Personal Life Updates with Rafi and Klee takes you behind the scenes of their creative journey, offering a heartfelt and humorous glimpse into their everyday lives. From navigating challenges, celebrating wins, and sharing personal growth moments to discussing the unexpected twists and turns of life as artists, musicians, and partners, Rafi and Klee keep it real, relatable, and inspiring. Join them for candid conversations that highlight the beauty and chaos of balancing art, love, and everything in between.
It’s that time of year again when I grapple with the validity of a Hallmark holiday. A holiday in which you tell your loved ones that you love them and do something special. Honestly, in our crazy fast-paced world, I think that is amazing.
It is easy to forget to express how you feel when a million things are going on at once. It’s easy to forget to even think about how much you love someone when you are going through the struggles that life tends to pop into existence. It’s also easy to forget that you are attracted to one another when you are wearing the same clothes for more than three days. It’s all too easy to overlook those things that are precious in life.
I like to remind myself daily, but even then it is all too easy to forget.
A beautiful smile.
An enchanting gaze.
A belly laugh.
A warm embrace.
A tender kiss.
A soft hand in mine.
A long night of conversation.
A shoulder to cry on.
A person to trust with the things that make you feel vulnerable.
A day full of happy stupid smiles.
Rafi And Klee Studios
These are the things that we live for, the things we fight for, and would die for. Yet, we can easily take them for granted. We can take life for granted and overlook the beauty that surrounds us and only focus on what is going wrong.
We can either fully enjoy a bite of a delicious pizza and savor every moment, or we can hurriedly shove it down because we are busy. It’s like that. All of it. Life, love, and everything in between.
Savor the moments.
Remember that life is too short and before you know it, it will pass you by. Most importantly, remember to love yourself. Give yourself a warm hug, a tender smile, and all the love you deserve… because you deserve it all.
Every day, and on this day, remember how special you are.
As I type this, I think about the love of my life and how I have made it my mission to express to her every moment of every day how much I absolutely adore her…. Yet, there have been plumbing issues. So it is nice to have a reminder of what really matters. I mean, let’s face it, there can always be some ridiculous thing that is going to try and steal your focus and time away from what really matters in life… LOVE.
I adore myself and Klee. I think we are awesome. Klee is amazing, I love her more than pizza… and I LOOOOVE pizza so that’s a lot. So, if you are reading this my dear… Happy Love day! I LURVE YOU!!!
Have a beautiful and amazing day today, I adore you and remember you are loved.
HELLO!! We’ve missed you guys. A lot has changed! If you don’t know this already, we moved our belongings, our studio, and ourselves across the country and are happily living in the snow filled region of western Pennsylvania! I know what you are thinking, “Snow??? What’s wrong with you Rafi And Klee?”
The truth is that we have missed the seasons, snow, and even the cold weather. Being born and raised in Chicago, we know that extremely cold weather is just part of the package and we love it. Also, I never acclimated to the heat in Florida, and anyone that knows me, knows that I hate being hot.
So, “why the move” you ask? Good question.
We found our dream home, a place to call our own, our OWN creative space! A new creative playground! It’s also substantially bigger than the basement apartment we have been trying to work out of for the last five years.
This picture was taken at Shawgo Real Estate after we had trekked for 30 plus hours in a terrifying 26 foot U-haul to make the closing in time.
This is our beloved Sunflower House!
So, “what have you been up to” you ask? Good question.
We have been doing repairs, desperately trying to find contractors, and getting our studio back up and running. As full-time artists we rely on our art to make an income, so our priority is to get that underway. Unfortunately, our art studio has been shut down for several months due to a water leak while in Pensacola Florida. Although we were planning on opening it back up as soon as we moved, some much needed asbestos removal has to happen first. In the meantime, we’ve worked on everything that we can do ourselves and are making our beautiful house a cozy home/studio/gallery.
Putting Up Track System To Not Damage Old Plaster Walls In Galleries
Working On Old Chairs In The Media Studio
After a month of the crap hitting the fan in Pensacola, and almost two months of getting “settled” in our new home, I am happy to say that we are finally at a point where we can slow down a bit and get back to some semblance of normal. This year, with everything going on, I was not able to produce calendars or do the usual end of year shenanigans we usually do with our awesome online community. It’s been disappointing.
