Today we’d like to introduce you to Audra Rincon.
Hi Audra, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
KawaiiChikkie started as a way to provide the world with cute adorable products! I have been buying and collecting cute items my whole life. Since I was inspired at a young age to love kawaii and Sanrio. I was always drawn to silly doodles such as Tamagotchi and it took me until I was out of college to finally have an art style I was proud of. I use kawaii as a way to express my good feelings. Having a vessel, such as Chikkie, helps me communicate those emotions easier.
My motto is “Keep It Cheepie!” Which means to be silly, creative and motivated. With character building and immersion, I wanted a motto that people can relate to and be funny to say! I grew up loving Hello Kitty and thought if I could story-build and create that same kind of connection with others but in a SILLY way, it would be unique and brighten people’s day just a little to see Chikkie.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Getting to know the craft and the culture of kawaii was a bit intimidating. Starting off in any field, one needs to research it constantly, and it is a niche that only recently has become popular in America, there are not a lot of books on it. Finding the articles, videos, and actual research to know the history of kawaii and even the future of kawaii is hard until these last few years. Loaded with that knowledge helps to grow as a business and artist but It pains me to think of what I don’t actually know and what I can’t experience because it’s hard to get access to it.
Business-wise it was been a huge struggle trying to balance both my corporate office job and art career. The biggest advice I got was from a customer at a Lunar New Year Market in Dallas, “Art is your career. Your weekday job is the real side hustle.” This got me thinking that if I want my business to grow, I have to treat it with the highest priority. As a young artist, we put our dreams on hold because it’s not “viable” to live off art. To succeed, you need to rethink what is really important to you.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in Kawaii minimalism art. I love the subtle attention to details in Sanrio design, and to learn more about it you can see how deceptively simple it is. Creating cute characters such as Chikkie or Hello Kitty can seem easy but keeping to the strict rules of kawaii and design, it can be hard to stay consistent. I work on adding value to something that seemingly has no value, ie. a cute character that might seem to have no importance because it is so childlike. I create with the idea of treasuring the short span of a chicken’s life, their baby stages, because as the artist I want to create ways for the viewer to treasure something that is so fleeting, such as time. Keeping to the minimal line art style it shows my preference for the caricature of such a complex creature breaking down posing that is playful and amusing to only the necessary lines. My preference is for simplicity.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My family and boyfriend is my biggest advocate, I can’t even begin to list the amount of help they have provided me. Traveling cross-county to sell my merchandise for a weekend or staying up long hours to help me get products and displays ready for a convention. They love Chikkie just as much as I do, maybe even more, since they help out without me asking and taking the initiative to help me grow the business.
Pricing:
- Plushies $20
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kawaiichikkie.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kawaiichikkie/
- Youtube: https://www.twitch.tv/kawaiichikkie
Image Credits
Audra Rincon (Creator/Owner of KawaiiChikkie)
