BIO

In 2019, I sustained a traumatic brain injury when I fell down a flight of stairs into the metro- it was the summer before my senior year of college.

For months afterward, I struggled to walk, talk, tolerate loud sounds and bright lights, deal with the persistent headaches, and remember my train of thought for more than a few seconds.

Unable to read, watch tv, listen to music, or do much of anything- I turned to art.

I did up to 10 hours of art every day for several months!

I experimented with mediums I hadn't touched in years- oils, wax, and eventually, polymer clay.

It was during this TBI recovery that I discovered 'claynting':

CLAYNTING is the application of colored polymer clay to transparent surfaces

After several years of near-daily art therapy, I am now fully recovered from my traumatic brain injury.

I returned to school after a semester off and completed my bachelor's degree on time, with magna cum laude honors.

I now work as a full-time artist, specializing in polymer clay and my unique claynting process, while working on my online graduate degree at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art)

ALAINA BRYAN

  • BORN: Seattle, 1998 ~ 23 years old

  • ART FROM THE START:

    • 5th Grade 'Best Artist' award 2009 Lafayette Elementary

    • Began using photo editing iPhone/iPad apps 2010

  • ART IN HIGHSCHOOL:

    • 2 years of AP Art class

    • Art displayed in Seattle Art Museum (SAM) in 2016 Seattle Schools' Naramore Art Show

    • Scored a 5 on AP Art exam

  • COLLEGE IN THE CRESCENT CITY:

    • Attended Loyola University New Orleans studying Jazz and Music Industry Studies

    • Inspired by bright colors and loud design of the French Quarter

    • Began working with found objects (windows, tabletops, tiles, mirror) to create exciting, up-cycled artworks

    • Graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2020

  • POST-GRADUATE DEVELOPMENTS:

    • Started small business, Miscalainayes LLC, to represent personal brand and creative exploits

    • Invented 'claynting' technique using colored polymer clay and recycled glass surfaces

  • GOALS:

    • Build my innovative artistic brand online and locally

    • Use art & design to beautify live and virtual entertainment spaces

    • Help to bridge the gap between music and art- make artistic music, musical art, and connect artists & musicians via digital platforms.

    • Advocate for accessibility and intersectional equality in the entertainment industries