This feature interview highlights the work of phenomenal creators and designers, MindHarvest, and goes behind the scenes to discover their journey, their process, and what moves them to create what they create.
MindHarvest T's( and t-shirts are only the beginning) is the brain-child of Anthony and Angelique, a couple which resides in Central Pennsylvania. It's only fitting that this duo of a graphic artist and OB-Gyn would come together to birth such unique, clever, and culturally-rich designs.
interview by: millian glenn
Ques.1 So, tell me a little about yourself, where you’re from, how did you get started; is there more than one person behind MindHarvest, and if so, how do you collaborate to execute ideas?MindHarvest is a collaboration between my fiance and I. It was born out of our desire to expose our son to more culturally diverse products and books.
Anthony is a Graphics designer by profession and he brings all of our ideas to life.
I am an OB-Gyn and I do most of our marketing and logistics. We started dating when we lived in Philadelphia. Upon moving to Central Pennsylvania we quickly discovered the culturally rich environment we were accustomed to had vanished. Our son was now being raised in a less diverse population. Our trips to the library had us returning with books where most of the characters had blond hair.
So we created our own series of children stories for our home enjoyment. The main character in these stories is a caricature of our son. We utilized these stories to teach him to embrace his differences.
Our idea on children's stories quickly evolved to T-shirts... Graphic Tees are in style and we wanted to purchase designs related to things that we were passionate about or at least with characters that had some Afro-centric features. This resulted in the birth of our T-shirt line. Our collaboration works well because we are a couple and we frequently blend our ideas over dinner or during pillow talk.
Ques.2 How did you come up with the name MindHarvest, and what inspires you to create the images seen on your t-shirts.
There is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: The ancestor of every action is a thought.Anthony and I constantly throw around great ideas and we wanted our company name to inspire us to harvest our ideas and make them fruitful. We want the imagery of our t-shirt to evoke positivity and wellness. We draw our inspiration from everything around us.
Ques. 3 Your ideas are very creative and witty, what is it about MindHarvest that you think makes you unique when compared to other t-shirt designers?
There are two aspects of our designs that make them like no other graphic t-shirt I have ever seen.
- Our shirts are not silk screened, the images are created with
a bleaching method. Each shirt has its marks of individuality
because of the handmade design process.
- Our designs are driven by pushing ourselves creatively and
coming up with novel concepts that make the viewer think.
Ques.4 In what ways have your t-shirts resonated with people inside, and outside of the African-American demographic?
Although our store is in its infancy, many people of all cultures have admired our images because of their creative/unique presentation. They are pieces of art that make a statement.
People of color appreciate our work because of the dearth of afrocentric images available in the t-shirt industry.
Ques.5 What is your favorite t-shirt to date, if any, and why? Which t-shirt has
garnered the greatest response?
inspiration was a picture of my father.
Anthony's favorite is one of our latest creations: Thrill Seeker
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| Cornrow Beauty |
Ques.6 Which t-shirt, to date, do you feel is the most thoughtful and provocative--why?
Roots has generated a lot of buzz
and represents that we all havean ancestry and have a story.
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| Roots |
We have both always been very creative, Anthony made it his career teaching children to harvest their creativity.
I have always had creative hobbies and the fusion of both of our skill sets has made MindHarvest what it is.
Ques.8 Now, the important question, where can we find and purchase your t-shirts?
Custom designs are also available, simply message us, Twitter: @MindHarvest
We can also be reached by e-mail: Mind2Harvest@gmail.com
Ques.9 What have you learned starting out that you will
take with you forward as a creator/designer?
It is really important to allow time for creativity and inspiration, particularly when you draw a great deal of stimulus from your environment. We have been attentive and not overly distracted with the day to day routines allowing fertile ground for our ideas.
Ques.10 What are your plans and desires for MindHarvest going forward?
We want to continue to bring our ideas to life with our t-shirt
line and polishing our books for general publication.
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