We’re looking forward to introducing you to Imani Phillips. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Imani, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Outside of work, I love getting lost in the silly world and characters of pro-wrestling, especially AEW (All Elite Wrestling). Besides that, I’m a big fan of browsing manga art—I have a large collection of manga and graphic novels that I love to read and study. But what brings me the most joy is writing my own manga. I take a lot of inspiration from art, movies, TV shows, video games, books, my own personal life, work, and even pro-wrestling when I get lost writing my series.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Imani Phillips and I’m a multi-passionate visual artist! For professional work, I am a creative marketing media specialist, which includes photography, video production, graphic design, and social media marketing. I actually created my own brand called Madd Canvas—it’s a YouTube channel, blog, podcast, and newsletter that documents the raw, real, and inspiring stories behind visual art and storytelling from creators everywhere.
What’s interesting about my work is that I have found a way to combine my personal art, my book series, and my documentation of other creators into one big topic of ‘Going inside the behind-the-scenes process of visual art and storytelling.’ Visual art includes every form of medium, like painting, animation, video production, photography, and comic book creators, so I have a diverse and endless topic with multipassionate insight.
I also document everything that I do to inspire other creators. I am a visual artist and storyteller myself, so I know the struggles and desires that my fellow creators face, but I have a marketing background, and I’m good with a camera, so I can make my content educational and interesting. I’m combining my personal experience with my professional skills to support the creator community.
What shaped my journey started when I was born coloring on the wall. I’ve always had an interest in drawing, which started with Pokemon from looking at my older brother’s Pokemon cards. I never stopped drawing—I used to make 25-cent comics based on the comic series I used to read in my grandpa’s newspaper. My parents always encouraged me to keep drawing. When I was 8, I fell in love with Naruto back on Toonami on Cartoon Network. So I was introduced to anime, and I wanted to make my own manga shortly after that. I was always editing websites and doing video editing on Windows Movie Maker since I was 10. When I was a teenager, I got a Nintendo 3DS, which had a camera feature, and I would film videos and take photos there. I just always had a passion for creating and expressing myself through video or art.
My current project is actually my biggest passion project I’ve been working on since I was 14, and that is my own book series, my own graphic novel or manga called Bleakville. It’s a psychological thriller about stopping animal abuse. If I’m not drawing, I’m writing; if I’m not writing, I am daydreaming. I’m currently sharing my behind-the-scenes process through Patreon.
As I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t matter if it’s my book, my art, or other creators’ journeys; I found a way to niche it all into one topic: ‘Behind-The-Scenes of the Creative Process.’ So I’m also taking time out of my day to film and edit YouTube videos and podcast episodes for Madd Canvas.
When it comes to my personal painting and art, I draw and paint when I feel like it; I’m just trying to present it and sell it online.
Something else about me: I have my own marketing agency where I help manage clients’ brands online. I also hit the gym 3-4 times a week because I sit and stare at the screen way too much, so staying active is very important.
My mission in the long run is to be a full-time YouTuber and publish my manga so it can be in bookstores! A fun fact about me is that I love waking up early around 5 AM because that’s when my brain is most creative. I get grumpy at night, so you won’t catch me outside!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I used to believe that whatever I showcased online had to be ‘done,’ but now I don’t care to wait until it’s ‘perfect’ because seeing the raw mess is more interesting anyway.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Back in 2019, I severely damaged my hand and wrist with tendonitis and trigger thumb. I realized I was going to have to take a very long break from making art, but I didn’t want to leave the community. So instead of drawing, I started documenting other creators until I healed up.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
One of my favorite people in history is Malcolm X. One of the traits I admire about his character is that he was willing to learn and change his mind when he realized he was wrong. Even as a leader, he admitted his mistakes and grew from them, which shows true strength of character.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing?
I would regret not putting my work out there. At the end of the day, I just want to move forward, not backwards, redoing and fixing things before I can publish it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/maddmoniart
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddmoniart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@maddcanvas
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/maddcanvastv/
https://www.instagram.com/bleakville/
https://www.instagram.com/maddmonimedia/
