces of work that I really hope that you not only go to her Etsy shop to see them but you take the time to join Twitch and watch her create her wood magic in person. She is very friendly and someone who is a lot of fun to chat with while she works. So come and join me sometime on Twitch and let’s watch Rachel together. Included are just a few of her works so again go check out her other works. You won’t be disappointed. She is inspiring me to get back into pyrography but that will have to wait until my youngest daughter is much older.