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

Arrianna , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?

I genuinely love what the animation and visual art industry have given to society, but I don’t often see people who look like me dominating those spaces. We’re slowly working toward it but breaking out into the industry as a Latina or, for a lot of my buddies, brown-to-darker skinned women is like pulling teeth compared to being white/white-passing. Again, I recognize that there is momentum, given I am in collectives meant to uplift people like me in our industry. However, I cannot help to notice when we are tokenized to fulfill the diversity candidacy in a studio space or be brought onto projects solely for how we look/identify only to NOT be offered long-term jobs. That is something I aspire to see shift.

Arrianna , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hey readers! My name’s Arrianna Santiago and I am a multi-disciplinary Visual Artist who graduated from SVA for 2D Animation. I’ve gone on to freelance for several independent projects, animated for a music visualizer for JUICE WRLD, exhibited my work at the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art in an all-women group show called, “Here We Are: Young, Black, and Indigenous Women in the Art World,” worked as a professional roller skater for Flipper’s World and DiscOasis, and am now working with Fordham University to develop a mural for Women’s History Month! Additionally, I decided to start my own small business called The Moonplant, where I not only sell original works but I challenge myself to design bags and (eventually) clothing.

My biggest objective is actually similar to what Viola Davis once said in an interview about representation. To paraphrase, she says that to have a physical manifestation of what you want to be and see in this world further inspires you to obtain that; it’s reassurance that it’s possible. I want to be that for brown-skin Puerto Rican girls who want to pursue art and animation no matter the obstacles.

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

Absolutely! I wish I knew more about the scholarships, mentorships, grants, and residencies for new artists. I am currently a member of Women in Animation and LatinX in Animation and both share job listings, events, grants/scholarships for people who are of/within these intersections.

As a freelancer, income isn’t always guaranteed immediately, so having 2-3 projects at a time is pivotal to stay afloat. I’ve had several experiences of getting severely underpaid by friends-turned-clients, not being given credit for my work, being told that I was “just hired for the project” so my work with theirs couldn’t be considered a collaboration; these people are in the creative field, too.

Having learned from these experiences, I’ve learned to cater my social media feeds to what I want to be inspired by and what can move me closer to the skillset and experience I’d like to have in the animation industry. By being a part of these wonderful collectives, following accounts like @pickuptheflownyc, @riseupanimation, and even a bunch of my favorite artists on Instagram I learn so much about what is accessible to artists in this day!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’ve done a lot of personal work to define and refine what my intentions are with being an artist; the biggest thing I’ve discovered is making it a safe space for me and allowing the world in afterwards. For example, I illustrated a piece I refer to as the “Bori Deskspace” and it’s inspired by the desk aesthetic you’d typically find on Pinterest, Tiktok, and Instagram. A lot of the time we’re receiving works and imagery shared by white creative people who beautifully designed their spaces, but I’ve yet to see those very same spaces by Puerto Rican people. The piece is my take on that trend and I found that so many other Boricuas resonated with this piece because of the inclusivity, imagery, and ambiance. Allowing people to feel like they are part of the experience, especially black and brown people, is what I want to continue to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.themoonplant.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themoonplant/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arriannasantiago/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/themoonplant/?etsrc=sdt

Image Credits
All photos provided for this article are created and photographed by Arrianna Santiago.