Husband and wife team Jason and Rachel Six are the minds behind J6R6 – a stationery and lifestyle brand based in Grand Rapids that launched in the summer of 2021. Their passions for fine art and graphic design coalesce to form a collection of cards, stickers and paper products featuring a colorful assortment of creatures and critters.
The creative couple shares their story:
Rachel Six
GR Mag: So, tell me about J6R6 – how did it come to be?
Rachel Six: We met in college. Jason was in commercial art and design, and I was in fine art. I didn’t do anything with it for forever. It really started after my dad passed away. I was like, ‘I need to start doing what I really want to be doing, otherwise it’s just not going to happen.’ That was a wakeup call. I started just painting for fun and people really liked the work.
Jason Six: It was a couple of years ago she was painting some stuff that inspired me, and then that’s where J6R6 kind of started to really become something. I bring the creative direction to the table producing J6R6, and she does all the painting. I mean, you would not have any of this work without Rachel painting it, and you wouldn’t have any of the designs without me designing – it takes us both.
GR Mag: What’s your process for creating the pieces and offering them in different formats?
Rachel: I paint everything in India ink. It’s similar to watercolor, meaning it paints like watercolor, but you can use it opaque or transparent, and it’s permanent, where watercolor can get muddy. I can build up all these colorful layers and get this glow. It’s really shiny and pretty. I like it because I’m all about the color. From the painting, Jason digitizes it and then he designs with that. We use local printers; everything’s made in Michigan, so that’s pretty exciting.
GR Mag: What do you enjoy painting most?
Rachel: I love painting insects, and I think it’s because they’re something nobody really likes. I love how you can break it down into these abstract pieces because they are something people overlook. You can have a lot of fun with the details in there, and they’re so colorful.
GR Mag: Why is J6R6 meaningful to you?
Rachel: I think it’s more the collaboration process. I’ve always wanted to have my own business. I’ve always been very entrepreneurial; I get that from my dad, who had his own business.
Jason: For 20 years, I’ve been doing graphic design, and then I morphed into having my own business, and I was meant to do that. I like having my own business, but I wanted my wife to have her own business. I really like working with her. I mean, it’s not easy. But I wouldn’t want to work with anybody else. If we can grow a business together like we are raising a child together, it’s pretty awesome. The design is not as important. It’s letting her artwork take front and center. It’s always about the artwork.
Rachel: I want color in the world, I want happiness, joy. I love to paint the animals ‘cause I love the faces. I want it to be a fun expression or something sweet.
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