Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Lynn Hernandez.
Hi Rachel Lynn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My name is Rachel Lynn Hernandez, or, if you know me from social media, I’m Mirrored Mind Design. I grew up in Petaluma, California, but now I am in Austin, Texas. I have been in Austin since late 2019. I’m a Creative Recycler; I create art with trash. I use plastic bags, DVDs, cans, jar lids, and bottle caps. I try to recycle as many trash-bound items as I can creatively. I’ve been studying and experimenting with this art form for about 13 years. In 2010 I started at Sacramento State, studying photography. While studying there, I learned about our world’s growing waste issue.
I wanted to find a way to help, so I started to merge my art skills with recycling trash. I’m not going to lie. It started messily. Over time I figured out ways to creatively reuse many items our society is taught to throw out. I have been on social media for a while, but I recently took on a student, and it’s been a fantastic experience. I’m incredibly excited to see what she will create with what I taught her. She has reignited that I want to share the techniques I found from experimenting with others. Overall, I want to inspire others to find their way to help our world, whether through Creative Recycling or other activities to help our planet. I put as much time as I can towards Creative Recycling. I work full-time to keep the bills paid; life is expensive. I work towards my art goals when I’m not working my 9 to 5.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been the smoothest road. I have dealt with a few medical issues over my life. One of the most difficult medical issues was when I contracted Viral Meningitis at 25. It shook up my life and left a war path through my body. As I recovered, I realized my mind didn’t work quite the same—specifically, my creative process. For a long time, I couldn’t access my creative mental pathways. It just wasn’t clicking like it always had. It took a lot of therapy, but I managed to either create new creative pathways or reestablish some of the old ones. My creative mental process has never quite felt the same. However, I’m happy with what I have been able to repair. Obstacles are a part of life, though. You must get up, inspect your wounds, heal, and continue.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Everything I make has some recycled element. I am most known for my bottle cap and DVD artwork. I am most proud of my piece, ‘A Growing Reminder,’ a tree made of about 4,000 bottle caps. It’s up for display at Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma, CA. (I have included a photo of it)
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those just starting.
Trust the process. You got to be ok with your piece looking rough through its creation. Keep working through it. Be ok with your piece wiping it off and starting over. You didn’t waste time; you learned what not to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: MirroredMindDesign.com
- Instagram: Mirrored_Mind_Design
- Other: TikTok @Mirrored_Mind_Design
