Art & Life with Ana Haynes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Haynes.

Ana, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I never knew much about art growing up, I drew to escape things happening in my life. When you’re a kid, it’s fun and you don’t have to worry about much about technique, because it’s your own little world. I was lucky that no one every pressured me to draw or to be the best. Drawing became something that was mine, something personal I could share with others. So, it seemed natural that I created characters and stories that branched from my own hopes and aspirations. I quietly began to write and draw comics, and the best part was always sharing them with others. What drew me to art, and more importantly storytelling, was the connections I could make through something I created. It started out as simple catharsis and blossomed into a genuine love of storytelling and finding the human emotions within myself and others. A huge inspiration for me was when I would go out to see films with my dad. It always felt like I’d get swept away with the story and the emotion of a scene. I might be a romantic, but I remember clearly watching a scene from ParaNorman in the theater, where he walks through town saying good morning to ghosts. My heart filled with inspiration as the music and the character fell into the beat with each other, encapsulating the feeling a fall morning.

I also resonated with ParaNorman, among other films, because it was a story about a kid finding his place in a small town. I grew up in a house where cultures collided, my Hispanic mother raising me one way, just for me to go and learn something else. I often felt like I never had a place to belong too, struggling to understand kids at school, and struggling to speak Spanish at home. Storytelling helped me find that there are other people who felt the same things I did, that I was never alone. Slowly, I realized that I did belong, and my stories could help others feel like they belong too.

Going forward I put my efforts into formal training in fine art while drawing comics on the side, so that I could make something just as an impact as the films I loved. I was given the opportunity to study animation in college and did my best to jump into a new world I actually knew little about. I wanted to push how I could tell stories at this point in my life, and make use of not only imagery, but sound and motion to create a moment. This is only a small part of my story though, I still have so much to learn and experience in this world! I want to have the chance to see many stories from all different cultures and connect with people that way.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I’m an Animator and Story Artist! I storyboard and do character development, along with developing looks for projects. Less professionally, I love drawing for myself, whether it be a character I really love or going out to do watercolor studies. I mainly work digitally using the Adobe Suite and ToonBoom, so I try to keep a sketchbook and draw traditionally when I have the time. In my personal work, I often aim for a style that complements the mood of the story I’m going for, but I always try to aim for graphic styles that have an appealing and different design. Most of my work is very personal, so I use it as an opportunity to explore my own style.

I make the work I do because I came to realize my story matters. Where I came from, my experiences, it’s all important and that sharing helps pave the way for others who have stories they want to tell. Even if it’s a small humorous story or a simple moment in time, that story is important and contributes to our human experience. There is beauty in all our lives, and we should to go out and find it, even when it’s ugly or hard. So, while I share a small moment of my life in my work, I want people to be inspired to do the same and share their life with the people around them.

What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
My advice for other artists is to keep reading. Read as many books as you can, all kinds of books. Comic books, novels, poems, cooking magazines. Anything you can get your hands on. Continue learning and go out to museums, study classics, and contemporaries, pull in as much from the world as you can so you can have a treasure trove of inspiration. I feel like that’s basic, but it’s something I wish I did more of while studying art.

One more thing is to lean into your what you like, make sure you’re doing something you love, and surround yourself with creative people who support you. One of my biggest inspirations and motivations is the creative circle of people I’ve met, who constantly inspire me with their own work, even if they are writers or actors, or just draw occasionally.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can follow me and my work on these various sites:

Portfolio: https://www.ahaynesart.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aranciana
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aranciart

You can also support me on Ko-Fi: http://ko-fi.com/aranciana

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ahaynesart.com/
• Email: [email protected]

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