Student Anaya Crouch on art commissions

Anaya Crouch drawing a Juneteenth illustration on her tablet using the Procreate App.

Art Practice: When did you discover that you wanted to become an artist?

Anaya Crouch: I decided to pursue art as a career choice in middle school. I had always loved making art, and it was what I was known for as a kid, so around that time there was a lot of discussion about students narrowing down what they are interested in so that we can work on that for the future.

What did it mean to you to get a commission to make an illustration in general, and specifically for Juneteenth? Is that something you imagined you would do some day?

Anaya: Being approached to create an illustration for Juneteenth is important to me because it allows for me as a Black artist to create something that now only holds meaning for myself, but puts me in a position where I can share the importance of that meaning with others. As an artist that is a part of what makes the work I do meaningful.

Juneteenth Event Theme Illustration by Anaya Crouch for Herman Miller

How did studying art prepare you for what you did?

Anaya: Studying art provided me with the fundamental knowledge that can be used and applied in situations where I am pulling from imagined spaces or combining a particular set of skills. I still have a lot to learn but studying art, whether it be in classes or studying on my own, is the most important part of my process as an artist: It’s the ongoing process of establishing a good set of skills.

How was working for a client different from working for your own projects?

Anaya: When working for a client, I had to be a lot more transparent about my thought process while working on the piece. Often when working on personal projects I don’t have a very clear idea of what the piece would look like in the end, but when working on a project for a client, I needed to have a bit more of a directed plan which was a very interesting experience for me.

What advice do you have for others who are interested in doing commission work?

Anaya: If you are interested in doing commission work, my main point of advice would be to communicate as much as possible and as specifically as possible, get rough iterations done quickly so that the client can get a visual as to what direction you are taking the piece. Doing this avoids a situation in which you are doing a lot of work in a direction that the client may not have imagined. In my case, I was fortunate enough to have a mentor who was able to walk me through the process of creating art for a corporate project. That was a huge game-changer for me because my mentor was able to help me realize the things I was missing and support me with any questions I had along the way. Communicate!

To follow Anaya Crouch online, please visit their Instagram account here.