N
ow at 25, Akiane is a world
traveler, speaker of three languages,
author of two books (with another
coming out soon), producer of 37 art
films and painter of 250 original images.
She has also contributed to over 200
charitable foundations and fundraisers.
She is, by all accounts, an extraordinary
person.
I don’t usually write about my interview
process but I’m making an exception
in this case. Due to disparate locations,
Akiane and I set up a phone call and
through a series of unfortunate events
(involving the phone cord for my
modem and my over-excited husky dog.
10
ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
**Cue the understanding laughter
of husky owners everywhere**),
everything went awry. Despite it all,
however, young Ms. Kramarik was not
just kind professionally, but personally.
She rolled with the situation with a great
sense of humor and understanding. She
is, at once, charming, thoughtful, wise,
and engaging … all for which I am
extremely grateful.
MJ: Ms. Kramarik, you began
drawing recognizable images at a very
young age. How old were you when
you first realized you had a gift?
Akiane: I never realized I had a gift.
I was merely doing what I loved, so it
never occurred to me what I was doing
was different. However, it was my
mother who understood that I had a gift
when I was four years old.