February Featured Artist of the Month - Rachael Amber of Cycles Journal

I cannot even describe what this magical mama has created other than powerful magnificence. I first came across Rachael’s work on Instagram, where I found Cycles Journal. This journal is such a tangible way to track all the magic within your ever flowing body. It is packed with info about the moon cycles, menstrual cycles, herbalism, ritual, check-ins, natural remedies, astrology, self-care, and more. Packed with beautiful, inspirational artwork - this potent tool aids in self-connection, healing, and wisdom.

Here’s her wisdom:

My name is Rachael Amber (Longo) (she/her). I’m an illustrator & designer based in Philadelphia, but always wandering & exploring new places. 

My artwork focuses on nature, connection, healing, social justice, body positivity, spirituality, breaking stigmas & radical self-care. All of my work is for the people - to help us expand through connection to ourselves & nature. I want to raise environmental awareness & help us all to grow together, healing ourselves and the Earth in tandem.

I am also the creator & founder of Cycles Journal, an annual illustrated guide to tracking lunar & menstrual cycles. I started creating this tool in 2018, when I realized my patterns and synchronicities were deeper than I could keep track of in my head. I wanted to create a safe space to record it all in one place, so that comparisons could be easily made between the myriad of influences inside & outside of us, and patterns tracked so that we could prepare & plan to flow & live better.

I’m a Cancer sun, Capricorn moon & Sagittarius rising. I feel like this speaks to my work - I can’t create or devote myself to anything unless I truly care about it & it has a greater cause of healing & love for the collective and community. I am devoted to constantly seeking, exploring & creating new ideas, foundations & containers for us to raise our consciousness through together.

2. What inspires your work and creative process // What moves you the most? // What does creating do you for?

I am inspired by nature & the energy that runs through all of us. I am inspired by the moon & the sun, all the influences in the universe that affect us outside of our planet. I am inspired by the trees and plants and animals on this planet. Moss, lichens, ferns, red clover, ginkgo trees, squirrels, birds, & cats are some of my greatest energetic & medicinal allies, amongst the many others. I am inspired by the elements & forms they take.

I have always been inspired by astrology & within the past few years that has expanded/intertwined with tarot & other esoteric art forms. I am inspired by ritual & intentional community. 

I am inspired by the magic of menstrual blood, our amazing human forms,  our synchronicity with the moon & tides, the ocean, rivers, streams, bodies of ebb and flow, waxing and waning. 

Recently I have been specifically inspired by the book I am reading, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. It’s a lot about presence and appreciation for our natural state of being. It’s really helping me to be a slower, more intentional person.

Creating helps me flow. Creating is my coping mechanism when I feel small and helpless. It gives me hope that I can share and connect and awaken myself and others through artwork.

Do you ever feel vulnerable or fearful putting your work out there? How do you overcome it?

I definitely used to feel fearful, but at this point it’s so consistent and normal to me that I don’t really think about it. I’m also lucky and grateful to have gotten mostly such positive, supportive and encouraging responses to my artwork that I feel like all the love diminished my fears. Of course I still have fears about certain things, but it’s more so about people abusing or disrespecting my work rather than not appreciating it. I know the right people will always understand and respect it properly.

As for vulnerability, I feel ever-vulnerable but it’s something I embrace and am proud of since I realize vulnerability is such a strength. It’s one of the most pure and raw things a person can be - open and vulnerable. I feel that it helps me connect to others more deeply, and I think it’s a big part of what draws people to my artwork. Vulnerability encompasses empathy and an acceptance that human emotion and sharing and connecting is normal. This is a big part of my mission - trying to normalize all that we share and are as just being natural. 

I’d say the best way to overcome any fear is to sit with it, write about it and get to the core so that you can dismantle the false beliefs or self-judgments that may be intertwined. We always judge ourselves way harder than others would. Everyone is an artist in their own way and deserves a voice to share. Never doubt your ability to do so. We shouldn’t seek to overcome vulnerability, but rather to integrate it into our lives positively.

Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for other creatives?

