Tuscumbia, Ala is a quiet town. It’s Monday morning amid the typical hustle and bustle of my coffee-stained commute to begin another week of the grind. As sleepy of a place as the Birthplace of Helen Keller may be, Tuscumbia hides its own secret gems.

On this particular day, if you were to make your way past the local Spring Park you just might discover a seemingly unassuming alleyway. However, certain details would surely pique your interest, such as a metal archway with the word, “GAS”, which adorns the entrance to the back alley. On your way to the elevated mirror at the conclusion of the passage, you’d find yourself walking atop bricks with  the same phrase carved into their surface. A left turn through a pair of elaborate wooden double doors at the end brings visitors into an entirely different world as a claustrophobic passageway gives way to a cavernous space adorned with 50-foot tall white walls. To the right of the entrance hangs a platform elevator, controlled by a simple rope and human effort reminiscent of a past age. Passing through an adjacent kitchen, you’re met with a staircase into yet another consistently styled wooden parlor. This is the GA Design Center, the brainchild of award-winning Designer and Photographer Robert Rausch.

Robert Rausch, or simply Rausch as he is known, is an award-winning designer whose clients have included The New York Times, Whole Foods and many other national clients. Rausch grew up in the Shoals, but has spent time living and working in high-profile places like Paris, New York and Los Angeles. He also holds a Masters of Fine Art from the Art Center College of Design in California. Rausch’s successful profession was vastly different from his original expectations of a career in sports medicine.

“I was going down a different career path, and I didn’t even think photography was a job… But when I got out of school I said, ‘You know what? I can try it for a year.’ It was more of a hobby, kind of a fun thing to do. And I decided to give it one year, just to see if I can support myself. So I did it for a year and never looked back. One step led to another. I made tons of tons of money and tons of tons of mistakes, but I just kept going down that path.” Rausch said.

However, much like the hidden-nature of his studio, Rausch tends to keep a lower-profile in his daily life. Humility is a trait that many with the scale of success he has achieved lack.

Yet it serves as a hallmark in everything he does from his clients to his work with his students in the numerous arts classes he teaches at the University of North Alabama. In fact, the current University Photographer/Videographer is one of Rausch’s former students. Sam Thigpen credits much of his growth in creative skillsets to his time in Rausch’s photography classes.

“I learned so much,” Thigpen said. “I think the most I learned from him was studio and narrative for sure, and studio has been very useful in my job and taking a lot of studio photos and a narrative constructing a story, especially now with me doing photography in enrollment marketing and that’s trying to tell a story is so difficult in photography. And like I said, that class really helped me prepare for telling a story while also, you know, selling the university to the best of my ability.” Thigpen said.

Rausch’s current students continue to enjoy the benefits of his approachable leadership style. Sophomore Lauren Zabel has taken several of his photography classes, and is currently enrolled in his Spring Studio Photography course.

“I didn’t know a lot about him before coming here,” Zabel said. “When he came and visited the school, I actually met up with him to try and get a feel for what the photography program would be like. A great aspect of having him as a professor is [that he is great at] pushing his students to get out of our comfort zone. He’s also been super kind and gracious with deadlines and understanding of all our commitments and everything.” Zabel said.

Zabel also remarked on how she has witnessed Rausch’s passion for helping other students. “I think it kind of still ties back to pushing us and helping us to develop and also discover our style, because sometimes you don’t even see
it yourself.” Zabel said While each person has their own path to success and nothing is guaranteed in life, one thing is clear. Rausch serves as a living testament to the viability of photography and the arts as a career. More han ever, resources for building one’s career are available with a simple connection to the internet and dedication of time.

Yet, accessibility is only a minor consideration in the equation. Rausch noted the importance of one’s willingness to work and learn from their failures as key factors in developing their career.

“It’s a job,” Rausch said. “So you’re going to fail…and I can tell you most everybody that I know in photography has failed. Huge like their career would crash. But what happens after that, after you fail?” Zabel said

Rausch further clarified that what one does after failing determines whether they are going to be even more successful: “You can always turn that around and turn a failure into a success and learn and learn from it,” Rausch said. “I know I have done that, and everyone else I know has done that. You can either give that dream up and give that love up and go do something that you don’t love or you can pursue.”