Conversations with Ariana Ares

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariana Ares.

Hi Ariana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Since I can remember, I’ve always loved creating. Art class as a kid was the highlight of my day and now that I look back, it was the start of my journey to becoming a designer. I loved everything I did in art class, especially working with various pencils, pens, markers and colored pencils. Cut to high school when my friend Bailey convinced our whole friend group to join Yearbook class, little did I know it was going to change my life.

Now, at the time I was a focused dancer. Everything I did revolve around it until my yearbook teacher asked me to pick up a camera and start shooting photos around school. To my surprise, I was pretty good at it. He told me I had an eye for photography. So I hopped on that train whilst I was then introduced to Adobe (InDesign) for the first time in my life. That’s where we created the yearbook. I was fascinated and my love for art class turned into my love for yearbook class on top of still dancing.

In 2014, I graduated from Basha High School and went on to study at Northern Arizona University. I joined the dance team while also studying full-time. My freshman year, I decided it was practical to be a business major. Boy was I wrong. Although I passed all my classes, I was so miserable. So one day in my second semester at school, I marched into my councilors office and changed my major to “Creative Media and Film” on the spot. I figured I loved photography and loved live production (from my dance experience), so it was a great fit. The next year it was like a complete 360, my classes were so exciting. Everyone was creative like me and I felt at-home. The halls were filled with photos, posters, drawings, paintings, etc. But one poster caught my eye. It was an informational poster illustrating the members of the band “The Beatles” and their backgrounds. Later that day, I went back to my councilors office and decided I was going to add on Graphic Design (Visual Communication) as my second major.

Going through each semester, I grew stronger as a storyteller and a designer. I merged both curricular’s together to help myself in both majors which worked out well. I was taking double the creative classes and enjoyed every second of it. Still be a part of the NAU Dance Team, I found myself growing as a leader and eventually becoming a captain and a representative in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee(S.A.A.C). I then started designing for S.A.A.C which gained me experience and also ruining the Dance Team social media channels. This landed me a job with River Way Ranch Camp as media director for a few summers and a Graphic Design Intern for NAU my last year. In 2019, I graduated with a BS in Creative Media and Film and a BFA in Visual Communication.

About five months after graduation, I landed my first job with Uplift Campaigns (Previously Saguaro Strategies) where I helped create logos, websites, social content, videos, and much more for progressive politicians and organizations. With this position the past two years, I worked with some of the most influential politicians in the United States fighting the good fight. As of today, September 1st, 2021, I have departed from Uplift and am 11 days away from moving to London to pursue my Masters in Communication Design at Kingston University.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s never been a smooth road and I don’t think it ever will be. My second year in college, I struggled with my decision to leave my business major. Business is the practical and safe thing to do, which was my thought process when I picked it. Filmmaking, or any creative job for that matter, has historically had a stigma around it known as “the starving artist”(put into simple terms). It doesn’t make you money, it doesn’t give you business skills.

I second-guessed myself, I worried that I might not ever make it in the creative world and if I didn’t make it the stigma was right. For a few years, this thought lingered in the back of my head. People questioned me about what I was learning and what I could do with a design and film degree. People would say what I did was cute or interesting for a side gig. Still, I loved what I was learning.

Eventually, I came to understand that being creative in the world of business-minded people is one of the most valuable skills to have. No business thrives without design or creativity.

Now that I’m confident and knowledgeable about my choices, I’m focused on finding my niche as a designer. This is both an obstacle and challenge but as I continue my journey as a designer at Kingston University and a different country with new perspective, I know I’ll find my niche.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
This is a tough one, because like I previously stated I still am looking to find my specialty or niche. So once I figure that out, ill let you know!

I’m most proud of my work with Uplift Campaigns. I was thrown into work in such an important time for U.S. Politics. Impeachments, a pandemic, peaceful protests, a presidential election, climate change crises and so on. I took so much pride in my time with such an amazing company with the best team I could ask for. What I was creating was a reflection of not only a politician but millions of people. I designed to help the masses understand what was happening in incredibly difficult times. I was educating U.S. Citizens on policies that would affect them and their loved ones. I’m incredibly proud of all of this.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was very driven as a kid because I was a dancer, you can see it in my work ethic today. I was on top of school work to make sure I had it done before dance or early in case of competitions came up.

I was the funny kid, always doing weird things and getting a laugh out of my family. I got a lot of this from my love of cartoons, I think. Scooby-Doo and Tom & Jerry were my favorite. Even today, you can see me pulling small pranks or my friends and family (especially on my TikTok).

I had a huge obsession with the Jonas Brothers (and still do). I even snuck into a concert of theirs in high school (Please don’t tell them).

I’ve always been pretty laid back and enjoyed being home and doing things on my own. It really helps me center myself, I’ve come to realize. This is something I prioritize in my day to day life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.arianaares.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amakay12/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/amakay12
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCabZhHIrA83dJmKO5fSoyFg/featured

Image Credits
Photos by: Lindsay Rosenberg and Hannah Fitzgerald