Today we’d like to introduce you to Brianna Davis.
Hi Brianna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Looking back on my education, my standout favorites were always art and English classes. I spent two college years working towards a medical degree, finally ending up with a degree in Interior Design in 2008, and subsequently a real estate license in 2010.
In 2016, I started working in film, and in 2019 won Best Production Designer at the International Istanbul Film Festival and the Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival for my work on the film, “His Name is Green Flake”. In 2021, a film I did set design, props, and wardrobe on was awarded an Emmy (Belly of The Beast). I found the creative process of filmmaking fun and exciting, however, the hours and demands didn’t mesh with the new adventure I was about to embark on in 2019: parenthood.
I paused all my ventures in 2019 while preparing for my first child, and started paying attention to children’s books, specifically looking for books with bright, fun images and rhyming words. Not a single book excited me, and the question of why perplexed my mind. Was rhyming hard? Was creating amazing imagery challenging? These questions weighed on me.
After my daughter Persia was born, I found myself up at all hours for feedings, trying to stay awake. I decided I needed an outlet to keep me awake, and circled back to the books I desired but didn’t exist. I thought, “If I can rhyme the 26 characters of the alphabet and counting to ten, I may be on to something!” Little did I know that this exercise would unleash my creative superpowers in art and literature, and set me on a new, exciting path.
I completed the rhyming challenge very quickly and then concocted various other topics and stories to rhyme. The writing flowed, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Shortly thereafter, I looked forward to the middle of the night feedings, successfully stayed awake, and had 50 books written by the time Persia was nine months old.
When Persia was three months old. We took her on an adventure to Italy, only to come back to find our home had catastrophically flooded. We were displaced for a year and spent some time in Los Angeles. I believe everything in life is serendipitous and wondered if I was meant to find an illustrator for my books in LA. In the meantime, Persia and I visited a bunch of museums.
After endless searching for an illustrator for my books, I realized that the art I pictured in my head didn’t exist, so I decided it was my responsibility to make the art come to life the way I envisioned it. The life-long education in art and timing was perfect for the artistic journey ahead.
We ended up moving back into our newly renovated home, which gave me the time and space to create the art for the books. I chose to create all the art by hand, with paper, because of the precision and clean lines I could achieve with it. As a result, each piece of art is a tangible showpiece with layers, depth, and bright vivid colors.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Ever since writing the first two books, POP ART 123’s and POP ART ABCs, I have been on a journey of learning and discovery, trial and error. I researched and sought out everything I needed to know to accomplish bringing my books to life. The look, feel, and experience of the books were my main priorities. I constantly think of ways to try new things and implement new ideas.
Often I go to bed with a project on my mind and end up getting out of bed to implement the idea or make my vision come to life in the wee hours of the morning. I have found it important to either act on ideas right away or write them down. Notebooks have been a lifesaver for me to remember ideas and plan things out. I put labels on my notebooks that say, “Brianna’s Brain on Paper”, because that is my intention for them, to be a log of my thoughts and designs that I can easily return to.
Sometimes you have to do things the wrong way to learn what the right way is. That’s a part of life, and it’s what you do next that determines your path. You’ve got to keep pushing, and moving forward to succeed. If something isn’t right, and you’re not happy, start over. In the over 300 pieces of art I have completed, there has only been one piece that really bothered me, and I’m so glad I re-created it.
It was the very first art piece I made for the POP ART 123s, and it just wasn’t up to my level of excellence. The re-created piece is everything I wanted it to be in the first place, but it took putting in 10,000 hours honing my craft to be able to recognize the problem and create the solution. I re-created the piece entitled, “1 Sun Re-Mix”, exactly one year and one day from the date I finished my very first art piece, which is ironic, since the earth revolves around the sun in 365 days, 5 hours, 59 minutes, and 16 seconds.
Taking my art from tangible paper to a digital form was something I knew nothing about, so my husband Sohrab helped me digitize all the art, and taught me some computer programs to compile and fine-tune the books. He was a valuable advisor and sounding board for the first two books and truly helped the books come to life.
We decided to create our own publishing company, MIRMONT, INK, to distribute the books, and it took 2 years of research and development with book manufacturers to get the exact specifications and tactile experience we desired. The final book result is exactly what I envisioned, and they’re nothing short of amazing.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in color theory and design, engaging rhyming and striking imagery, and children’s books that excite kids AND adults.
I am proud of the art pieces I have made, because of the planning, action of creating, precision, and time it took to construct them. Most fulfilling for me, however, are the reactions my daughter has in response to seeing the art pieces for the first time. Every, “WOW!” or identification of the items in the piece gives me the fuel to keep creating. Her responses made me want to push the envelope.
I like to surprise her and make her question things, so sometimes I put things out of place. For instance, in an upcoming book, I have an image of lemonade being made, so there’s a pitcher of lemonade on a table with lemons next to it, however, one lemon has rolled onto the ground next to the table. Every time Persia sees this image, she says in a concerned tone, “Oh no, a lemon fell!”
I view myself as the second artist in the sense that most of what I create already exists in nature, so I’m re-creating it from my point of view. That mindset has generated awareness for the small things, with the realization that nothing is actually small or simple, even if it appears that way.
Constructing the art with paper gave me an appreciation for all the delicate elements that went into the creation of all things that exist. To date, I have hand strung a cello, constructed a few bird nests, designed sunsets, built homes, trees, and oceans, created environments, and made animals come to life using paper. It has been a labor of love.
I have a deep love for writing, color, and design, a commitment to a positive experience, and learning through fun. I created the book experience I had wished existed. Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Therein lies the key to innovation: identify the gap that exists, and fix it.
Photos and videos have been pouring in of kids reading and loving the books, paired with touching stories from parents, grandparents, and teachers. It has been rewarding and exciting to experience the reactions to the books. I place all the photos and videos I receive in a file called, “Fuel for book-making.”
Every time I need some inspiration, I look at the smiles and interactions people are having with the books and art, and it literally gives me the energy, drive, and motivation to keep creating. What’s next? I am putting the finishing touches on eight new books, organizing a museum show, and working on a book for young adults in between entertaining a toddler, and growing my audience with a baby boy in May.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
One of the most important ideologies along my journey of creation has been, “Just do it”.
There is no room for self-doubt or negativity. You always have to take the first step in faith, knowing that things will turn out how they’re meant to in the form of either a lesson or a triumph, and treat whichever outcome as equally beneficial.
Creation is all about: Just doing it. Doing the best you can. Pushing the envelope. Dedication, time, and love. Experimenting with the expectation of failure, but the drive of knowing success is around the corner.
Contact Info:
- Email: orders@mirmont.com
- Website: www.popartbooks.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/slcbri
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/popartbooks
- Other: http://amazon.com/author/briannadavis
Image Credits:
Sohrab Mirmont
