Arts as Escapism The CreativeMindClass Blog

I'm from Venezuela. I grew up in a very tropical city with hills and palm trees. However, I unfortunately, I was not allowed to experience my surroundings fully (partly because of my parents' overprotectiveness and a lot more due to all the anxieties that surrounded my country). Almost always indoors, TV and books were my primary forms of escapism - and drawing! I would spend hours drawing my most favorite characters from anime, my friends, pets I couldn't own, costumes, and everything else.

It was mainly a hobby that I had a little bit aware that it would not go beyond that in Venezuela. However, my family made the decision to move to UK and that changed everything for me. In my teen years I had finally been granted greater freedom, and was able to travel on my own and think about what I really would like to accomplish.

My passion for characters and storytelling led me to comics, which then inspired me to draw. All the pieces were put together. Following a few years of studying (and many hours of work) I'm currently freelance as an Illustrator in London.

I think my work is fun, bold and sometimes a little chaotic (in a good way!). Sometimes , it's simple and sometimes it's very detailed. However, every illustration has a person or animal or even a beautiful piece of scenery. I believe all my illustrations are all part of the same world.

For me, the most important thing is to have fun with it. I am reminded of aspects that made me smile growing in my youth: vibrant colours as well as sly characters, humorous moments, and tiny little details to be lost in. The goal of my work is to capture the best of these things whenever I create something new. If I can inspire the viewer to be excited or satisfied, or even feel that they've discovered something fascinating and interesting, then I've succeeded in the goal I set for myself.

"Another important aspect for me is the sense of humor. It was apparent over time that I'm not an adequate person to make very abstract or serious art, but I can be fairly adept in creating something lighthearted that can bring a smile to someone's face. I work to my strengths currently."

Follow Marianna's art adventure on Instagram Discover detailed artwork from her children's book she created during lockdowns and some backstage images of her recoding Skillshare class, to mention a few. The link to the class as well as Marianna's books can be found at the web site.