The process of moving your home and business is exciting, scary, and confusing… especially when half of your life is still in boxes. I personally have not been able to pick up a paintbrush for that last few months, our podcast is on hiatus, and our videos have been sporadic. Klee has not created jewelry since the leak in Florida destroyed her bench and damaged some of her tools, and music has taken a back burner to the chaos of relocating. My new book releases have been pushed back and things like fixing a drain and winterizing the house and Jeep take priority.
We’ve pushed ourselves further than we even knew possible and took on big house projects that we were not prepared for. Yet, with as tired and exhausted as we feel, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.
So, “what now” you ask? Great question.
We have so many awesome creative plans for next year concerning the art, jewelry, books, music, podcasts, and videos. Instead of everything taking place in one catch-all room, we actually have the space to expand. We also have our own internet (it was shared for the last five years) so I have been able to wire the house for livestreams and really cool online sharing… but everything is taking place little by little and one step at a time. However, although the studio itself is not up and running yet, we are impatient and want to have some fun with you and share some art.
The website has been shut down for months and we think it’s time to open it back up. Made to order works will have to wait until the studio itself is up and running. However, Klee and I have hundreds of works of art and jewelry that are just sitting there not being seen by anyone. So, this Saturday December 11th 2021 at 5 PM EST we are inviting you to tune in to our FIRST LIVE STUDIO EVENT in our new home. This is a casual affair where we will show some art and jewelry, tell some stories, answer some questions, and play some music. We are also giving away $200 worth of prizes and also some ridiculous discounts as a big “thank you” for being there and supporting us through this craziness. Click on this banner to go to the page and enter the giveaway, we’ll announce winners during the stream.
Klee and I started our artistic journey over a decade ago and this year marks some of the BIGGEST changes that we have ever gone through. Many of you have gone on that journey with us, and many of you are going through big changes as well. As we look on into the future and reevaluate our past, we choose what the future will hold, and although it is now a little cold and dreary out, the future looks bright as can be.
We hope to see you at our virtual online event and I am looking forward to giving you a tour of our amazing creative playground known as “The Sunflower House.”
I wrote this to my amazing rogue artist family on Patreon today and wanted to share it with all of you.
We are still waiting on test results for COVID and I am convinced we do not have it, but there is no way to be sure until we get the results.
It is interesting to me, finding myself at this moment where I feel so run down, and not well, with this lingering thought in the air of “Do I have it?”
We don’t feel well, yet we’re not exhibiting many of the severe symptoms, which is great. The symptoms we do have are not constant such as chills and headaches… Although fatigue and body aches seem to go from extreme to not so extreme.
I made the mistake of reading some news about the situation out there in outside land and a sense of sadness took over.
Humans are such beautiful creatures who can accomplish extraordinary things when they stand together in that beauty… Yet everyone seems so divided right now…
I am holding back the tears in my eyes as I write this…
Maybe I’m feeling the effects of the fatigue and right now is NOT the time to be reading any world news. Especially because I have not been creating an outlet for myself of my art.
I always feel that by creating beauty, empowering people, and expressing how beautiful and amazing we all are – it’s my way of adding light into a world that seems to have a shadow looming… If everyone understood how absolutely amazing they were, they wouldn’t power struggle to be better than someone else… No one is better, we are all beautiful and uniquely perfect at being who we are, which is an ever-changing, ever-evolving thing that grows and blooms as we experience this crazy thing called life.
I don’t know… Part of my brain says “You are so full of crap Rafi, nothing you do is meaningful, nothing you do has an effect on anything.” Luckily, I don’t buy into that voice.
Sure, everyone may not find it meaningful, but I feel that everything we do impacts the world. Just existing and breathing has an impact on the world around you.
It’s like walking into a room where someone has been stewing in anger and you can FEEL the tension in the room… We can FEEL others joy, sadness, hopefulness, anger, fear… and it is contagious.
Right now I feel sadness, but less so than I felt before I started writing this. I may not be creating art right now, but I am creating this… expressing my empowerment and ability to understand that even the smallest flicker of light can shine bright in the darkness.
We all can shine bright in the darkness with the smallest flicker of hope and love. We can cultivate that flicker into a flame and eventually a burst of light as powerful as the sun… and it all resides within us… Imagine knowing that everyone can somehow feel that, and that light is contagious.
Love… Hope… Feeling empowered… Feeling beautiful… And knowing that we are all a force of nature.
