A Million Stories

We’ve met Rachel before (here and here), and although she’s always impeccably dressed, she says that her go-to outfit is something a little more basic. “A crisp white shirt, well-fitted jeans and a pair of comfortable white sneakers are foolproof every day.” She’s also endlessly fascinating each time. First off, we asked her if there was something she couldn’t live without, and she says that she would actually be devastated to lose her bookshelf in a fire. “But I strive not to be defined by the things that I own, and I’m inspired by these wise words from Bertrand Russell: ‘It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.’ Truth be told, as long as you’ve got your imagination intact, there are a million stories lying deep in your mind waiting to be awakened.” Perhaps it is these stories that Rachel tries to bring to life outside of her work in advertising. “I’m currently working with a friend of mine, who is an amazing illustrator, to create a series of stories around her work. I’m super stoked to be doing that, and I’m also working on refreshing The Flower Library’s branding,” she says, referring to the floral design studio that she runs. “It’s been two years since we first started, and I think the brand has evolved a little. I’m starting to be better understand the direction I would like to steer it towards.” She believes that a cross-pollination of encounters creates the best ideas, and that’s something she would like to bring to her industry which she feels can be very insular. “I think people working in the creative industry need to be open to new experiences, knowledge, and cultures that they may not necessarily be comfortable with.” Moving forward, Rachel says she would love to be able to travel more, when she’s not juggling work and her personal projects. “I would really like to travel more consciously, actually. That would be a more accurate description — to stay in the places I travel to for longer periods of time to better understand the people and the culture.” Rachel would also love to have more time to focus on writing and reading — perhaps adding onto that precious collection she has at home.