1. Hello, who are you and what do you do?

some of Pepper's stickers

I’m Pepper Raccoon and I’m an artist and merch designer inspired by nature, magic, and internet culture. I design my own affordable art products, and produce a lot of them in my home studio as well, and have been in business for 8 years selling my apparel, enamel pins, stickers, and more online at pepperraccoon.com, and at local and national events.

2. What’s your connection to Wellington?

Pepper's fear no death t-shirt

I’ve lived in Wellington for a total of around ten years, leaving for a bit in the middle somewhere and then coming back because I missed it so much! When I moved back here from the US as a young twenty-something, I picked Wellington as the place I wanted to live after passing through, and I’m so glad I did. In the last few years, I’ve enjoyed getting out to the Hutt and putting down roots in Wainuiomata.

3. There’s a Ratbag Market coming up soon – can you tell us more about that – its origins, kaupapa and where you see it going? I love the name!

May be an image of rat and text

Ratbag Market is a collaboration between myself and Cosmo Bones, another Wellington artist, created in response to the loss of events during and after COVID, and also in response to the cost of living crisis. We believe that artists should be able to sell their wares to receptive audiences who value their efforts, and that more opportunities for talented artists to earn a living are necessary for Wellington to flourish as the creative capital it hopes to continue being!

Our markets emphasize original work, artisan-level craft, and voices that may otherwise not be heard in our communities, and we have had some incredible turnouts at our previous events.

In future, we hope to continue to offer our market events, possibly branching out into more frequent smaller ones, as well as perhaps offering some workshops! Balancing running events with our busy work and personal lives is tricky, so we take it one step at a time.

The next Ratbag is happening THIS Saturday 20 July – 11am-4pm at Thistle Hall.

4. You do a lot of native birds and wildlife illustrations – if Wellington was a bird (or a native mammal) – what do you think it would be?

Pepper's Aotearoa wild t-shirts

I’m a strong believer that if Wellington was a bird, it would be a Kākā! They’re such a special part of our urban soundscape, especially as you venture out into Brooklyn, and Karori, and it’s amazing to hear them spreading throughout new areas and see them goofing off. They’re birds with huge personalities, a tonne of scrappy energy, and an ability to adapt, even in adverse conditions, which is what I love about our vibrant city, too!

5. How hard is it to make a living as a fulltime artist? What are some of the good parts about it?

Making a living as a full-time artist is challenging, I’d say it’s possibly one of the toughest solo career paths one can choose for themselves. The success rate is unfortunately fairly low, and I don’t advise anyone to go full-time until they’ve tested the waters as a side hustle.

However, I’m my own boss, I design and make my products with my own skills (and often hands), and I get to work with amazing suppliers both within NZ and overseas to produce things I can’t make myself, which is delightful. Making people smile, seeing people find themselves in your work, and getting to work with amazing clients like the McElroy Family, Kawaiicon, a bevy of authors, and Zealandia, make it all worthwhile.

Pepper and others outside Zealandia
Photo: Sam Blyth

6. What three possible things would make Wellington a better place to live?

Pepper's bandana design

I approach this question from a creative perspective, because I feel that as wonderful as Welly is, in recent years, there has been a massive exodus of creative talent from our fair city, which is both lamentable and preventable.

In order to have a city with cultural experiences and vibes, we have to incentivise creatives to stick around and do what they do best: create art, music, and magic for our citizens to enjoy. My top three things that would enable this and also make lives better in general:

  1. More affordable housing, rent controlled apartments, and places for people who might not earn as much, but contribute a lot to the culture of our home. When creatives can’t afford to live in the city, we all suffer a loss of art, theatre, and music.
  2. Council-supported retail and studio spaces for creative businesses. There are so many empty retail shops in Wellington right now. In Auckland, there are initiatives to allow artists to pop-up in The Strand Arcade shops, install their works in vacant shop windows, and more, to ensure that the city remains vibrant. Melbourne provided retail spaces for artists subsidised by the city council for many years. We could be doing the same, and ensuring a future for creativity!
  3. More relationships and collaborations between artists and business! We have some fabulous street art, amazing brands like Wellington Chocolate Factory and Garage Project who work with artists, and we could always use more of that kind of energy. Wellington’s best brands can become iconic and connect with their local roots in a meaningful way, by reaching out to collaborate with local artists, and that brings colour to our often grey-weathered city.

7. Who else do you think we should profile from here?

My top picks for amazing Wellingtonians who need a profile are (if you haven’t already) Greg Broadmore (ridiculously talented dude who does way too many things really well), Cosmo Bones (beautiful artist), Hollie Arnett (champion for creatives), and Eddie D’Amore (drag king champ and an absolute legend of a person).

Feature image portrait of Pepper also by Sam Blyth