Today we’d like to introduce you to Mahfuza Chowdhury.
Hi Mahfuza, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Since middle school, I have always loved to draw my little stories and share them throughout the classroom.
I would create my sketches of manga pages or cute little stickers, often making people smile whenever they saw or read my work.
Seeing those smiles made me realize that illustrating and storytelling were my passion. It was a place where I could let my imagination run free and always strive to bring happiness somehow.
As I grew older, my passions led me to pursue graphic design and work full-time as a designer. I used the pen name Ceriv Marah to tell my stories and illustrate them through anime-style works, separating my graphic design life from my illustration life.
Going from a mixture of personal illustrations, fan art, to anime-style merchandise at conventions, and creating webcomics, like Vampire Idol on Webtoon Canvas
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I will say the road was bumpy and still ongoing.
I often had to help out with family and other personal things, which made it harder for me to find the time to create and share stories.
There have been times when I would go on and off in creating my works. The Pandemic was a big learning curve, as it was what got me started as Ceriv Marah. I became more serious in my illustration work while graduating with my undergrad as a graphic designer.
However, as the pandemic lessened and people could go back in person for work, I struggled to continue what I wanted to do and took a break from illustrating. I tried again in 2023, only to also take a break a year after due to pursuing my master’s degree.
But it also taught me how important it is to build a sense of consistency in doing art to gain time-management skills. As soon as all my personal life was more stable and sorted out, I could go back to doing what I love today with more knowledge and skills that I would have never thought I would be able to do in the past.
I know my road has just begun, and I will keep going as long as I can share my art and make people smile!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Outside of creating digital designs for web and social media applications in my personal life.
As Ceriv Marah I primarily do Illustrations in a modern style based on anime from the early 2000s to the 2010s. I create chibi-like illustrations or merchandise, and also use my illustrations in manga, webcomics, or VTuber-related works!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I have a few.
First, I would like to thank the few art mentors/teachers in my life. One was my middle school teacher, and the other was my high school teacher, as well as my portfolio and illustration professors back in undergrad.
At a young age, my schooling gave me limited exposure to art classes, either because it was a highly academic-focused school, there were school budget cuts/reshuffling programs, or I did not have the finances.
It wasn’t until these teachers saw my potential that they tried to push me to do what I love and would try to see if there were any contests for me to take, some would let me go to their class during lunch time, and would show me that my art had potential even if it wasn’t something people would see or consider as art at the time. Thanks to them, I gained more exposure to the arts and experimentation, which later helped me figure out how to navigate my art career.
My second big thanks would be to my mother. Without her and her persistent support, I would not have been able to pursue the arts in the first place. I think it was common for many families growing up not to see art as a career, and would often dismiss it as something worth doing. It was common for my dad and some close family members I would frequently be around in my childhood. But even then, my mother would tell me to stay strong and help me find ways to go about art without giving up on it at a young age.
Thanks to them, I can do art as a career.
Pricing:
- Vgen Commissions starting $40
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/cerivmarah
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cerivmarah
- Twitter: https://x.com/cerivmarah
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CerivMarah
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/cerivmarah.bsky.social
