Rebekah MacKay on Following Her Dream of Being an Artist
At Arts to Hearts Project, we love sharing the real, raw, and inspiring journeys of artists around the world, and today, we’re excited to introduce you to Rebekah MacKay. In this interview, artist Rebekah opens up about her creative journey, from childhood dreams to building her art career across continents. She shares how her background in interiors and creative direction at Ralph Lauren Home shaped her unique eye for texture and storytelling, and how her deep love for painting, photography, and mixed media continues to evolve.
Through this conversation, we learn about the importance of emotional honesty, the beauty of creative play, and the power of finding a community that supports you. Rebekah’s story reminds us that success isn’t just about gallery shows or art fairs—it’s about staying true to yourself, finding inspiration in everyday life, and giving yourself permission to grow and explore.
Rebekah MacKay (b. 1988, Massachusetts) is a multidisciplinary artist currently living and working in France. With a background in acceptable art illustration and a master’s degree in photography, her practice bridges painting, drawing, and lens-based media, grounded by a deep commitment to emotional honesty and material exploration. Her work explores the spaces between contrast—freedom and structure, stillness and movement, grit and softness—often pulling from personal memory, global travel, and the nuances of everyday life. Before fully stepping into the fine art world, MacKay spent years working in interiors, creative direction, and visual storytelling, including a formative role at Ralph Lauren Home. These experiences continue to inform her sharp eye for texture, composition, and spatial relationships. She is currently building her practice as an emerging artist in France, where she is living under an artist talent visa.
1. How did you get started in your art career?
Like most kids, I was encouraged to be creative, but for me, it stuck. There’s a video of me in kindergarten saying, “I’m going to be an artist when I grow up,” and I never really wavered from that. I went on to study Fine Art Illustration at university, followed by a master’s degree in Photography. My art career didn’t start most traditionally. After graduating from school, I was hired as the Creative Coordinator for Ralph Lauren Home, where I helped manage props, artwork, and interiors for the showroom and 15 stores across the United States and Europe.
Within a month or two of starting, the Acquisitions Coordinator left to pursue an MBA, and I stepped into that role in addition to my own. Suddenly, I was sourcing artwork, creating original pieces, managing logistics, and curating visual experiences on a broad scale. That’s when my art career truly began. That role opened the door to a deeper understanding of the visual world, and it naturally led me into a career in photo and video production, sparked by the work I’d done with image rights, legal clearances, and the agency side of artwork and imagery. And throughout all of that, I’ve never stopped painting or creating—it’s always been the through line.
Living off your art is tough. It’s vulnerable. It’s not birds chirping while you blissfully paint. It’s entrepreneurship on steroids—because the product is you.
Rebekah MacKay
2. What media and techniques do you primarily work with?
At my core, I’m a painter. I work primarily on large-scale linen canvases, using acrylic, oil, oil stick (a medium I was introduced to by Kaitlin Kraemer, another artist I met in the Riviera), charcoal, pencil, and crayon. I love building up textures, layering colour, and using different tools to scrape into the surface and then rebuild it. There’s a rawness and rhythm to that process that feels truly authentic to how I navigate the world. While painting is at the heart of my practice, I am a multidisciplinary artist. I do live in drawings, digital illustration, and photography—thanks to my master’s, which is always in the mix, either for reference or inspiration. I’ve dabbled in collage, thrown ceramics on the wheel, and I’m currently exploring painting on unconventional surfaces like clothing, silks, and wood.
3. Where do you find inspiration for your artwork?
I find inspiration in the constant interplay between internal and external landscapes. My emotions are often the driving force behind what I create—but they’re constantly being shaped by what’s happening around me: the places I go, the people I meet, the energy in a space. Travel, nature, design, conversations, heartbreak, freedom, longing—it all filters in. Because I worked in interiors, I’m especially attuned to texture, colour, shape, and nuance. I love beautiful things—elevated design, considered composition, unexpected palettes. That sensitivity to detail informs my visual language. I’m also deeply inspired by the female form and the forces it represents—resilience, sensuality, intuition, strength.
