Yeva Manucharyan
Digital Artist

Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
I am a digital artist. I’ve been working as a graphic designer in the corporate world for over the past 20 years and have a business called AnahitCo. AnahitCo is an online platform where you can find a breadth of merchandise with digital artwork created by me and various artists from around the world.

How did you first become interested in art?
I would say I loved drawing at an early age. I remember preferring drawing in class over any other subject, even in first grade. I used to draw a variety of characters for my friends all the time. After I immigrated to the U.S. when I was a teen, I joined an Arts Academy in high school and started learning how to design on the computer. After high school, I continued my education at Pasadena City College, but decided to major in psychology. After getting my undergrad degree in psychology I had a change of mind and applied to Art Center College of Design to pursue my passion in graphic design. Shortly after I got my degree in communications and graphics arts I  entered the corporate world of design and commercial arts. I’ve worked in various industries as a graphic designer over the past 20 years. I started AnahitCo in 2018 to share the Armenian culture using new, creative, positive, and innovative designs and products.

How does art enrich a community, and what are some ways people can engage with art in Burbank?
I think traditionally Art is perceived as a form of entertainment and aesthetic pleasure. But it is so much more powerful and multi-faceted than that. It can serve as a platform to enrich a community physically, economically, socially, and culturally. Art can start a dialogue, bring people together and create a sense of belonging, improve social well-being, beautify a neighborhood, reveal truth, empower economic development, highlight community values, create solutions to conflict, promote diversity, inspire and educate.

It’s difficult to share one’s internal world of emotions and thoughts with the outside world.  Art provides a platform for people to share the multi-layered depth of themselves without a traditional form of spoken language. It gives people a sense of freedom, elevates their soul and creates a sense of purpose and belonging. Specifically in the City of Burbank, I think there is such a beautiful thriving community here. I know the City of Burbank is starting to focus more on the Arts and bringing the community together through various art events. Overall, I think Art has been evolving tremendously during the past five years. Advancement of technology and innovation are playing a huge role in how we view, experience, and appreciate Art. There are several great projects going on in Southern California to highlight this. Many of these events have gone virtual due to COVID-19, but I’m glad they’re adapting to the present times.

I love events like the Downtown LA Art Walk, Pasadena Art Night, Summer Free Museum Nights and the work Amplifierart is doing. We’ve seen a rise in the immersive art viewing experience like the latest immersive van Gogh show, and some augmented and virtual reality experiences like Long Beach AR Challenge, Hidden13 Virtual Story experience by Verizon in Santa Monica, and of course the Ellipsis AR Gallery at the Americana.

If you could share with our community one thing about art, what would it be?
I would say give more importance to Art in your life. Try to create time and space to experience Art in your life on a regular basis. That could be a trip to a museum, a show or an art event. Get more involved in supporting art initiatives in your community. It will make your community a better place, so whether you’re donating to a local school art program or attending a charity event or even starting your own project, it’s always a win-win for everyone. Also, the way we experience Art is changing, as people’s visual language and self-expressions are changing as we adapt to technological advancements in our present lives, so be open to that. These non-conventional ways of art might seem strange, but it can be fun and engaging.

To find out more about Yeva and her work, visit her website anahitco.com.