Alumna artist builds career based on curious, intentional connection

On a spring evening in New York, elegantly dressed guests mingle in a stunning room at The Whitby Hotel. Seated next to an array of brightly colored pens and premium pink paper, Auburn alumna Rebecca Schneider, known as Bex, greets guests before quickly and deftly sketching a personal portrait for them to take home following the Vogue Club Met Gala Watch Party.

“Working the event was spectacular,” she said. “People showed up in their best Met Gala attire and I was there, meeting everyone and sketching keepsakes from the event.”

Brands like Vogue hire Bex for live artistry sessions to create portraits on-site, just one facet of her business as an artist, illustrator and brand consultant. Her niche for live artistry gives her a unique perspective on the people she sketches.

“Everyone is so special in their own way,” she said. “So, whether I’m sketching an iconic fashion designer that shaped my life — like Vera Wang — or a girl next door on the guest list, I am going to have fun talking to that person and connecting with them.”

Since moving to New York shortly after graduating from Auburn’s College of Human Sciences, Bex has created a niche business as the head of a fashion-driven art studio she named xo, Bex Studio. Her entrepreneurial drive and fashion know-how was bolstered from the strong foundation in the fashion industry and mentorship she received at Auburn.

Auburn beginnings

A graduate of the Apparel Merchandising, Production Design and Production Management program, Bex lauds her Auburn experience as one of the reasons she found the confidence to build her own brand and business.

The major exposed her to all aspects of fashion design, from sewing and construction to product development and marketing. Taking apparel products from design concepts through retail sales, students like Bex learn the industry from the inside out, culminating in internships with domestic or international firms, designers and in industry settings. 

“When I’m at the crux of deciding to take any big risk, it always goes back to how rooted I am in my identity,” she said. “Auburn was such a formative part of grounding me and helping me refine who I am and what I want. Even though I didn't fully understand at the time, at Auburn I was establishing my key loves and passions in art and fashion.”

Bex spent a session abroad on the popular Joseph S. Bruno Auburn Abroad in Italy program (JSB) in Ariccia, Italy. Since the program’s inception two decades ago, more than 1,000 students in the JSB program have traveled to the Chigi Palace, Auburn’s only permanent overseas campus. Beyond living and learning in the welcoming community of Ariccia, students like Bex experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study abroad for a semester in Italy while earning an international minor in human sciences. 

“The Joseph S. Bruno program changed my brain chemistry,” Bex said. “Getting out in the world traveling, understanding world history is just so important, whether you're a researcher or an artist.”

New York, new path

After Bex graduated from Auburn, she moved to New York to work at a talent agency, gaining a lot of exposure to the fashion industry.

“It was really the education I needed coming to New York as a fresh, doe-eyed Alabama girl,” she says.

She gained experience in talent management, fashion and public relations. She produced fashion events and worked with a brand advertising agency, learning the integral assets that make up brand campaigns. 

“The corporate fashion girly life in New York seems much more glamorous when you're in your classes for it, but when I got there, I realized that in addition to the great exposure to the industry, it's a bit more grueling than glamorous, tons of emails and organization,” Bex said. “It’s always been in my heart to be an entrepreneur, so after a few years in that world, secretly creating my art in my free time, I started introducing myself as an artist and it changed my life.”

Claiming her identity as an artist was the first step in changing her mindset and her career path. In 2021, she made the leap to leave her corporate job and start xo, Bex Studio. She creates bespoke art, merchandise and has become a sought-after sketch artist for well-known brands – Coach, J. Crew, Lillet, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co, Vogue, Waldorf Astoria and many more – to create live illustrations at brand events.

On the horizon for Bex is continued growth, community building and art for xo, Bex Studio. She’s currently creating a new collection of paintings inspired by scent and she will be sketching at various brands’ events in honor of New York Fashion Week. This spring, the Autoimmune Alliance is featuring her work during a night of art and education at Tyler Loftis’s studio. 

“Connection is the most important part of my work,” she said. “I want to continue engaging people, whether it’s on social media, meeting them at an event or even keeping in touch with someone I’ve sketched. I am building something that will hopefully encourage people to dream and bring beauty to this chaotic world.

“I sign my work xo, Bex’ because each is a love letter to its beholder and a hug and a kiss to them.”

Mindset for mentoring

Through it all, Bex’s connection to Auburn remains strong, and she makes a point to make time to mentor current students and young alumni looking to break into the New York fashion industry.

“I mentor a lot of young women out of Auburn, especially if they are new to New York,” she said. “I remember when I first came here, I had no one and was reaching out to my friend's cousin's boyfriend's mom. I connected with an Auburn alumna who helped me get my foot in the door.”

Now a New York resident for about seven years, she wants that door open for the women coming behind her.  

“Let's bring these bright young women here,” she said. “I want them to light up the city. I wish I could tell them here's the 10-step program to get your career started, but there’s really not one.”

“It really takes listening to practical advice and creating the heart posture and mindset to find your own path and live it.”

Though rooted in classical mentorship, Bex mentioned that her mentees often become friends. Beyond helping them make connections socially and professionally, she helps them find apartments, reviews their portfolios and is always ready to lend an ear.

“One of my mentors once told me: ‘Make it easy for someone to care about and invest in you, be proactive,’” she said. “To those young women who continue to reach out and be in touch, I'm going to respond and be excited for them and keep an eye out for them. There are so many organic connections that happen when you let someone be a part of your life.”

At the heart of it all are the principles of the Auburn Family she learned in college.

“I’m 10 years out of my first year at Auburn, and still the truest thing about the Auburn experience is the Auburn Creed, how we all experience, live it and care for each other,” Bex said. “It may sound cheesy, but it’s real. My advice to those new to the workforce: reach high and find a boss or colleague who can really champion you. I want all my mentees to explore, absorb and remain curious about what they want to do and then feel empowered to take the strategic steps to get there.”