Yeah… I definitely need to get back to painting and creating soon 🙂
Because it is so closely attached to my emotions, I try to keep things positive and empowering. I like to focus on the beauty of the world. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible. It doesn’t mean that the beauty is gone, it just means I’m not focused on it.
If I were a superhero that focused on the beauty of the world, my arch nemesis would be the mainstream media. I feel like they scour the world to find anything negative and dis-empowering in order to keep us in a state of fear, and watching the news religiously to stay “informed” on the next possible threat.
This isn’t some “fake news” statement. I don’t care what news outlets you watch, or who you follow… it is all dramatic theater in order to get you to pick a side, and follow their agenda.
Don’t worry, Rafi has not lost his mind and writing about conspiracies… although I did just type that in the third person.
What I am saying is, with everything that has been going on lately, I feel like there is such a divide between us wonderful humans. People are afraid, angry, hateful, distrusting, polarized, and not sure what to think. Unfortunately, most people turn to the news outlet of their choice to see what is going on in the world and forget that news outlets are powered by ratings, money, and theatrics.
Of course they are going to report on horrible shit… horrible shit happens, and that’s what get’s people to watch. When you are scared or worried, you need to tune in so you can know what is going on.
And there is a lot going on.
This morning, I walked into the studio to get started on a commission meant to document the love of a family. Another piece I’m working on is for a couple who are madly in love, and another is to celebrate the birth of a child.
So here is a video that explains where I am at with all this 🙂
Today I woke up and realized that it’s been about two and a half weeks since I have ventured out of the studio. Although our art studio is one of the coolest places to be, it’s easy to start feeling a little stir crazy.
Last time we went out, we hunted down supplies and scored toilet paper… good times, good times.
My book is NOT toilet paper… not yet anyhow.
Today I went outside and did a little stretching in the yard, hugged Klee, and returned into the studio and am currently listening to some music while I create.
I had a lovely surprise in the form of a Podcast from Curious Kirby, in which she interviewed Klee and me.
I avoid watching or reading the news. As you can imagine, there’s not much out there but doom and gloom, which is not very inspiring for creating art. Honestly, I haven’t felt very inspired lately.
Mostly, I’ve been recording and editing the audiobook for ‘The Rogue Artist’s Survival Guide’ and trying to keep my wits about me.
Klee and I are used to being at home and not going out much, but even still, we have to keep a close eye on our attitude towards ourselves and each other. It can be easy to lose your shit over stupid things, especially when you are recording an audiobook, and every sound in the house sounds like a firecracker.
It was excellent listening to the podcast in the studio. I could feel the old familiar sense of inspiration bubbling up from deep down inside, where I tried to bury it. It was under several layers of apathy, numbness, and what-the-fuckery that I was feeling earlier today. I suddenly felt alive again and ready to write. I had a mission! I had something to say again!
As you know, we’re enduring a global pandemic. (I only remind you because in 10 years when you’re reading this we will have forgotten what a goddamned shit show we experienced.)
I think during this time it is important to remember to smile and enjoy the little things… the things we can enjoy.
We are more connected than ever before. This blog, facetime, live streams, social media, podcasts, and so much more. We can create, connect, and love one another.
Sure, we may have to keep our distance, but it doesn’t mean we can’t FEEL connected.
We are still doing all of our YouTube videos from the studio
I feel like anytime I open up my email, it is one company or another sending deals for Covid 19. One company that sells robotics had a sale on a giant tub of hand sanitizer for some reason. Another was all “Update Your Area Rugs And Decor!!!” Unfortunately, Klee and I don’t have any “deals” for you that we could capitalize on. But we did want to send you guys some love and appreciation.
We are currently inside and making the most of being in the studio. I am recording an audio-book for The Rogue Artist Series, working on art, trying to figure out kindle formatting for my book, and making sure that we stay in high spirits. I just released my book and as soon as I get the kindle format done or figured out, it will be live on Amazon… which is exciting…
It’s interesting, as artists we are used to being solitary creatures who only venture out of our studio when we need to. However, when something is a bit off with the world, it can be slightly daunting. Creative people spend a lot of time in their imaginations, and I would be a fool if I didn’t understand how much the surrounding environment and overall state of things has an effect on that.
Social distancing measures are in place, schools and businesses are closing, and companies are declaring work from home necessary, everyone is forced to face a new reality.