Follow what you feel & do what you love, and the rest will follow. It may be the most generic piece of advice that I even rolled my eyes at when it was repeated by a teacher of mine but it was the most honest and true piece of advice that helps me to this day. Trust the universe and focus on feelings of love. Manifestations happen when you allow flow through loving and trusting - it gets blocked when you shut off yourself to the possibilities when you embrace fear and hate and distrust. 

Whenever I feel lost I just ask myself what I love to do and follow it. Even if what you love isn’t making you money, you should do it. Nothing done purely to make money is ever going to feel fulfilling - your heart has to be in it too. So allow what you resonate with to lead you to a path of prosperity, or even just allow it to lead you to inner, emotional prosperity and let that other job pay the bills. Always make time for creation - for yourself and for others to learn from.

Also, it can be hard to create without judgment of your skill level, but don’t give up if things don’t at first turn out how you picture them in your head. I went through years and years of hating what would come out on paper, to finally loving what I put on paper sometimes even more than what was in my head. It takes so much practice - not only to build skills & find what mediums work for you, but also to practice the translation of ideas. You’re really a translator when you’re creating. Not everyone does it the same way, you just have to find what works and feels right for you.

What do you want your work to unlock//evoke in people?

The main goal I’d love people to feel through my work is connection & care. We live in a disconnected world. It is normalized to be disconnected from ourselves, others & nature. However, it is not normal. We have bodies that need more attention and holistic care, that need our love. We are social beings that can help one another if we can get past our differences and work as a true community. We ARE nature. Our disconnect from nature is so saddening because it represents the disconnect from ourSELVES. So I hope to remind people where we all root and stem from - the elements beneath our feet, in our atmosphere… we are nature & energy in a conscious form. Realizing this can help us love ourselves better and prioritize the self-care we all deserve. Let us not forget the truest, original part of who we are, that can help heal us and bring us together.

If my work can inspire someone or invoke a feeling of care, a ripple effect becomes created. We influence each other greatly. If you only see on the media or hang out with people who hate themselves or trash nature, then you are likely to feel justified doing the same even if you know it’s not healthy. We need examples of compassion and love of the land and plants and ourselves. I hope my work can help people slow down and remember how sacred and joyful it is to be a part of this world. Even despite the deranged aspects of our societies, true nature is beyond that and we all have the power to realize that we are such a miracle.

Feel free to include here anything you would want people to know

I guess this question makes me think along the lines of, what did I wish I know 5~ years ago when I was trying to figure my shit out and decide on a path and find motivation and see the color & beauty in life on the other side of the dark cloud I was existing in. I’d tell myself - it’s never figured out fully because it’s ever-evolving. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just something we have to embrace and accept as a beautiful thing so that we can learn to love and work with it. Life is ever-cyclical, not linear. So to expect to ever feel like we reached our destination is unrealistic. We have to find the peace within knowing there will never be true stillness and accomplishment externally. We can only find it within ourselves, in our creations, and within the moments we spend with things that make us feel blissful. 

I also would say that we’re all just facades. This isn’t negative, it’s more of a reminder to myself and all of you that no matter how cool, or accomplished, or successful, or out of your league someone seems, there is no such thing. We’re all at the core insecure and presenting ourselves intentionally and selectively, especially online. Because we live in human bodies in a social media world, it’s easy to compare ourselves constantly. Our true essences are on the inside so focus on that - how you feel and how other people make you feel instead of how things appear.

Also - go into nature whenever you can, whether it be a patch of grass next to your apartment or the forest, and touch some moss, stare at some leaves, feel a tree, smell the air… don’t care what anyone thinks, just focus on your senses and how much lighter you feel here. Don’t fear - you are safe and held amongst the trees. I swear, no negativity can remain when you do this and remain present. It takes practice to get out of your head and into this life force, but it’s so rewarding and reminds you how fucking amazing it is to be alive. How lucky you are to exist in this time. Nature is our source and it is our healer - never forget it.

You can find my work online at www.rachaelamber.com and www.cyclesjournal.com

& on instagram @rachael.amber and @cyclesjournal <3

Feel free to email me at hello@rachaelamber.com with any questions, inquiries or comments!

I fully endorse this magical creatrix’s work and wisdom! Check her out!