Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anamaria Merchan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anamaria, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Anamaria, and I go by ANA-EME, which comes from my initials. I’m an Ecuadorian muralist based in New York City.

I’ve been painting since I was little, and art was always celebrated at home. My parents always encouraged me enrolling me in art classes, making sure I had the space and materials to create.

I studied architecture in Ecuador, and while studying in New York I was painting as a hobby, but during COVID it became something deeper; a refuge, a way to process uncertainty and connect with myself. That’s when I embraced art as my full-time path. Painting feels like stepping into another world, one built out of colors, shapes, and emotions. It’s almost like meditation, every mural begins with that quiet space inside me.

Now, I focus on large-scale murals created with spray paint; my biggest so far is 45 by 60 feet. But more than size, what matters to me is the meaning. My art is a bridge between cultures, communities, and who we are now; a sort of visual spell weaving the real into the surreal. I use public space as my canvas to tell stories about roots, memory, and identity, and also to translate the deepest dreams I carry in my head.

This journey hasn’t always been easy, especially working as a woman in an industry often dominated by men, but it’s been incredibly rewarding. Each mural teaches me something new about myself, about technique, and about the people I collaborate with. More than anything, I see murals as shared spaces: places where my own inner world meets the lives and stories of the community around it. And that, to me, is the true magic of painting.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the state of being it brings. Robert Henri says, “The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state that makes art inevitable.” That idea resonates deeply with me, because art isn’t just something I produce; it’s a way of existing, of tuning into life with openness and presence.

When I’m painting, it feels less like I’m creating something from nothing and more like I’m revealing what was already there, inside me, in the stories of a community, or in the quiet dreams I carry. That process is rewarding because it allows me to connect, not only with others, but also with myself on a deeper level.

In the end, the greatest reward of being an artist is the discovery of yourself through the work. To trust your art so deeply that you no longer look outward for approval, but inward for truth. In that space, expectations dissolve, you are simply present, creating, letting your truest self emerge, and allowing that honesty to flow into form.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

If there’s one resource I wish I had embraced earlier, it’s the awareness of death. Not in a dark way, but as a reminder that our time here is limited. That awareness makes fear smaller and makes authenticity urgent.

When you understand that, you stop wasting energy trying to meet expectations or fit into molds that don’t belong to you. You create without limits, because the only real loss is not expressing yourself fully while you’re here.

Osho calls death a teacher, and I believe that. Remembering our impermanence frees us to create without apology, to live—and paint—more intensely.

My advice for young creatives is this: let that awareness guide you. Don’t wait for approval. Trust your art, trust yourself, and create boldly while you have the chance.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://anaemewallarts.com
• Instagram: __anaeme__
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/7lBEIsluS5o

Image Credits

Nacho Crespo
JP Merchan