We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aniya Thorne. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aniya below.

Aniya , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My painting Bloom Power is the most meaningful project I’ve created to date. I developed this piece in 2024 as part of my senior thesis at the Fashion Institute of Technology. This painting not only represents the source of my passion but also my desire to share the love and joy I feel when creating. Through my work, I aim to evoke positive emotions, inspire happiness, and encourage a sense of connection among those who view it. In Bloom Power, I’m holding hands with my younger sister and our love materializes into a heart crystal, which awakens all of our pets from the past. This image of unity and love brings me peace, and I hoped that viewers would feel a similar sense of warmth and connection when viewing it. Interconnection and love are central themes in my art. My paintings often reflect what I cherish most, and display the relationships and moments that inspire me. With Bloom Power, I wanted to create something that not only celebrates my sister and our pets but also encourages others to connect with the people, memories, and experiences they hold dear. My sister and our pets are my reasons I continue to move forward and I hope that others find something or someone that makes them feel the same.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Art has been a big part of my life and my personality ever since I was young. It has always been my main form of self expression and meditation. Painting is my voice, my way of letting the world know who I am and what I like. On that note, when I was young I wasn’t fully aware that I could make a career out of what I love and I mainly just viewed art as a declaration of my feelings. Once I became a teenager, I started to study different artists that interest me, such as Frida Kahlo, Paul Cezanne, Vermeer, Boucher, etc. and I realized that I can take my illustrations out of my bedroom and into the real world for everyone to see like they have. Over time I had a realization that art is everywhere, on books, posters, websites, packaging, in homes, etc. and it serves a bigger purpose than what I initially thought when I was young. I realized that artists also serve their viewers and not only themselves. When I realized this, I knew I wanted to be a professional Illustrator and I wanted to work towards evoking the same happiness in my viewers that I personally feel when I create art. Lately, I have been commissioned for surreal paintings and pet portraits which I love, it’s what I do best. I also love to offer my clients functional art that they can use on a daily basis such as handmade trinkets, bags, clothing, keychains, etc.
There’s nothing more fulfilling than seeing someone proudly and happily using or displaying something I’ve created. It makes me really happy to see someone choose to put my bag charm on their book bag, put my sticker on their phone case, or hang my painting in their room. I think we should all incorporate art into our daily lives.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to let go of the fact that there isn’t only one way to complete an art piece and there is no specific way on how it should look or be. In high school I was mainly tasked to copy pieces from the Old Masters and I started to get the impression that art had to look how those did or else it wasn’t considered beautiful. Once I got to college, I realized that it’s okay to be weird and experiment with your art by using different mediums and creating dynamic and unusual compositions. It took me a while to get used to experimenting and it’s still something that I struggle with sometimes.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The biggest resource that artists have is their fellow artists. In the beginning of my journey I felt like I had to do everything on my own and figure everything out alone. Over the course of time I realized the value in collaborating with other people and I started to reach out to my peers for feedback and support. Some of my best pieces have been produced from just having a conversation with a friend and receiving a critique from them. The creative journey is definitely more fulfilling when we allow others to contribute their insights and ideas to our process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aniyathorne.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niyy.niyyy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aniya-thorne-a063b1281
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Palette.Rabbit