Meet Rachel Hayes | Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Hayes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I never felt like I fit into the “normal” operating world, especially regarding scheduling. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts & spent the majority of my adult years waiting tables & bartending. I felt more free in jobs with human connection, opposed to “stable” office jobs. I found thrill and excitement in unpredictable environments. This was challenging for my focus & productivity, part of my thrived on that. Serving the public informed my perspectives regarding my writing and my artwork, as well as personal obstacles and processes. I always wanted my own business because of the challenge, the freedom, the independence. It took me awhile to figure out my angle, what did I WANT? I continued to experiment with various interests, including welding. I was aware my ideas could be expansive & at times unrelated, so it was best for me to be the artist I am. My thought process was more of a constant new experiment, trying to find my motive, always driven to provide a message. I still don’t feel like I’ve found it all yet, but it drives me to keep chasing and fighting.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is inspired by the survivalism demanded from my life. I suffered some great, terrifying, oppressive, and at times, extreme hardships caused by domestic violence; from childhood to my adult life. I am a survivor of physical, emotional, and sexual assault. Although, I’ve experienced these wretched woes of the human condition, I’ve found spirituality and sobriety. Regardless of where I have been in my life, I always went to class and I always kept my art supplies no matter where I was. As I became sober and healing, I realized many old ideas needed to die. I felt like I couldn’t be the performer, entertainer, or artist that was deep in my heart and my belly. It has not been easy. I am not saddened by this anymore. I do not think these hardships are meant to keep us down, but that mental health needs more attention in our society as does domestic violence. These issues of the home I’ve seen impact human productiveness and happiness in deeply subconscious levels. I’ve overcome my obstacles and seek to help others find strength to carry on. My art includes ceramics, painting, and writing. I am also an exotic performer and have performed various local stand-up comedy here in Tulsa, OK. I am mostly a ceramicist, but I’ve had my foot in many doors, including welding, home remodels, woodworking for sculpting, and various other experimentations in and out of college. It’s been 4 years since I graduated & nothing has been more important than writing, dancing, and ceramics for me. A lot of my art is influenced by identity, passion, heartache, obstacles, spiritual symbolism, family/home life, and sexuality. My life has evolved around sex since I can remember, I’ve always been deeply fascinated with it, drawn to it, the comfort, the companionship, the excitement, the hunger. As I have undergone a significant spiritual transformation, my sex has shifted & I’ve learned to accept it without such great obsession for approval or supplement. I learned that I needed to heal from the inside so I started practicing meditation and aligning chakras.
The more effort I put towards my personal development, the more confidence I had, and the more this has driven my creativity & need to share my love for expression, without judgement.
I want women and men, both to know they are loved abundantly, that no matter your mental state, your sexual orientation, your damage, or your trauma, we all deserve honesty & peace. I want children to feel safe to create, without fear of who is in charge of them. I want people to feel the freedom I feel in discovering who I want to be. My art challenges me to be better, to think harder, to try again. I am constantly building, tearing down, and recreating again. That is apart of the life-force experience. Birth, death, rebirth. I allow my art to speak to me & if something isn’t working, my art makes me reflect, transmute, and try again. My survivalism has become a gift, gained by suffering. I want the world to know it is safe to cry. Be yourself, friend.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Tulsa, OK. If my best friend came to visit, we would go for a morning walk at the Gathering Place, get coffee at The Collaborative coffee shop, probably take a nap, and hang out. Keystone Lake Park isn’t far about a 30 minute drive, where there are some “secret” viewpoints that see over most of the city. There are countless gorgeous camping areas that are within an hour, including Talequah, OK where the river is luscious or Beaver’s Bend State park (Broken Bow, OK), an area I grew up in, with wonderful, ice cold mountain spring water, jump off cliffs, & countless hiking areas. Tulsa, OK has a huge creative community especially near downtown, just off the Arkansas river. I prefer to cook for my company, but if I took them out we’d probably get some Jenya.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am effortlessly grateful for my AA sponsor Becca Garcia & the members I’ve met along the way. I was given so many wonderful opportunities at East Central University in Ada, OK and the Speech & Debate team, as well as their publication team & theatre department. Then there are the countless friends I call family, that always push me to be better. Those people include Jordan Eggleston, Ashe Loper, Becca, Whittney Somoano, my pops Jerry Hayes, my cousin Ashley Davey, and so many more. I love all of you so much. Thank you for always calling me on my BS & giving me hope when I need it.

Instagram: wildswineceramics_ / play_in_the_mud