Staying calm, reaching out to check on the well-being of others, and self-care will help you through these challenging times. Remind yourself that while COVID-19 is a reality we’re all facing, we’re facing it together, and that life will return to normal in time… even if it is a new normal.
“We are social beings. We like to connect and touch and be close to people, and we’ve had to change our behavior, which can create a feeling of isolation,”
Patricia Thornton, PhD
Sometimes it feels like life has stopped, but there are ways to keep things in perspective and carry on.
Anxiety can be contagious. Someone close to you may be freaking out and saying, ‘The world is coming to an end,’ and you may begin to worry because you don’t want to feel like the person who is not worried, but you have to remember who you are in those moments.
Klee and I try not to think of it as doomsday. More like a new normal. We ask ourselves often, ‘How do I want to live my life right now with these constraints?’ We would prefer to make the most of it and stay grounded.
One of the best ways is to ground yourself in science. Stay connected to your local or state health department for information. Avoid watching or reading the news or social media, where facts can become blurred or even exaggerated. Remind yourself that infectious disease outbreaks have been part of our history, and this too shall pass.
Most important, we find ways to connect and stay busy. Klee and I are working on art, jewelry, recording the book, writing, updating our online store, writing music, recording podcasts, and YouTube videos… but most importantly, we are remembering to smile… especially when one of us wakes up feeling all “doom and gloom”.
By the way, I’m not saying not to feel doom and gloom, things kinda suck right now… just don’t stay there.
Here is a video we posted this week where we talk a little more about how we are handling these times.
We are thinking about you guys and sending you a smile!
We have a resources page we are updating for self-employed artists of all genres and anyone who is self-employed. We keep updating it as we get more information. GO TO RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS AND SELF-EMPLOYED.
The other day I was thinking about working on a special piece. I started sketching it out and thinking about the meaning. Someone being pulled in so many different directions that he becomes a puppet to the world around him.
Art By Rafi Perez
While talking to Klee about it, I broke down and my eyes started tearing up. The only reason I didn’t go into a full sob was the fact that I was so surprised at my emotions.
Listen, I am a grown ass man, and I’m not embarrassed to cry, or admit that I cry, but this actually caught me off guard.
It made me realize that something had felt off. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but deep down I knew something was bothering me.
Do What You Can Rafi Perez
For the most part I’m a pretty happy guy, in fact our following online knows us for our upbeat perspectives on life and being artists full time.
Over the last few years I had developed a public image of a guy who’s genuine, creative, happy, upbeat, and loving life. But recently I had been a little stressed about some things… and I didn’t feel like myself. Worse, was the idea that I had never been that guy and that my entire life was a sham.
Luckily, Klee was there to talk sense into my confused brain unit. She told me that the only reputation I had to uphold was to be the real me. She said I have a really hard time being anything not real, so I have nothing to worry about.
2 Birds On A Wire By Rafi Perez
I guess sometimes you may try to bury things inside, but they’ll always come up to the surface for you to look at and face head on. So next time you cry during a cheesy commercial, think about that.
I was allowing myself to feel like I was less than who I am, and that everyone was pulling me in different directions. I have done a lot of work on myself for over a decade, to make sure I am comfortable with who I am, and that’s who everyone sees.
Whether it’s in a YouTube video, a blog, a work of art, it will always be me… So, if anyone expects anything different, then they’ve never looked at any of my stuff before.
Moral of the story… Just be you, it’s way easier than not being you.
Recently Klee and I went up north to go see my daughter’s lead performance in her last High school play. It was an amazing trip, watching her on stage was a highlight of the year. I don’t think I can describe in words how proud I am. I’m also happy that Klee and I had the opportunity to talk in the car for 28 hours of driving.
Rafi and Klee travel
I’ll be honest, before we left I was a little stressed about time and finances. This year has been a bit slow starting for us, and although I know things always look up, I was in the thick of it while paying and planning for the trip.
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I also knew that the long drive would be a great opportunity to talk things out and figure out what was going on in my head. I’m usually very optimistic and tend to feel empowered in most situations, but somehow I had lost my grasp and was venturing into a dark place. This drive would be a great way to dig deep.
Final Bow
One of the things that struck me while investigating my head was that I was distracted. My mind would wander into worst case scenarios and I would miss the experience I was in. I noticed that Klee had to repeat herself at times because I just wasn’t there. What was interesting about this, was that life was happening, and I was missing it.
I thought about all those little moments that we fail to notice, and how freeing it is to appreciate those little moments.
