Interview with @anais_art - folklore, environmental safety and our 2024 Spring stickers.

Y: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work, your artistic style and chosen medium, anything regarding your art that you feel is important.

A: Hi, nice to meet you! My name is Anais, I am a 28 years old italian artist from Piedmont. I am a huge fan of folklore, a subject that has allowed me to get closer to the whole artistic landscape; I dare say I have a soft spot for creatures of folk traditions of different cultures. I think this great interest is also clearly visible in the name I chose to use as an artist: Anais. Besides being the name of my grandmother on the French side of the family, it is a frequent mispronunciation of the name of an ancient Persian deity. Also, I am very fascinated by its untranslatable nature. I should have been called that at birth, so once I was an adult I decided to acutally use it.

Until recently, I was mainly using the style of Japanese manga; recently, however, I have been developing a personal style, combining manga with a more European style - I find it suits me better. I mainly use digital as a medium, but from time to time I return to my past habits. I am currently working on a project that will be done exclusively in traditional: unfortunately, the time I can devote to this idea at the moment is quite brief, so it will surely turn out to be a rather lengthy process. I can't wait to see it come to life!

I tend to enjoy experimenting as much as possible when it comes to styles and mediums, as I would like to build a broader portfolio. I find that being in motion all the time particularly stimulates me: at the moment, for example, I'm obsessed with traditional 3D drawings!

 

Y: What is the art scene like in the area where you live, or where you come from?

A: I was born in a medium-sized town: not a tiny town in the middle of nowhere with the typical closed-mindedness, but not a big city used to art either. My mom always pushed me to enter the creative world, as she is a big fan of writing - basically I grew up in an environment where art was considered beautiful, a source of recreation, but definitely not a profession that brings food to the table. Despite the fact that the town was not particularly interested in the subject, in my family this creative streak was appreciated, though hardly trustworthy; my grandmother Anais said that as an artist I would end up living under bridges, so out of spite I decided that I would disprove this ill omen.

I must say, however, that the situation has changed since I moved two years ago. I currently live in a tiny village in the mountains, it is an extremely touristy place but art is literally everywhere. There are always exhibitions, events and similar gatherings - even the electricity boxes are painted!

 

Y: What prompted you to enter the world of digital art? How did you begin your artistic journey? Tell us about your course of study. Did you study anything specifically related to art or did your interest come from something else?

A: I have been drawing since I was a child! I have always been introverted, in kindergarten I preferred drawing or reading rather than talking to children. For my parents this creative interest of mine proved to be a nightmare several times, when I was at home the walls and furniture were my canvas. Unfortunately, in high school I did not choose an art path and regretted it very much, but after three years I realized my mistake and decided to enroll in a Graphic Design High School. During my high school years I developed a great passion for photography, an activity that also greatly improved my skills in illustration. Thereafter, I continued to learn as a self-taught artist, given the high cost of most art academies.

I admit that, because of this decision, I am unaware of several details regarding the profession of the artist as such - surely school would have been helpful in understanding this subject better. Nevertheless, direct confrontation with reality has taught me a large part of what I need to get by in this world. I have learned a lot from my colleagues over the years, in an extremely chaotic way, picking up pearls of wisdom everywhere and then putting them together when I draw: when I have the pencil in my hand any feeling of chaos vanishes, everything flows into place, finding its own order.

I had a chance to discover the digital medium by going to Torino Comics around the age of 13. Some booths were letting people try out graphics tablets, and the experience opened my eyes to this amazing possibility. Previously I was plagued by this horrible preconception that did not allow me to consider what was created through digital media as real art, but the moment I was able to try this technology, reality presented itself in front of me. Now I prefer digital, as it saves space and allows me to preserve my art - I was always terrified of losing my work.

 

Y: Art is a challenging, if extremely satisfying, field. What impact has it had on your life so far?

A: Oh. The impact has been extremely positive! As a child, because of my shyness, art was the best way to communicate with others, to express myself without shutting myself off. Over the years, it has also been very supportive from a mental point of view: it allows me to vent and throw out everything that hurts me, everything I carry, or used to carry, behind me. Currently I consider it a real therapy. I would like if one day it could do the same for those who see my works, I would like my art to become a safe place for those who need it.

It also helps me a lot to get organized. If I have to do something, even something not related to art, I like to make drawings about it to better understand the situation and put it on paper.

 

Y: Does your art allow you to support yourself financially? In case not, is that a goal you have or not?

A: I have been thinking about this for a long time recently and I would like it to actually become my job. I'm currently trying my hand at merch art; the idea came from a personal desire and some of my friends, but seeing the general demand I began to engage in it for a wider audience as well, making it a lucrative business. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy with this financial return, but the best payment of all remains the satisfaction of customers after a commission, all the thanks and positive comments. I read them often, especially in my darkest moments, as they help me remember that I am indeed capable of creating art.

