We had the good fortune of connecting with Mariyah Rahman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mariyah, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I chose a creative career because at the end of the day, when my wrist is killing me and I’m slightly cross eyed from staring at the screen and frustrated from not getting something done the way I want it, I still want to draw and paint.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a background artist and illustrator! I love painting and drawing layouts, characters and children’s book illustrations. Some of my most recent work has been as a background artist for Titmouse, and doing work for international organizations. After graduating in the beginning of the pandemic, while I faced several obstacles, the sudden shift in work-from-home culture truly accelerated some opportunities, especially for non-American artists such as myself. With the sudden increase I received while being fresh out of school, I had to learn how to manage a creative career on my own extremely quickly. The pace is so fast that it would be fairly easy to burn out with the ungodly hours, multiple assignments and different time zones, but it taught me a lot in a very short span of time! If I could share one thing I’ve learned with other artists, it would be to read all your contracts thoroughly and to get comfortable drawing up your own terms and contracts.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
1. Donut Friend 2. The Norton Simon Museum 3. The Huntington 4. Grand Central Market 5. The Fashion District if you love to sew! 6. The Candipop dance party @ The Satellite

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to give a shout out to my instructor, illustrator Paul Rogers! He’s always taken a keen interest in his students and has been a wonderful and supportive mentor. https://paulrogersstudio.com/

Website: https://www.mariyahrahman.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themaribug/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariyah-rahman-1b6361156/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMaribug

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.