Rafi at Natural Falls
And yet most of the time we fail to
notice them. We don’t recognize them properly, forget them, or simply
take them for granted.
Once I realized this, I made a mental list of reasons why gratitude for the little things in life is important.
Appreciating the little things in life means that you focus your attention on what nurtures, sustains, and brings you even the smallest amount of pleasure. By appreciating life, you won’t stop bad stuff from happening, but you’ll learn how to stop emphasizing the meaning of bad events in your life.
Rafi and Klee Art Mobile
Once you take a moment to appreciate an
act of kindness coming from someone you love or a person you don’t
even know, you’ll become more aware of your belonging to a community
of people who care about each other. Reciprocating these actions only
helps to strengthen these social bonds.
Resilient people build their strengths on positive emotions. These emotions simply help them to cope with difficult situations.
Rafi and Klee travel
When you’re in the middle of a life event, it’s important that you savor it as much as you can. Choose to be present in the now. When you’re living with more awareness, you notice everything – the little pieces of everyday beauty.
I think we tend to get caught up in the drama of our minds and forget that life is beautiful, precious, and short. So stop and appreciate all of it.
This month is always fun for me, because it marks the anniversary of Klee and I taking a chance on the unknown. It will be about 9 years since we jumped into the Explorer and decided to go on an adventure to push our limits beyond what we had experienced.
I’ll never forget the day that Klee looked at me seriously (it was a very dramatic tele-novella look) and said “I’m going with you”. See, I had decided that I was going to travel around the country and experience a new perspective on life. Despite the fact that my family kept saying I would probably die from eating poison berries, my mind was set.
In fact, even finally meeting the love of my life and developing a beautiful new relationship wasn’t going to deter me from taking this journey.
I had spent my life the same way that many people do, being someone who I wasn’t. I mean, I didn’t really know who I was. I knew I liked certain things, didn’t like other things, got mad about things, and laughed at others… but I wasn’t sure if it was just who I thought I should be, or who I really was.
I had never really taken a look at myself from the outside, or challenged my own thoughts. I just reacted to situations and circumstances in life, but never really asked the question “Why am I reacting this way?”. I think I was under the impression that I didn’t have a choice, that I was “just that way”.
As a result, my life sucked, or at least that’s how I felt. I think back then I was so far down the rabbit hole that no matter what the circumstances of my life could have been, I would have made it suck in my head.
Then I hit rock bottom… and it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
It was as if someone had reset the computer in my head, and for the first time in my life, I was questioning why I was settling for beliefs that worked against me, and actually caused me to hate myself.
Cut to 2 years of self examination and I was ready to challenge the world.
Yup, that’s who Klee decided to get in a car and travel around the country with. Some hairy bandanna wearing guy that freaked out her mother.
A guy that she would spend weeks in the middle of the everglades with.
A guy that she hiked shark valley with, even though we underestimated what 14 miles would take out of us.
A guy that she took turns with hugging a four and a half foot alligator named Leroy.
A guy she wrote music with and performed live while his knees gave out because he was so nervous.
A guy that she lived in Key West with for several months while they worked out some of their baggage.
A guy that she went kayaking with for their first time and got lost in the sun for six hours and still had a blast even though they were sunburned.
A guy that encouraged her to interview David Sheely who is the top investigator of the Florida Skunk Ape.
A guy she encouraged to show his art for the first time… and who is forever grateful.
A guy that loves her more and more every day and can’t possibly write down all the amazing things we have done so far.
I’m so happy she did.
So, here we are still on this adventure. We may not be driving around the country but we are most definitely staying true to who we are as best we can every day. What I didn’t know back then, when I planned this adventure was that I would be sharing it with Klee… And that I am ever changing, and so is she… So no matter what, every day is a new adventure.
Upcoming Public & Virtual Events:
PATREON ONLY - Creating for Yourself vs. the Algorithm - Live Podcast Recording February 22, 2026 at 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Check Our Events Page For More Details.
MEETING Art Syndicate Meeting At The Fallen Shoppe February 26, 2026 at 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Go To Events Page To Find Out More.
PATREON ONLY - The "Ugly Middle" Phase - Live Podcast Recording March 1, 2026 at 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Check Our Events Page For More Details.
Palette Knife Paint & Sip With Rafi & Klee (ART NIGHT) March 11, 2026 at 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Go To Events Page To Find Out More.
