Her Story
About Annie
I've been working in art and photography for about 10 years now, which is something I always knew I wanted to do ever since I was a child. My grandma always brought me around art - she'd take me to museums and always had an appreciation for making things look nice and neat. She had studied art when she went to school but got pregnant with my dad, so she never really pursued her art career, which kind of always made me want to pursue mine. I was a pandemic student, so my junior year was 2020, which meant I didn't really have a crazy amount of mentorship - I had my teachers who helped guide me in different ways, but I kind of figured a lot of it out on my own. While my background is in photography, I've branched into working in the art world in general. Most recently I've started art handling, working with a museum group. I've been teaching photography for about a year now, helping mentor students. Sometimes the thing that I like the most about art is not necessarily what I can do, but what others can do. I coordinated a residency program for a period of time, working with artists from all over the country and some even international - getting to work with people from different backgrounds culturally, geographically, and hearing voices and perspectives outside of your echo chamber was the coolest opportunity. I make jewelry as another side quest, and I'm represented by a gallery that I luckily got into because I worked there for a period. I was represented by Miami Art Week a couple years back, which felt really cool to have my work out there in the world.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Annie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to trusting my intuition. I don't want to say it's like luck, but sometimes it's just really putting that first step out there. I've gotten way more rejections than I ever have gotten success, but most recently I found an opportunity I wanted to pursue, so I just emailed the person hiring and was able to send my resume and get a conversation with them. It was a job that ideally they were looking for somebody with a master's degree, and I don't have that, so just taking that step and putting my voice out there really helped me with that role.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to do what makes you happy, probably from my dad. I think my dad's always been one of my role models when it comes to business. He's always really encouraged me - I wouldn't even say do what you love, I would say do what makes you happy, because sometimes you'll find success isn't necessarily what makes you happy. Working in the arts is kind of a tough job because you're dealing with budgeting, funding from donors and grants, and the finances aren't always as stable as other industries. It's kind of based on sales or nonprofits are just kind of their own ballpark, but I just always wanted to do what makes me happy because I just wanted that for myself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would probably tell them to find your niche and find what most inspires you, and how you can kind of market that towards other people, because that's going to be the strongest thing you can do.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field are the way the money flows in nonprofits and in the art world - it's not always the most financially redeeming industry. You're dealing with budgeting, funding from donors and grants, and the finances aren't always as stable as other industries. It's kind of based on sales, or nonprofits are just kind of their own ballpark. But the opportunities are amazing - you get to meet the coolest people! I coordinated a residency program for a period of time and worked with artists who traveled from all over the country, some even international. Getting to work with people from different backgrounds culturally, geographically, and hearing voices and perspectives outside of your echo chamber - that was the coolest opportunity.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty is my biggest value - it's going to be my favorite thing. You have to be honest as an artist, but you also have to be honest as an employee or as a coworker. I don't feel like everybody has self-honesty. I'd also say creativity - I think there's always a creative solution to anything. Even if it's like a mundane task at work, you can find a way to be creative about it.
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