My name is Anjay Seabrook, and I am a designer and brand analyst here at Atelier Oluwatosin. Something I love about art and design is the ability to tell a story with just a visual. I’ve always been a visual creator in some capacity. As a kid, I was obsessed with painting, drawing, and sculpting. While I’m no Picasso, my mom and the archives of work she’s kept would suggest a different story.
As I got older, I started to shift my focus into the more academic realm. I was always intrigued by the dynamics between people — the relationships, situations, and circumstances that govern our interactions. I knew from the early days of high school that the social sciences is what I wanted to pursue. After high school, I started at The University of British Columbia (UBC) studying Political Science and Economics with the goal of attending law school afterwards.
At UBC, my life became quickly consumed by my studies and the topics surrounding them. I still pursued my creative passions on the side, but I found I needed an outlet for them. I got involved in various jobs and positions surrounding marketing, design, and social media. I discovered this was a great way to intersect my interests in art, people, relationships, and creativity.
I realized I could use the knowledge I was learning from Political Science and apply it to marketing and design roles. At its core, politics is about people — branding and design objectively need to appeal to people. I also realized that design itself is inherently political. Design involves many different interests and shareholders, with different spheres of influence, who all possess a unique interpretation of the final product. This was the moment where things clicked for me, and it felt like my passions came together. I believe politics is at the core of all social interaction, especially design work. Designers and creatives are gifted with the ability to convey a message through our work.
Beyond just simple aesthetics, I believe design has the power to create change. As designers, we can facilitate new interactions, spaces, conversations, and ways of thinking. The inherent political power of design is something I try to embody in all of my work. I believe in the power of being uncomfortable, as people, we grow from uncomfortable. I believe being able to spark a new or uncomfortable conversation is a gift not everyone is fortunate enough to experience.
More recently, I discovered a new appreciation for the intersection of art, design, branding, and politics via the life works of Andy Warhol. His ability to bring these elements together in new inspiring, and thought-provoking ways was unmatched. I take inspiration from the way he took branding and commercial design and translated them through visual art to create a beautiful piece with a political element. These are the spheres of influence I try to embody in my all work.
As an interdisciplinary creative, I like to use familiar imagery and material to create something memorable that invokes curious thought. In the past year, I’ve launched my own creative house which focuses on social media brand personas for business — I create cohesive social media identities so businesses look professional and on-brand across platforms. Eventually, I’d like to expand the house to showcase artwork, produce live experiences, and be a space for creatives to come together. Here at Atelier Oluwatosin, I work on graphic design execution for our projects, social media marketing strategy, and more. Thank you for joining us on our journey and being part of our atelier!
XO, A.