So, to start us out today, I’d like to introduce
Sasha Rock (That's here over there on the
left) – she is an entrepreneur/graphic artist
and also my sister! I have to admit I am
extremely proud of her accomplishments
and the fact that above all she is a good person
with a good spirit and a love for life, her kitties,
Gypsy and Mushi; and her sweet partner in crime, Johnny.
M: How old are you?
S: 29! 30 in April~ Whoa. Does that make me old? I don’t wanna be old yet! #pillowfortsforlife
M: Tell us a bit about you and your life:
S: I’m always terrible at answering this kind of question, but here goes! My name is Sasha Rock (you got that already though, yeah?) and I live in Texas! Does that count? Lol, okay...more detail I suppose. I live in the suburbs of Dallas, Tx. with my boyfriend Johnny and our 2 kittyfaces, Mushi and Gypsy. My grandmother lives with us and I really hope I’m as lively as she is at 83, lol! I’m a huge planner/stationery addict! Cute office supplies, adorable notebooks, paper clips of all colors - all of it! Oh! And stickers. Anybody that knows me knows that I put stickers on everything! EVERY SINGLE SURFACE WILL HAVE STICKERS! Even my car...RIP back windshield, lol!
M: How long have you been doing graphic art?
S: Welp, I’ve been doing traditional art for as long as I can remember, but if we’re talking about digital - then I’d say around 2008? That sounds about right! Who else remembers drawing in MS paint with your mouse? *raises hand*...Only me? I got my first digital art tablet in 2010, I believe. It’s hard to keep track of these things!
M: Did you go to school for graphic art or something similar?
S: Oh yeah, super awesome school for art and all that… Nope. I went to Texas A&M University at College Station for...literally nothing. HAHA! I went on a full-ride academic scholarship and majored in English and History. I have a bachelor’s degree in “Look at me, I went to school YAY”
M: How long have you been doing it as a business alone?
S: I started working for myself around the end of 2006. Before that I was with a business ~ that we won’t name~ that really took advantage of me and it kind of put me off of the whole thing for a while.
M: Who or what was your inspiration to build your own business?
S: Myself! Does that count? I applied for every job under the sun after I left the company I was with. All ended the same way: rejection. Every single one with a different but equally stupid reason. Eventually I got fed up with it and decided I would go at it on my own!
M: What is your biggest motivation currently to keep going with your business?
S: As much as I could do without some (very few) clients I work with - I really do continue doing it because of the people and companies I get to work with! And honestly at this point I couldn’t see myself doing anything other than what I’m doing! Okay, maybe if there was a job where I could lay around in flowers outside all day I would do that...Unicorn wrangler maybe?
M: How do you keep motivated daily to keep working even when things might be frustrating?
S: This is a question I ask myself, haha. I’ve always been pretty stubborn when it comes to my work. My mind goes into “I MUST GET THIS DONE!” mode and I absolutely need to finish it, no matter what. I’ve worked well past the time I’ve given myself on a lot of projects due to that. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but it’s what I do!
M: Where do you see your business in 5 years?
S: In 5 years? Hm. I’d like to grow it in a few different directions, the main one being work with more people 1 on 1. Over time I seemed to grow more towards working with companies and company representatives - it’s not really my cup of tea overall. I miss working with individual people, so yeah! That’s where I’d like to be in 5 years! Also, hopefully not broke. HAHA
M: Any project you’ve done that you can recall being your favorite or at least one that stands out a bit more than the others?
S: My favorite project~ I like a lot of the projects I work on, in all honesty. If I had to choose one I would likely choose any of the events I did way back for charity. I’ve worked with a lot of children’s charities over the years including Child’s Play and Extra Life, which are probably the two closest to my heart because they’re gaming charities focused on raising awareness and providing special equipment for disabled children and teens! Truth be told, I did very little art for either of these charities, I mostly played games with all of them and raised money for them - but that counts...right? Lol~
M: What are some of your favorite tools to use while you work?
