Meet Rachel Ledesma of DJ Nexus7 in Orange County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Ledesma.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Rachel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My dad worked the midnight shift at a gas station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He kept a gun under the register and stole candy bars for his roommate, Lou. There weren’t many Mexicans in that part of the south at the time so everyone thought he was Korean. My mom didn’t, though.

She was one of the only white girls studying Spanish. They fell in love on a trip to Mexico and got married. They moved to the east coast and had me. After that, I grew up. Now I’m wondering why my dad never stole a candy bar for himself.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all. It’s been sort of like, muddy. First, I don’t really believe in the concept of “film school.” I don’t know why I enrolled either. Then again, I’ve always had a lot of regrets. My first grade crush for starters. His name was Ethan and he had the brightest green eyes I’ve ever seen. He caught lizards for me, gave them names. We’d push each other on the swings all day. He was my first true love. I think about him all the time. He was an inch shorter than me and always smelled like cabbage. If I could go back, I’d try to hold his hand maybe. I’d tell him how I feel. I’d say: Ethan, you’re everything good in this world and I want to catch lizards with you forever. And after that, I’d wait for life to change.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Essentially, I’m a graphic designer/artist/sculptor/dancer/poet/lover. My muse takes the form of Kamil Zeglen and Charli XCX. Art happens all the time. A doodle on a gum wrapper. A nicely packed bowl of grass. It’s all about fonts – gothic, cloister, arial. Kamil and I, we’re known for our fonts. We spend a lot of time deciding which font to use on a project. At least seven hours. That’s how long it takes for the art angels to find us.

Before art begins, and way before it ends, Kamil and I like to recite our creative statement, heavily inspired by Miss Charli: I only threw this party for you/Only threw this party for you, for you, for you/I was hopin’ you would come through/I was hopin’ you would come through, it’s true, it’s true/Only threw this party for you/I only threw this party for you, for you, for you/I’m about to party on you/Watch me, watch me party on you, yeah.”

After that, the art happens. Then we sell it. Then we get rich. Then we party. Then we make another art.

We’re different from most graphic designers because we have no idea how to use photoshop. I’m on InDesign, he’s on Illustrator. You do the math because I can’t. I can only make art.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My grandma found a baby possum in our trashcan. She cussed it out in Spanish and it scampered away. We called her Baby. The possum, not my grandma. Her name was Gloria and one of the last things she told me before she died was, “I’m glad you don’t have my Mayan nose. Yours is small. A button.”

Contact Info:

• Website: dumbgirlzine.com
• Phone: 714-204-6380
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pepperfurever/

Image Credit:
Jennica Chasten

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