Tatum Rochin runs The Tucson Type, creating beautiful art and illustrations in the desert city just south of our own hometown. Tatum's work brings her love for Tucson, art, traveling, nature, and so much more to life. We're thrilled to launch a limited-edition label featuring some perfect little doodles, which have us daydreaming of autumn adventures.
Read on to learn more about Tatum's work and process, and shop the limited-edition candle here, while supplies last!
Why do you create? I create because I love to celebrate Tucson through art and community. There are so many beautiful things around us and I try to capture that by creating different designs. Also, creating is fun! Who doesn’t love a unique way to show your viewpoint of the world and what you love? My ideas can come to life on paper when I create and that brings me a lot of joy.
How do you bring art into your everyday? I like bringing in small pieces of art into everyday life, like a pair of handmade clay earrings from a local artist or a fun sticker for my notebook. My fiance and I also enjoy collecting coffee-table books that feature art, interior design, or whatever else we’re into at the moment, and seeing those books is a fun way to bring art into our house and we get to change it up regularly which keeps things interesting.
What gets you super excited about life? Trying new things! In our house we have a thing we do every year which we call Fifty-Two New. This is where we challenge ourselves to try fifty-two new things every year. It sounds like a lot but they can be little things like trying a new local restaurant or visiting a park. Sometimes they’re bigger experiences like traveling to a different state or ziplining. Whatever the experience is, trying new things and experiences with people I love gets me excited about life.
Do you have a favorite artist? If so, who and why? It’s hard to pick a favorite because I feel like I’m finding things all the time that I love. But some of my favorite childhood books were illustrated by David Christiana, so that will always be some of my favorite art. His illustrations on magical fairies are so whimsical and I have fond memories of reading those books and looking at the art with my sister.
What’s your favorite place to get inspired? This might be cliche, but it’s outside in nature. Going on hikes in the desert is so inspiring with all of the plant life and the colors, and cacti are a huge part of a lot of my designs. Some of my favorite places in Tucson I go for inspiration are Saguaro National Park West, Sabino Canyon, and Mt. Lemmon.
What inspired the design for your Standard Wax label? For this design, adventure and exploration was the inspiration. I wanted to represent being outdoors and exploring through icons that made me think of my town and the places that I’ve been. The desert landscape and our monsoon season played a part in this design, but I also wanted to encompass the mountains around us and other scenery I love like pine trees and florals.
What’s something unique about your work that people won’t see anywhere else? I like to keep my style simplistic and focus on shapes and colors. I don’t know how unique that is, but I do try and put my love of Tucson and Arizona into each of my designs and I hope that shines through for people who love it as much as I do.
Favorite City? Tucson! I’ve lived in other cities and those will also have a special place in my heart but there’s nothing better than Tucson and I’m glad I made my way back here.
Favorite Restaurant? I don’t think I have a favorite restaurant! Tucson is a great city to be in for foodies and I would feel bad picking just one because I love too many of them.
Favorite Museum? This is so tough because I love museums and have been to so many good ones! My absolute favorite might be a small one in Tucson: The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. It’s a collection of miniature houses, rooms, and other sets from different times and worlds. The details on these sets are incredible, you feel transported into whatever you’re looking at. It’s seriously so cool, I don’t have enough good things to say about it.
Anything else you’d like to share? I’m really grateful to live in Arizona and have the ability to create and share my art with people. The community has been so accepting and supportive and I’ve had a great experience so far.