SPOTLIGHT: The Wonderful World of Anami Hayes
“THE MERCIFUL ONE” — The meaning of artist Anami Hayes’ name suits him well. He is compassionate, warm, and undeniably charismatic. A 2D animator, illustrator, graphic designer, and creative director, Hayes has a gift for harmonizing his multiple disciplines to create coordinated and coherent artwork, making him an interdisciplinary artist.
Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, where he is currently spending some time enjoying the open space of the city, Hayes spent much of his adult life in Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended university at Savannah College of Art and Design, also known as SCAD. Hayes majored in animation and drawing, ultimately achieving a Bachelor of Fine Arts. There, he found a sense of community in Atlanta within the underground art scene.
“I dove into the underground art scene, where it exposed me to much different fashion, music, [and] film, and it was a culture shock, to be honest,” he said. “It opened my mind to so many different avenues of where art could take me. Through finding a creative community, Hayes explored and alchemized his gifts into a blossoming career — a blessing to himself and his peers. Currently, he’s developing a coming-of-age animation series titled The Good Looks Adventures. He is the show's original creator and has his hands in storyboarding, character design, and directing. “We are making a mini pilot right now and hope to premiere the television show this year,” he said. The hard work and hustle that goes into a creative project of this scale can be stressful for an up-and-coming artist. Nonetheless, Hayes is taking things in stride, a challenging feat in creative industries. Additionally, Hayes enjoys painting — his pieces focus primarily on friends and the people who inspire him. “I just wanted to capture personality, the candidness of normal people, and put them in a gorgeous setting or some kind of spotlight that exemplifies who they are,” he explained.
When asked how his adolescence inspired him, Hayes said, “I’ve always been interested in being creative. I initially wanted to become a doctor; I love science. At a young age, I realized the root of my passion was to understand how things work. "Yet, his entrance into art school was spontaneous. "I didn’t know what I was going to do, but in retrospect, I found that growing up I had the willingness to learn everything, and I realized I could do that with art,” he described. Hayes’s fashion style is also something to note — it's authentic and unique.
“To be honest, my original thoughts were very conservative because of the area I grew up in, and I always felt this duality going on inside of me, where I thought to myself, ‘I’m not a football guy, nor super masculine,’ but … moving to Atlanta — and not just Atlanta, but being involved in art — actually allowed me to rid of a lot of internal homophobia,” Hayes said of exploration with fashion. “The way I see myself now is that I am my art. I want to express myself the way I express my art. I’m so comfortable in my masculinity that I don’t feel the need to prove anything. I like wearing eyeliner because I think it’s cool — I’m not doing all this stuff for anyone else, but simply because I like it.” Beyond an artist's work, there is a human being. Hayes remembers what matters most: being a good person and being there for your loved ones. “Ultimately, life and people inspire me the most,” he shared. When asked to share some wisdom for aspiring artists, he said, “I would say just to be patient; don’t be too hard on yourself, and know everything is a journey. Art is in everything, and if you could draw, you could learn how to do film, photography, and music if you wanted to. It’s all-encompassing. Just don’t box yourself in.” Hayes has taken his own advice, and we look forward to seeing what he does next.
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