Rachel Castle
Fun enthusiast, Illustrator, Artist
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Instagram: @rachelcastleandthings | castleandthings.com.au
Design Rules I Follow
There are many design rules for me, little things that work aesthetically. And I love a rule! Gray marle and butterscotch are the two colors that neutralize a very colorful palette and are CRUCIAL for making everything fit. Don’t go too off brand, don’t get bored with your core aesthetic, it’s what defines you and what people want from you. If I make a product, I have to BE IN LOVE with it. No fillers. NO FILLERS. Ever. We don’t do seasonal ranges because we never want to be in a position where we need to “make stuff up” in order to fill a range. So we only ever wait for the inspiration, which nine times out of 10 comes from my artwork, and then transport this to product. It means our product ranges are random and nimble; we only make something if we can’t help ourselves!
"Don’t go too off brand, don’t get bored with your core aesthetic, it’s what defines you and what people want from you.“
My Three Rules for Getting Away with Being a Workaholic:
My work is my life. Equally, I have a family and many friends who share this life.
1. Be home every night for family dinner Sunday through Thursday.
2. Take at least four family holidays a year and do not work at all—no social media, no emailing, no talking to work peeps, nothing.
3. If you have to work at home, do it quietly. These days everyone is happy with screens, and I am reluctantly as long as we are family while we’re all connected. So you can work and watch Breaking Bad with your boys at the same time, as long as you do it quietly.
Life-Changing Advice
Don’t complain and don’t explain. As a woman juggling a thousand things, I felt guilty for years for not being able to say yes to everyone—family, work, friends. I had a really good friend who would happily say, “Sorry, my love, I can't make Sunday,” and I wouldn’t blink an eyelid, and I wondered why I found it so difficult to say no when she did it so gracefully. The epiphany was she didn’t need to explain, and I didn’t need an explanation. It was life-changing for me. I just decline if I can’t do something, and I decline with love and one sentence, rather than with guilt and a long-winded, very boring explanation that is completely unnecessary. Try it; it’s awesome.
My Spirit Animal
My friend told me that I’m a meerkat, always poking around and never sitting still. It’s a really unattractive little animal if you ask me, so thanks a lot!
Something We Wouldn’t Know
My husband brings me coffee both Saturday and Sunday mornings, and I lie in bed until midday, almost without exception.
The 411: Artist Rachel Castle loves having a bit of fun. Her whimsical, instantly recognizable art—paintings, screen prints, bed linens, apparel and fabric embroideries—pop with visual energy and color. An avid pop culture fan, she is known for her love of a good song lyric and an obsession with flowers and spots.
