Dreaming Bigger Featured Interviews Women's Excellence

Myinty Founder Adrienne Myint Cossar Talks Life As An Artist

March 20, 2021

Myinty.com is a California-based company that’s on a mission to bring happiness to people through seeing the simple things of life through nature with a side of cuteness.

The name Myinty is based on the middle name of the creator, Adrienne Myint Cossar. It’s a Burmese name that sounds like mint, so it was a cute choice to use a play on words to make the name more personal to her.

Myinty the Bun is a fresh little bun that sprouted from the ground to bring smiles and happiness to people she sees. (Her ears are made out of mint leaves).

We talk with Adrienne about her life as an artist, her inspirations, and her creative tips and advice for young artists.

Where is home?

I have been born and raised in Los Angeles.

Has art always been your career plan? If not, what other career paths did you want to pursue?

I’ve always wanted to be in the creative field for as long as I can remember. I had an idea for the longest time, but I couldn’t seem to narrow down what it was until I was older.

What’s a typical day like for you?

While currently in Quarantine, I tend to like working on my art better in the evening than during the day. After I wake up I take the time to check on my emails, tend to my pet rabbit, Balrog, and research references for future projects. By the time it’s around 4-6 pm, I start getting ready to start making art, the work can range from digital concept art/ illustrations to traditional oil/ acrylic paintings. I would work on sketch warmups, eat dinner / feed my rabbit, then work until 3-4 am.

When you are not doing art, what are some other things that you enjoy doing?

I like playing with my rabbit, Balrog by watching him run around and make toys for him. I also like to play games such as MMORPGS or Dungeons and Dragons. Once the quarantine situation is better, I like to make cosplays to wear at conventions!

How much has your painting changed since you started?

I can definitely see the process of my painting process change as I compare the first and last of each oil series. I’ve taken better consideration of the base layer at the beginning of the process, turning to digital art to create color thumbnails to be more efficient and finding better ways to store my larger canvases to avoid dust while they dry.

What is your favorite art medium to work with and what would you consider to be the most difficult medium to use?

I like using digital art tools, including VR sculpting, but in the realm of traditional art mediums, I consider acrylic paints to be my favorite. Even though I like the mixing of oil paints, the drying speed of acrylic really helps me to build up the layers I want and I don’t have to wait forever between layers to avoid problems. The most difficult medium to use would definitely have to be watercolors! I usually prefer working from dark to light shades, while the layering process of watercolors relies on the complete opposite.

Do you have any fundamental art tips for young professionals wanting to pursue art?

Look for artists that you like and never be shy to use references! More importantly, while you look for your references, don’t just look at the image thinking it is pretty, critically look at them and think what aspects of that piece can you use in your piece. It can be from the color palette, lighting, composition, or even how they approach a certain surface or figure.

The Fox Magazine is all about inspiration, what/who inspires you the most?

Hmm, there are plenty of things/ people who inspire me. I would say the past child version of me would be the most important inspiration I keep close. I know it seems odd but whenever I get into a slump, I always think about that kid who got excited about making new artwork whenever she had any free time she had in her hectic life. The eagerness to get better and the hope to reach big places with her work one day. I always strive to improve not only my art but also myself as a person so that maybe I can become a person that my younger self would be proud of. That is something that really keeps me going.

Do you have any specific techniques to help you spark your creativity?

I do keep a notepad that I write down spontaneous ideas that would pop in my head, whether it be by my bed after a dream, or something sparks after talking to various types of people. I try to keep it separate from my sketchbook so that I don’t get scared to get messy. The notebook is kind of a scrapbook of sorts at this point since ALOT of the writing’s on post-its or memo pads pages, taped into the notebook to keep all the notes together whenever my scatterbrain creativity strikes haha.

Is there a type of art that you want to excel in or learn more about?

I want to dip more into both resin art and VR art. Resin art is super fun and durable and VR is something I was always interested in because I like to look ahead to the future of entertainment. I am currently taking the time from quarantine to learn 3d and coding so that I can make some VR pieces in the future!

What do you see as some of the economic and design challenges of the art industry?

Economic-wise, I really think it depends on where you live because in LA it can be very hard to get things going when it is very expensive to live in LA as it is. It is even more difficult now because of quarantine so it is near impossible to go out and meet new people and opportunities. Also, galleries and events postponed or canceled.

Design-wise, I would say it would be about how to get the viewers engaged in the piece. Also how to monetize these pieces as well. You are trying to find a balance of more complicated work that takes longer with the risk of not picking up or more simplistic art that is easier to monetize and quicker to build an identity in the art industry, which is very important.

What elements separate your work from other artists?

Each series that I make has a sense of continuity and the whole series tells a story.

How do you handle comparisons between you and other artists?

I always am trying to improve, so being compared to other artists is so nice because people have at least my name in their mind when they look at other artists. I don’t feel like it should be a competition or something to feel like the superior of the two. I am the type of person who will cheer and uplift other artists!

What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?

Despite my geekish demeanor, I used to be quite the athlete! I was a regional champion for my high school varsity golf team and won competitions for martial arts grappling. I used to do 8 years of ninjutsu/jiu-jitsu training!

What is your favorite art-related motto, quote, or words to live by?