Why we need to stop thinking of art as something we're good or bad at.

Rachel Mishael is an abstract artist with an exclusive focus on natural and eco-friendly materials. Her work honors the raw beauty of plants and minerals, evoking a tranquil sense of nature indoors. Stylistically, Mishael is influenced by the natural elements of Scandinavian and Mediterranean design. She is also known by millions across social media as a leading voice of the contemporary ‘eco-artist’ movement.

Here is my conversation with her below:

My mother is the reason I’m really cool and artsy.

My father is the reason I’m a sensitive and kind person.

I learned early on to embrace the arts in all forms. My mom put me in acting, singing, piano and dance classes as young as I can remember. She’d have loved to be a ‘momager’. It didn’t all take, but I always found another way to creatively express myself.?

Creativity comes from our inner child. There’s a famous Picasso quote that goes “Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” We are often discouraged from being creative at home and in school as kids, because it can be disruptive, messy or in defiance of directions. But as adults, creativity is highly rewarded. I wonder how many more creative solutions we’d have to real world problems if we’d been encouraged to embrace our inner artist growing up.

I think of art as medicine. The act of creating art can be therapeutic and healing. It can be meditative. It can be self expression. It can communicate feelings and ideas that you need to release. And the right receivers will reap those same benefits.

Putting ideas into action should be done as soon as possible for an artist. I’m often overwhelmed by how many ideas I have and how quickly they pile up. Letting them pile up becomes creatively paralyzing and that’s when I start procrastinating and showing signs of perfectionism. I think this is the very reason why artists are known for working at odd hours of the night. If I really think an idea is good, the more immediately I make some kind of tangible step toward it, the more likely I am to actually follow through with it.?

Artists have a unique position to influence cultural change. Art has historically been used to communicate important social and political messages, and contemporary art in particular often communicates these messages most directly, which can help ideas and perspectives gain mainstream attention and acceptance. All that’s to say, I think artists can inspire more climate-action through their work. Though I should note that, in a broad sense, governments and big corporations should be the ones to take responsibility in effectively addressing our climate crisis. But for the most part, they are failing us and we cannot rely on them.?

Nature is my greatest inspiration.?

I couldn’t care less what strangers think of me. I’m a New Yorker through and through. I will cry, dance and sing in public with no embarrassment. I have real main character energy.

I forgive my dad for saying “I don’t know anything about art” when I asked him if he liked one of my paintings. He’s never been one to lie.

I find it very hard to be fake. I have ruined my chances at connecting with a potential collector many times because I simply can’t bite my tongue when they say stupid things.?

I’m working on being better with self-discipline and structure. It’s the age old tale of my kind, the artist. I’ve had awful insomnia all my life, so I struggle to maintain healthy schedules and habits. Being addicted to my phone certainly doesn’t help.?

New York City is fantastic for kids. Haven’t heard that one before, have you? I really believe growing up in NYC was a beautiful experience that prepared me for being a citizen of the world. I was integrated with a massive diversity of race, ethnicity, religion and socio-economic groups. I was surrounded by all kinds of art, food, cultures and innovation. I performed in off-broadway plays in elementary school. My sixth grade public school class was involved in the design of the now famous High Line. My middle school musician friends played at the Bitter End. I was riding the subway alone by 11 years old. Sure, I didn’t have a backyard to run around in, but I had the whole city.?

Los Angeles is not a real city. I love it here, but I can’t in good conscience call a place that requires a car to get around, a city. But what it lacks in public transportation it makes up for in nature. It’s one of the few places in the world where you can have most of the conveniences of a major city AND the incredible nature of a dream vacation. Though not technically LA, Malibu has some of my favorite beaches in the world.

Denmark has its shit together. They also have an incredible knack for design. I’ve traveled quite a bit, but Denmark is the only place I’ve been where the design is so consistently good everywhere. Every home I’ve been to could be in a magazine. Danish design has profoundly influenced my art practice. I feel so lucky to have learned so much about Denmark and spent so much time there, thanks to my long time Danish partner.?

Americans don’t understand quality over quantity. In the majority of countries I’ve traveled to, the average home design is much more thoughtfully curated than that of an American home. The average American collects too many cheap, meaningless things. And not enough art!

Not many people know that I’m a former travel journalist. I loved it, and am still very passionate about travel, but I will never be able to hold a classic 9-5. I am more suited toward the freedom of the artist lifestyle.

Working in news media was empowering. I had a responsibility to the public, and I took that responsibility seriously. So did all of my colleagues. There was a real sense of unity and shared values among editorial teams.?

Social media has given me the platform to spread awareness of my nature-inspired eco art practices to millions, and inspire artists to work more sustainably. Before I went viral on TikTok, I had to spend hours researching to find eco-art resources and products. Now there are a ton more resources out there, and I’m so happy to see it.

Living near the beach has inspired my current body of work. I’m working with a lot of local sand right now. I’m vacuuming my studio like 5 times a day.

One piece of advice I have for aspiring artists is to never seek external validation. If your art is a masterpiece to you, then it is a masterpiece. Art is completely subjective, and any experts who have convinced you some art is better than others, are likely in the marketing department.?

Hear Me Out

Art is healing. I became drawn to painting in college, at a time when I had a serious eating disorder in connection with an anxiety disorder. I began painting as a distraction from my hunger. What I didn’t realize until later was that painting brought me into a flow state. I was so focused that my mind was actually quiet for the first time in about a year. My racing thoughts and overall anxiety gradually floated out of me, and all I cared about were the marks on my canvas. Painting improved my anxiety and led to my eating disorder recovery. Since then, I’ve realized that painting is a form of therapy and meditation for me. I've never been successful with traditional meditation, though I’ve tried for the last decade. For me, working with my hands is a much more effective form of presence.?

When people learn that I’m an artist, I am almost always met with a reaction of self-effacing jokes about their own artistic talents. Most of the non-artists I meet seem to think art is something to be good at, a skill or god-given talent. It’s not. And that limiting belief is preventing them from engaging in a very healthy and beneficial activity.

Do you feel good when you sing in the shower? What about when you dance when no one is watching? When you make a cute doodle in the middle of a boring presentation? When you finish decorating your new apartment? Those are small daily examples of the healing power of the arts. So everyone, please, lean further into it! It breaks my heart to think of all the people out there who could be healing in so many ways if they knew the real therapeutic powers of art. The science is there too: art makes us feel good.

You can see all my work on my website. You can also find my social links and other interviews under the resources tab or here.