Lately, I’ve been studying horses as another extension of that exploration. There’s something about the duality of a wild creature being tamed—or choosing not to be—that feels symbolic of a broader tension I often sit with in life and art. That untamed/tamed dynamic is central to a new collection I’m working on, so I won’t say too much—but it’s become a powerful metaphor for freedom, constraint, strength, and vulnerability. On a personal level, I live with a daily duality. I’m an American living in France. I feel expansive and free in many ways, but I’m also living within the boundaries of a visa, of a culture that’s not my own. That contrast—between control and release, rootedness and wandering—is where a lot of my inspiration lives.
4. What has been the most rewarding aspect of your art journey?
Honestly, one of the most rewarding moments was being awarded an artist talent visa in France and being able to move here to build my career as an emerging artist. It has always been a dream of mine to live full-time in France, and to achieve that through my art feels like a vast, full-circle accomplishment. Gallery representation, art fairs, pop-up shows—those are exciting, but the absolute joy comes from living and creating in a place that inspires me deeply. A truly formative and rewarding part of my journey was attending an artist residency at La Maison de Beaumont in the south of France.
I knew I needed that time for my soul, for my mind, for my practice. It gave me the space to slow down, to play, to make messy, experimental work without pressure. I created bad art, I created beautiful art, I went for walks, and then I came back to make even weirder art. That kind of creative freedom—away from deadlines, expectations, and distractions—is where real growth happens. It reminded me why I do this in the first place. If there’s one thing I’d encourage other artists to do, it’s to carve out time for that. Whether it’s three days or three months, go to a residency. Go somewhere new. Permit yourself to create without pressure. That space to return to curiosity—that’s what’s most rewarding.
There’s actually a video of me in kindergarten saying, ‘I’m going to be an artist when I grow up,’ and I never really wavered from that.
Rebekah MacKay
5. Do you have any parting words of wisdom for our readers or aspiring artists?
Keep creating. Keep asking for feedback. And above all, find a creative community where you feel safe, challenged, and supported. Art can be isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. The people around you matter just as much as the work. I often compare the art world to athletics—probably because I was a competitive runner. You’ve got your pros: Art Basel, blue-chip galleries, the Olympians of the art world. Then you’ve got the semi-pros: more petite galleries, indie reps, self-representing artists who are still making a living. And then you’ve got the amateurs—people creating because they love it. And honestly? That level can be the most freeing.
Less pressure. More play. So ask yourself: what are you chasing—and why? Is it money, visibility, ego, or freedom? There’s no wrong answer, but you need to know it. If you don’t, take a pause. If you do, make a plan and commit fully. Living off your art is tough. It’s vulnerable. It’s not birds chirping while you blissfully paint. It’s entrepreneurship on steroids—because the product is you. But if you’re clear on your purpose, you’ll be able to roll with the chaos and keep going. And please—don’t get hung up on having one perfect style. Styles evolve. Beyoncé started in Destiny’s Child, and now she’s dropping country albums. Do we take her less seriously? No. So let yourself evolve, too. Ultimately, your happiness matters. If this isn’t bringing you joy, permit yourself to step back. Like with running, if you hate training, don’t sign up for a marathon. Take a long, beautiful walk instead. You’ve got one life. Create art in a way that allows you to enjoy it truly.
Talking with Rebekah MacKay feels like a breath of fresh air. Through her journey, we’re reminded that building a creative life isn’t about having it all figured out—it’s about showing up, staying curious, and allowing yourself to grow and change. Rebekah’s story teaches us that success doesn’t always follow a straight line, and that finding a supportive community, embracing the unknown, and creating from a place of honesty are just as crucial as any finished piece of art. Most of all, she shows us that joy, resilience, and authenticity are at the heart of a lasting creative practice. To learn more about Rebekah, visit the links below.