As mentioned before, I would like it to become a real job later on, which is why I am moving within the sphere of trade shows and merch art! However, in case I fail to achieve this goal, art will still remain an integral part of my life, I will never put it aside.

I have realized that I would like to become a reference point for younger kids, for upcoming artists who want to immerse themselves in this field. I would like to be able to help those who want to take their first steps in this environment! I remember that I didn't have a real reference in the beginning either, reasoning that I would like to offer myself as a sort of do-when and if the opportunity arises.

 

Y: What platforms do you use to promote your work? Do you think they need to be fixed and improved in any way?

A: Honestly, I'm terrible at it. I forget that I have social media platforms, I only post when I remember and often don't have content ready. Among the various social networks, X is currently the only one that satisfies me: thanks to my obsession with an anime series that came out last summer, I was able to create a sort of community, a niche in which I fit in quite well.

I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed with most platforms right now. Following the implementation of artificial intelligence and the new algorithms that are massacring small creators, I realized that the social situation seems to be getting worse by the day. These big companies should work on the protection they offer to users, both from the perspective of privacy and safeguarding content.

 

Y: Have you ever had problems regarding copyright and its management?

A: Yes, but nothing overly problematic. I found some of my illustrations on Pinterest, obviously without credit. Fortunately, by communicating with the uploaders it was quite easy to remove the illustrations in question.

In addition, I happened to see some of my work on a site that was taking posts from Instagram to make posters of it and selling them later. Thanks to Rights Chain's intervention, we were able to get the site shut down, removing the underlying problem.

 

Y: Are you in favor of Artificial Intelligences using your art to enrich their database?

A: No. Absolutely not.

Temporarily putting aside the complete immorality of how these much infamous models are trained, the environmental impact of using artificial intelligence terrifies me. The natural factor is often and willingly ignored, hiding it in the midst of all the other controversies about it, but the immense amounts of water and electricity that are being wasted to power this phenomenon of innovation really makes me furious. I would not agree with this unwarranted violence even if the databases used to train AI were completely ethical. 

I do not deny that this technology could become a potentially useful tool in case of support, but for the current state of affairs I see it solely and exclusively as a great disrespect, both to the creative people and to the planet on which we live. Those who argue that AI makes art more accessible are hiding behind a disgusting degree of laziness - artists start from nothing, with a half-dull pencil and a blank notebook, no one is born a “master of art.” The process is an integral part of creative activity as such.

 

Y: What would you change about the current art scene if you could? What do you expect from the future of art?

A: What would I change? The way people view art. Currently, the average Italian (and not only, unfortunately) does not see comics or illustration as a real art form; their thought is limited to the conception of artists as “four losers who draw doodles.” Unfortunately, this limited idea also includes writers, musicians, and all those who work within the field. Being taken seriously is becoming increasingly difficult, especially without the big numbers that companies like so much.

If it were possible, I would remove the puritanical conception of art that characterizes much of the current scene, that idea that one is not a true artist if one does not use a specific style, and only and exclusively that. From the future I expect a breath of fresh air, the spread of the idea that what is creative, what is created by someone in papers and bones, is real art regardless.

 

Y: How do you feel about the management of artist alleys at nowadays conventions? Are there any experiences you would like to share with us?

A: This topic will make me sound controversial and argumentative, I warn you. I have to say that I have noticed a slow disinterest on the organizational side; when I was growing up I noticed the artist alleys better maintained and better placed, with more appropriate attention to the artists present. I attend events less and less now, as it seems that during every single fair there are always problems: their treatment of artists is less and less respectful. Currently, the main idea seems to be to fill the location with whatever they can and make money, that's it.

Foreign conventions, in comparison, are on a completely different level. While here in Italy they let literally anyone into the artist alleys, between self-proclaimed “AI artists” and people who copy other people's work and pass it off as their own, abroad they kick anyone who doesn't follow the rules out of the event - they have a completely different approach to the environment. 

I would have a lot to say about the Italian arts community these days, unfortunately not in a flattering sense. It is sadly toxic because of an unnecessary level of competitivity: it is no longer a source of motivation, it has become a reason for revenge against one's neighbor. I am sorry to have such a negative view of the Italian scene, but at the moment there is too much omertà within the community and it needs to be acknowledged. If there is a problem but you don't talk about it you become part of the problem itself, which will certainly not be solved. 

 

Thanks again to Anais for participating in this interview with us! She was responsible for the design of last year's spring stickers depicting our mascots! In case you are interested, you can find all her socials at this link.

 

As a reminder, the Rights Chain team is always at your disposal for any Copyright and Privacy questions or support requests. 

Have a great day!

Yako.