S: If we’re talking traditional mediums then definitely the trusty pencil and sketchbook. I don’t use anything fancy, honestly. I like the feel of just a regular old pencil on paper sometimes. Don’t judge me! Okay the pencil has to be the black Ticonderoga pencils by Dixon, something about them is magical.
M: Do you have a favorite typeface you are drawn to?
S: Ooo~ I love fonts. Is that weird? My favorites would lean more on the swirly and smooth ones. Wow, reading that back - it really doesn’t make much sense when it’s typed. My favorite font is Olivier, I don’t know why, I’m just drawn to it!
M: Being with someone (unless of course someone chooses to be single – no judgement here) that is supportive of your dream is important to success, what are some of the ways that Johnny supports you and your dream to make your business work?
S: Ya know, I hate to be that bitch that brags about their “significant other” but I can’t help it with Johnny! I’ve been in some pretty terrible relationships in the past so I find myself always talking about Johnny and I, lol. He supports me 100% in whatever I do, but I can’t really pinpoint an exact way he does…? Moral support is a HUGE deal for me, so he’s got that going on! He’s usually around me when I work (on his off days, of course) so he’ll answer honestly if I ask him how something looks or if I should change anything. I’ve told him never to sugarcoat with me about it, if I ask his opinion I need it straight up!
M: What is your daily schedule like?
S: My schedule! This one changes a lot~ My “schedule” is set to 11 hour days for 4 days a week with 3 days off! I’ve set my “work” schedule to Johnny’s work schedule so we can have our off days/nights together! But...a lot of my daytime schedule usually depends on if a client is available that day or what stage of a project I’m working on.
M: Any particular music you listen to while you work?
S: I almost always have my media player on random/loop when I’m working. There’s over 5000 songs in there and it’s a magical ride the whole time, lol. One minute it could be The Tempest by Beethoven and another minute it could be Smothered by Spineshank - really it’s that random. I even have showtunes and death metal mixed in there. Yay for skip song buttons on keyboards, right?
M: What do you use to fuel yourself through the day? Drinks? Food?
S:For drinks, it’s pretty boring lol. My main drink is water *womp womp womp*, I knowww I knowww water is lame, but I drink mostly water. So there. Okay, I’ll have a Mt. Dew every now and then but not very often. For food I tend to be a “snacker”. I’ll grab for dark chocolate covered blueberries for something sweet and usually baked chips for something salty (for snacks of course.). I tend to eat a lot of fruits and salads. Kind of like a rabbit...maybe I’m a rabbit?
M: What do you do for fun outside of work?
S: Oo, I like this question. I’m a gamer! I’ve played video games just as long as I’ve drawn in my life! Any free time I have you can usually find me gaming, with Johnny and more recently you’ve joined us! Aside from gaming, you can find me cooking/baking, doing DIY stuff that generally either never gets finished or I get bored with and move on from, playing with our 2 kittyfaces or drawing. I know, I know, I do that for work all week - but in my off time I usually do art either for myself or other personal projects! I wish I had more time for those, but they always end up being huge and taking more than just a few hours to finish, haha.
M: Any advice you have for other women that are wanting to start their own business?
S: JUST DO IT! No really, my advice is to plan it out. Get a planner or a notebook, write down the first few steps towards your overall goal. Make them small, doable, steps that you can actually achieve in a decent amount of time. Hell, make it a checklist [I did] and check them off one at a time! It seems simple to just make a list, but trust me, it works. Also~ educate yourself on what it is you want to get into. Nobody will know you bought that “Dummies guide for stuff” book but you, my friend.
Well, there you have it ladies and gentleman - a funny and honest interview with a self-made woman who is genuinely a good person. That’s not easy to find anymore!
No Pants Required
by Mandy Zani
For more interviews with people doing great things keep coming back - we plan to do more of them very soon!
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