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

Alright, Anna Mikhaela thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I am currently creating a series of conceptual works based on mental health, trauma, and healing, which encompasses topics from anxiety and depression to narcissism and social stigmas. This work is important to me because not only does it provide me with a medium to tell my own personal experiences, it also helps to form connections with others who have experienced similar situations and challenges in their own mental health and healing journeys. “Ruminate,” for instance, is about the endless spiral of overthinking and doubt caused by anxiety. Growing up, I had difficulties being present and I thought it was completely normal for me to frequently go down this mental rabbit hole, so much so that I’m sure I was dissociating through some of the most important moments in my life. Looking back, I wish I had access to more knowledge and a supportive community that shared and empathized with this experience.
I see my work as an opportunity to start a conversation and serve as a safe space for those who are going through the same mental health dips. There were times when my artwork was all I had and I want people to see this work and think, “I’m not alone. I can use art to tell my story, too.”

Anna Mikhaela, 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?

I graduated from Kennesaw State University with a BFA in Drawing and Painting. I am a full-time government subcontractor as a Multimedia Specialist and Graphic Designer. When I’m not designing, I’m creating conceptual drawings and, occasionally, freelance illustrations. I’m never not creating. It makes me happy that I get to incorporate art into all aspects of my life and I’m lucky to be able to find meaning and purpose in both my design and gallery work. I find inspiration in both disciplines and kind of cross-contaminate to invite elements of each into the other.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

“Creativity, Inc.” by Amy Wallace and Ed Catmull is a book I constantly reference. My biggest takeaway from it is the value of the truth and being candid, which is an ever-present theme in any type of environment. In my gallery work, honesty is the foundation of where a piece comes from—in order for a concept to be communicated in its purest form, one must be honest with themselves in order to create work that is honest with others. In a more corporate setting, I feel that there are still a lot of practices and organizations that value ego over authenticity such that products, work cultures, and people end up suffering because of it. We need sincerity and openness now more than ever in order to reach full potential as an individual employee, team member, leader, organization as a whole, and so on.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Growing up, I was taught to set a plan and not to deviate from it, but my career journey taught me to be okay with the “not knowing.” Even after determining that I wanted to be an artist, it took a lot of time for me to settle on what my artistic purpose was. I jumped around between different media and concepts and, honestly, spent some time being a little lost. Something I’m proud of is the way I leaned into and embraced that period of ambiguity. It’s definitely easier said than done—it was difficult for me to take blind steps in the name of progress, but if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing. The best advice I can give to anyone who is in that same limbo is to follow your intuition and trust the process.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.annamikhaela.com
• Instagram: anna.mikhaela.art
• Other: Freelance Website — www.amr-creative.design Email — [email protected]