Get to know Brianna Rubio and her popular small business, Matchai Designs. Coming from Los Angeles, California, she moved to Albany in 2020 to go to college at Oregon State University. Brianna studied animal science, focusing on companion animal behavior and the human-animal bond, and also studied psychology. She graduated from OSU with a Bachelors degree in 2023, and is now working as an advocate for houseless youth, and is still focusing on selling her art through Matchai Designs, which began in 2020.
Words and photos: Avery Jade
Avery: What motivated you to start making and selling your art?
Brianna: For as long as I can remember, I have always appreciated art and embraced my creative side. Growing up, I had to deal with poverty, food insecurity, and homelessness. There was always some major event going on that I had to try to cope with. Art is such a broad term, but I found that it was one of the only things that was reliable and stable in my life. Even as a kid, I was using art to help me process my emotions, exploring painting, drawing, clay, pastels, collages, ceramics, writing, music, and more.
A: Why the name, matchai designs?
B: It’s always funny when people ask me this question, because I honestly don’t know how I feel about this being the origin story of “Matchai Designs”, but here it is. In March 2020, I bought myself a Nintendo Switch just so I could play “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”. I played Animal Crossing growing up, starting with Animal Crossing on GameCube and working my way through multiple generations of the game on multiple consoles. It was always my favorite game. I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours playing as a kid. Naturally, I was indecisive when choosing a name for my new island. For some more context, I used to be a barista in high school and early in college, and that was a job that I really enjoyed. I wanted to name my island Matcha or something similar, but that felt too basic. My partner said, “Why don’t you combine matcha and chai?”, and Matchai was brought to life in the form of an Animal Crossing island. Now, how that became my business name, is simply that it was unique so the name wasn’t taken yet. Plus, I felt too much pressure to create an entire new name for a business. So, basically, I stole it from my Animal Crossing island.
A: How do you come up with ideas of what to sell?
B: Initially, I made things that I knew people would want. While I love stickers, I was making designs that were simple and well-liked. I had fun at first, but really quickly got burnt out making art for other people. I started to create more designs for myself and found that art was so much more fulfilling this way. Even though they weren’t my best selling designs, they were the ones that I was most proud of. In terms of physical products, once I expanded out beyond stickers, my business grew. Diversifying my product catalog really helped with creating a wider and more sustainable customer base. It also helped me improve my art skills with more mediums and exploring different art styles.
I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy in early 2022. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological condition that impairs the brain’s ability to regulate sleep-wake cycles, causing disrupted nighttime sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis, hallucinations, automatic behavior, brain fog, and for some (including me), cataplexy. Basically, I’m exhausted all the time. I’ve been dealing with my symptoms since middle school, so finally having a diagnosis to name my experience was both validating and upsetting. I had been labeled as lazy, forgetful, careless, and so on during my teenage years, but it turns out, it wasn’t my fault. My experience with Narcolepsy led me to create “Dad Joke”. This artwork is of one face saying, “I’m tired”, and another face saying, “Hi tired, I’m dad”. It spoke to how I would always struggle with being exhausted, to only be told that I should just go to bed earlier or that everyone is tired.
This was the first art piece that made me realize that I can create art based on my unique experiences, in my own unique style, and people will still be receptive to it. Despite the fact that I made this piece is based on Narcolepsy, which is a rare condition that most people can’t relate to, it became and remains my best selling design. I believe this is because it conveys the relatable feeling of being tired, it appeals to dads (and dad joke enthusiasts), and it’s authentic. As an artist and small business owner, not everything is going to be a success. People will always assign their own meaning to your work, and I think that’s what makes art so great. Currently, I focus on creating art for myself, and then I just see if it sells. If it doesn’t, then I discount it or give it away for free. Sometimes, I keep it for myself.
A: What kind of things do you enjoy doing outside of matchai designs?
B: I enjoy reading books, journaling, playing video games, and spending time with my pets. I’ve been reading a lot of fiction lately, but I also really like to read books and studies on animal behavior and the human-animal bond. I have a dog named Sugar, and her and I love to go out for walks, especially in the sunshine. My cat’s name is Mister, and he’s a lap cat, so he likes to hang out with me while I watch TV or play video games. I like to play Animal Crossing, Minecraft, The Sims, and Grand Theft Auto V.
A: Have you come across any challenges running matchai designs?
B: I would say like, 90% of what I do as a business owner is navigate challenges. The most prominent challenge for me has been finding the inspiration to create art for creation’s sake. It feels unproductive to create something and keep it for myself. Turning my hobby into a business has made me more prone to burnout when it comes to creating art, so I have to be mindful about that. I used to spend a lot more time designing, but recently, I have been focusing more on production of existing designs. I hope that someday soon I will be able to get back to the drawing board to bring new pieces to life.
There’s also the challenges of just owning a business. Dealing with tracking expenses and revenue, lots and lots of spreadsheets, production and inventory, fulfilling orders from multiple channels, upgrading equipment, spending entire days (or weekends) vending at events, customer service, commission work, and so on. As someone with a disability who also works full time, it can be overwhelming to keep up with the day to day operations. Along with burnout, there’s also the struggle of letting the numbers define my work. It’s enticing to allow the likes, shares, reposts, and sales determine how successful I am as an artist. Imposter syndrome can really have an effect on me and my ability to create. I’m not sure if that feeling ever truly goes away, but it’s part of what pushes me to work hard and become a better artist and small business owner.
A: Do you have any future plans or dreams involving yourself and your business?
B: Currently, I work full time in a field that is neither related to art or my degree. I enjoy my job so I don’t really plan on leaving it behind any time soon. For now, I want to continue to be an artist and run my business in my free time. Sharing my art with people brings me joy, especially when they talk to me about how my art has been a part of their lives.
Last year, I had a customer come up to my booth at a local event and show me a sticker on their water bottle. It was one of my first designs from 2020, and it was a drawing of my dog, Sugar. It was really amazing to see something so personally meaningful to me that someone has been carrying around with them for years, and they rediscovered my art all that time later. I also have had lots of students say that they saw someone on campus with my stickers, clothing, or tote bags. Being recognized like that as an artist is beyond any dream I could have asked for. I don’t think I have a dream for the future of my business, or for myself as an artist, because I’m living that dream right now.
You can find more of Brianna’s art on her Instagram, @MatchaiDesigns, or on her website, www.matchaidesigns.myshopify.com.
