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As I evolve by growing and learning more about myself, so too does my art. New website updates coming soon to reflect the new directions my journey is taking me!
Rayna Lo Art
Ollie’s Story and Merch Coming Soon!
Ollie’s story is coming soon and I can’t wait to share! I have been quite busy in the last few years running my art workshops and although they are fun and super fulfilling, I realize I haven’t been able to devote a lot of time to personal art. When I do find small pockets of … Read more
Stickermule Custom T-Shirt Review with my Ollie Character Design
This post is sponsored by Stickermule. As always, all ideas and opinions are entirely my own. Hi! Cat mom here! My fur baby Ollie–who I adopted on March 2021 from Marblehead Animal Shelter–has brought so much love and joy into my life that I have decided to immortalize my adorable little muse by turning him … Read more
Divine Intervention – The Commission that brought me back to myself and helped me heal
Divine timing. This commission request came to me at such a particular time in my life. I was going through a painful breakup and also mourning the loss of my mom. The abject pain from the compounded grief was paralyzing. As if going through the pandemic wasn’t enough, these events had to occur one after … Read more
Before I say yes to a creative job, I ask myself these simple questions.
I used to think that I had to say yes to every project, especially as an artist that’s just starting out. This mindset definitely comes from my upbringing where my Asian immigrant parents would share stories of how they had nothing coming here to the US and that you should be grateful for any and … Read more
Thoughts on the Social Media Rat Race – The Illusion, The Fleeting Validation, and the Trap of Chasing Followers and Likes
Instagram and Facebook went down for almost a full day at the beginning of October. If you have a business or want to start a business, this is the clearest sign that we should not be putting all our eggs in the social media basket. And that we should seriously develop our own website! Even … Read more
How to Look at Chinese Calligraphy if You Don’t Know What the Character Means
Take a good minute to focus on the artwork. Look from top to bottom and side to side. Try to look at the artwork as is and suspend any judgment. Move your eyes along the ink strokes and observe the artwork as is. The best way to look at Chinese calligraphy–or any art–is to ask … Read more
What to Consider when Setting yourself up as a Vendor for an Art Market
Congratulations! You get to sell your artwork as a vendor at a market and/or fair! Okay, now what? This is an exciting opportunity to put your products out there and here are some tips to help you create a successful event. From my experiences of selling at local indoor markets to outdoor out-of-state fairs, here’s … Read more
Five Simple Questions to Ask if You Don’t Know How to Articulate Your Art
You artwork may not always speak for itself. In this case, it’s helpful to clearly articulate why you created it and how you did it. Know that your audience may never fully understand your art as their art experience can widely vary. However, if you want your audience to have a baseline understanding of what … Read more
My Reasons for Drawing – Simple Ways For Me to Connect with Myself and Rest my Weary Mind
The past few months have been really busy and I am taking some much-needed time to reconnect with myself. June is a little slower with school being over and people enjoying a much-needed summer vacation, especially coming out of a traumatizing pandemic. CDC has lifted mask mandates for the vaccinated and businesses are fully opening … Read more
Beam Therapeutics Panel Discussion for AAPI Heritage Month – Going Back to My Pharma Community to Talk About Our API Experience
Today, I had the honor of being a panelist to talk about the AAPI experience. Thank you to Beam for creating a safe and open space to discuss our unique experiences. Also, thank you for allowing me to teach a Traditional Chinese calligraphy workshop that took place a few days prior! This discussion took me … Read more
A Trip to Japan Without Leaving our Home – Iwakura Sushi Kaiseki with Washoku Renaissance
Back in March of 2021, I started planning a celebration for my partner’s birthday that is in May. March 2021 was still in the midst of the pandemic and we were unsure of when vaccines would be available to the general public. Trying to plan things to look forward to (and to maintain some sanity), … Read more
