Meet Sasha (“Rayne”) Krause | (they/them/theirs) – Illustrator, Graphic Designer, Student & Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sasha (“Rayne”) Krause and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sasha (“Rayne”), what is the most important factor behind your success?
I would say the most important factor behind my success has been comitting to creativity. Just like anyone commits to a career, a relationship, a responsibility; I commit to creativity. I have decided to study art and design in college and I am currently in my third year. College is giving me time: time to experiment in my artistic style, time to build my brand, and time to make lifelong connections with peers, mentors and business partners. I try to be creative everyday and I find that being present in that pursuit has helped me become more successful. I have an Instagram page (@raynesthings) that I try to post on at least once a week if not more often, depending on my schedule. That is a commitment that comes easy to me because I love to build that community and to interact with those who are supporting my art. People ask me what kind of job I will get when I graduate, and the answer is I don’t know the specifics yet, but anything under the creative sun!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The purpose of my art is to create portraiture that ignites a sense of excitement within my audience. My main goal over my first year of quarantining on and off for the COVID-19 pandemic was to create my own artistic style. I chose a form of art that I enjoyed practicing and I refined it. I have always had fun drawing things like eyes, so I figured to challenge myself I would begin my journey in practicing portraiture. Not the realistic, Frida Kahlo kind, but my very own new kind of portraiture. The reason I wanted to create my own style was to explore my unique view on art. I wanted to allow myself a space to explore and express my imagination. My journey is far from over, and I am delighted with new ideas for my style and general artwork every day. The main medium that I enjoy working in is digital media, but I’m also drawn to experimentation in physical mediums! For the most part I use the Adobe suite and Procreate to complete my projects, but I have incorporated mixed media and printmaking into my work, and I plan on continuing to experiment.
Getting to where I am today has not been easy. I have worked hard for my success and I will continue to work hard for it. I grew up in a low-income family and persuing art and design as a first-generation college student is not the “finacially responsible” decision, but I don’t think I would find nearly as much excitiment and fulfillment in anything else. I have overcome this financial block for now by working towards and maintaining scholarships/grants through my college; once I graduate I will have to figure it out again but I am up for the challenge! I want to inspire those who can relate to my story to give their dreams a chance, even if it seems unrealistic, you will be dedicating your life to what you truly feel drawn to, and that’s something you can’t put a price on.
I am most proud of and excited about my current series I am working on and slowly releasing on my Instagram (@raynesthings), called my “Fruit Friends”. This is my first coherent series of portraits and it makes me feel like a professional artist to have an official series in my style. It’s very entertaining to see and hear the reactions to this series, I love when people tell me their favorites and the reasons behind it, or their ideas on what I should do next; I find everyone has a different reaction to it, which is so interesting!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in a charming small town, Greeley, CO, and despite it’s reputation of being smelly, it’s such a fulfilling place to live. There is much to do here despite it’s size! Some of my favorite things to do with friends is visit our local coffee shops like John Galt and Margie’s; John Galt has a wonderful peppermint latte that I like to have my friends try, and Margie’s has the best vegan lemon poppyseed bread. Both café’s also have an arts market, where you can see and purchase artwork from local artists! I love to pick up ingradients from our local farmer’s market on Saturdays to make breakfast, or I enjoy visiting The Donut Factory for some divine treats. Some of my favorite restaurants to grab some food from are Tasty Kitchen Chinese Restaurant, Santeramo’s Italian Food, Thai One, Luna’s tacos and tequila, Sexy Sammies, Wing Shack, and Empire State Pizza to name a few. Greeley has a great selection of parks to hang out at, my favorite being Glenmere Park because it is so beautiful year-round. I’ve only lived here for a year, so I have yet to discover all of the amazing places to hang out, but there’s always something to do like seeing a concert at the Moxi Theater, checking out some comics and games at The Nerd Store, or going to seasonal events like the Greeley Arts Picnic which the UNCO Art Guild will have a booth at this summer!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shoutout the University of Northern Colorado Art Guild! Each of the lovely members and officers of this club have supported me in my artistic journey, and I would not be where I am without all of them. here is a link to their instagram page to learn more and stay updated on the UNCO Art Guild: https://www.instagram.com/unco_artguild/ . Email me with any inquiries!

Website: https://linktr.ee/raynesthings

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raynesthings/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-krause-0538a0225/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SashaKrause13

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raynesthings/

Other: Online Portfolio: http://raynesthings.myportfolio.com Redbubble Sticker Shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/raynesthings/shop?asc=u