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Meet Trailblazer Anya McManis

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Anya McManis.

Anya, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Originally, I’m from Germany. I came to the US in 1995 to study and was enrolled at a small private university in Fairfield Iowa – the Maharishi University of Management. I had been a single mother in Germany and brought my 11-year-old son with me. I was determined to escape the “rat race” and 9 to 5 life and embark on a spiritual quest to find meaning in my life. Long story short, I met my husband, quit school after one year due to lack of funds and eventually we moved to Denver where I had the extreme good fortune to receive a full ride scholarship for the Colorado Women’s College at the University of Denver. I finished my BA in Communications with a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. I completed a degree in four years while still working full time. But it was an amazing experience.

Shortly after I graduated, I started my creative agency in 2005, which is what I still do today. Over the years there have been ups and downs with periods where I had a staff of four to five designers and web developers. Currently, my husband and I run the business together. We have clients all across the US for who we provide graphic design and web design services. I love my work.

Aside from doing that, I’m also an avid painter. There’s nothing better to escape and get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life than going into my studio and paint. My work has been shown in galleries and art exhibitions throughout Colorado and internationally at the Florence Biennale in Florence, Italy and a special exhibit at the Niagara Falls History Museum in Canada themed “Water for Life” in 2018. I had several solo shows at the University of Denver with another one coming up this August and September. This show is going to be called “Evolution” and is a retrospective showing how my work has evolved over the past decade.

Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road, though I did have many great opportunities come my way. I had my son at a very young age and was a single mother for 12 years. That’s not always easy but I managed with support from my family and friends. 

It also didn’t stop me from pursuing my dreams. I had always wanted to go to college, live in a foreign country, and have my own business. Those were the big ambitions. I couldn’t and wouldn’t give up on those.

Finishing my degree and starting my business here in Colorado became possible with lots of hard work. When I went to school while I was working full time, I sacrificed my free time, weekends, time with friends to take classes and study. There was no social life or time for much of anything.

Starting my own business took a lot of determination – being fearless in pursuing what I wanted to do, and hard work. But it was all worth it.

If you have a dream, you have to go for it. And you have to understand that there will be obstacles, setbacks and sometimes things don’t work out.

The best advice is to stay centered within yourself and believe that you can do it. And to understand that if things sometimes don’t work out as expected, there will be other opportunities.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My day job is running my creative agency. I have many clients that I have worked with for more than 10 years, and what stands out are the great relationships I have built with my clients. I always ask them, what can I do to make their jobs easier, or how can I help them, and help their business succeed. That’s really key. And I work with integrity. I love what I do and I’m good at it. All this means a lot to my clients too.

Here are some quotes from clients:

Anya’s attention to detail means mistakes never slip by and deadlines are never missed. Also, an artist, Anya brings her creativity to every project she works on and always adds just the right finishing touches.

Everything she works on comes out better than I imagined it in my head. I can’t speak highly enough of her. I would be lost without her.” – Hannah Denys, Communications Director, Central Asia Institute.

Anya is so wonderful to work with. She is responsive, quick, and the quality of her work never disappoints. I love her insight and her ability to create anything I’m envisioning with a perfect match!” – Brianna Culberson, Internal/External Event Manager, University of Denver

When it comes to my art and painting, well, my art is very colorful and dynamic. I love, love abstract art and I love being so expressive in my work. One of my collectors who own five of my paintings said to me: “Your art is so alive, it moves me.” I love that and I love that my art brings other people joy.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
When I was growing up, I read all the feminist literature available. I had a wonderful friend who passed away from cancer many years ago and we had the best discussions about women and our roles in society and what we wanted from life as women.

During my professional career, again and again, I met women who supported me, who encouraged me and believed in me.

When I studied at the Colorado Women’s College, it was so amazing. I can’t thank all my professors enough for … everything. They inspired me, taught me so many things about women’s history, achievements of women that aren’t widely known and recognized… where to begin.

One of my clients at my agency is an organization called the Central Asia Institute. They build schools and provide scholarships to girls in very remote villages in several countries in Central Asia, like Afghanistan and Pakistan. The conditions under which girls and women live in these countries are unbelievable. But yet, some of these girls defy all odds and they just won’t be put down. It’s incredibly inspiring to read their stories and makes me appreciate what I have.

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Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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