Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Raschbaum.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. As a kid, I loved to draw but fell out of it by the time I reached middle school. I went several years without making much more than a few boredoms induced doodles until I was forced to take an art class to complete my high school curriculum. The experience was more enjoyable than I had expected and led me to pursue an art degree. After some research and discussion with family members, I decided to focus on graphic design.
I ended up getting a great education through the communication design program at The University of North Texas. Since graduating 5 years ago I’ve worked professionally as a designer with various agencies in Dallas and Portland. I’ve been lucky to be a part of some amazing projects and work with talented people who have taught and inspired me.
Toward the end of last year, I decided to start making more personal work. I asked my friend, Nick Quintero, from Fresher Than, if he would let me be a part of one of their group shows to jumpstart the process. He was cool with it and I went to work making a few prints and enamel pins. Since then I’ve jumped on a few more shows and have continued to make more work.
Has it been a smooth road? I’ve been fortunate to have had a fairly smooth path to where I am. My biggest struggles have been internal. Issues such as imposter syndrome and perfectionism kept me from doing my own personal work for a long time. I was always worried about making something that wasn’t completely unique, original or amazing but I’ve been able to overcome that with time. Sometimes those issues manifest, but I’ve learned that it’s better to come short of my own expectations, or even fail, then it is to have never tried at all.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ryan Raschbaum – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others. I’m a multidisciplinary designer and illustrator. I consider myself a generalist and try not to fit myself or my work into any specific area for too long or else I tend to get burnt out.
I have an amazing day job as a designer at The Matchbox Studio in Deep Ellum, where I get to work on a wide range of branding and digital projects. I also have a side hustle as the co-founder of an event-based app called Socialvite that I’ve been working on for the past two years with some great friends. When I’m not working on those things, I’m spending time in my sketchbook trying to come up with ideas for personal projects, which have mainly been prints and pins. Eventually, I’d like to branch out into other things.
Although it can be overwhelming at times I feel like working on a lot of things at once helps influence and evolve my work as a whole. Sometimes I apply things that I’ve learned from working on the app to parts of my day job, or something that I learned during my day job to my personal work. I try to think of each experience as an opportunity for something else.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least? I really enjoy seeing how much Dallas is growing and changing right now. It seems like a lot of people are working hard and doing cool things, especially local artists and makers. I’m optimistic about the future of Dallas’ creative community and I think it’s nice that it still feels fairly accessible. One of my least favorite things about the city is the insane amount of valet parking.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ryanraschbaum.com
- Phone: 2149808843
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanraschbaum/
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