Narya Marcille | Owner, Blooming Anchor Designs
1. You were approached by Newsweek to design a cover illustration marking the first anniversary of the Women’s March on Washington. What was your process for this commission? To start, we discussed the concept and which individuals from the magazine would be featured on the cover. They liked my work from the first Women’s March, especially the pink sky, the crowd and the way the women’s arms were linked, so I sent in sketches before a final concept was decided. It was a tight timeline; the day after Christmas was the deadline, and I worked around the clock for a week to complete the piece on time.
2. Blooming Anchor Designs is a one-woman show. What are the biggest challenges you face in operating such a business? I am a stay-at-home mom and a freelance artist, graphic designer. I launched Blooming Anchor in summer 2014 shortly after my first child turned 1. It began with the design of an emergency diaper bag, which I shopped around, and a local baby boutique offered to carry it. The owner liked my packaging and design so much, I was hired as their sole graphic designer. … To maximize my productivity, over the past year and a half, I have steered Blooming Anchor toward the design of political art pieces and portraits, instead of graphic design.
3. You are an alumna of the University of Rhode Island. What did you study there? I graduated from URI in the spring of 2005 with a bachelor’s in fine arts, focusing on photography.
4. URI isn’t well-known for its arts program. Was that a hindrance to your studies? No, the art department may not be well-known, but it’s staffed by talented and invested professors. As a smaller department, this allowed students to receive regular, individualized attention. In my experience, most people who graduate with a fine arts degree have to find their own way – there is no straight-line trajectory to a career, regardless of where you earned your degree.
5. Many in the local design industry feel graduates from the Rhode Island School of Design dominate the field. What is your perspective on who fills the jobs locally? I agree. RISD is so well-known and respected, it appears their graduates have a leg up. I hope potential employers make their decision based on an artist’s portfolio rather than their [alma mater]. RISD is a great program, but talented artists and designers can come from anywhere.
