Today we’d like to introduce you to Anita Riggs.
Hi Anita, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Anita Riggs, known by her moniker Tranquil Ashes, is a Baltimore Native who has distinguished herself as a professional within the fandom/arts community for over a decade. As an Event Producer, Creator, Host, Actress, and makeup artist. Tranquil has had the opportunity to work with or be featured on Disney, Nickelodeon, Afropunk, Oprah Daily, The Phillips Collection, and Mehron, among others. Tranquil has hosted, judged, and brought programming to pop-culture conventions across the nation, including New York and San Diego Comic Con, Momocon, Cabbagecon, and Holiday Matsuri, to name a few. Tranquil has also brought her talents to international venues and enjoys the influence of travel on her endeavors.
Her time in Venice led Tranquil Ashes to create her own space known as The CosGala. Which is a Pop-Culture Met Gala for Creatives. The CosGala among other events gives Tranquil the opportunity to give back to the community and build bridges between creatives and access.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Producing events for the creatives community as well as being a creative has always had it’s ups and downs. One of the largest personally was Covid. I know I am not singular in this, but it really affected my personal creative progression when it came to creating art, and hosting and entertainment as I was not able to physically engage with my audience.
With the shutdown the production of the CosGala didn’t occur for 3years. We wanted to make sure that it was safe and feasible to continue providing this experience to the community. Perseverance and passion pushed me through those times as well as the support of some great friends. If you have a support system, definitely cherish them and lean on them when you need support. I’ve learned that we can’t build alone.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
It’s hard to pinpoint a singular aspect of my work, but I started in the media and entertainment space as a cosplayer. That turned into hosting, character acting, judging costuming work, leading and moderating panels from local to international venues and Event Production.
I’ve used my platforms to champion those who don’t often have a voice, and to express that it isn’t the color of your skin or your waist measurement that determines your worth. You can do whatever you want to do.
What sets me apart, is The CosGala; which is my specialty events platform where I host a MetGala Styled networking gala for creatives. The first of it’s kind! A space that focuses on rotating themes and follows the media trends of the season. I spent some time living in Italy and had the opportunity to experience Carnival which is an celebration of the arts. That experience heavily informed my passion in creating such a space at home for artists and to provide a unique and accessible environment.
We are proud to say that we are a grass-roots and women lead vision and we are happy to provide a space for creatives for the 6th year of our flagship Gala event. We are also happy that we’ve been able to collaborate with other organizations to create other events as well.
What does success mean to you?
Success is a hard thing to quantify. A lot of the time we focus on the monetization gain of our endeavors and in that I don’t think most entrepreneurs and artists have reached satisfaction, especially in the current climate we are in.
However, the community building that has occurred, being in operation for as long as we have and created a safe and nurturing environment to all peoples who engage in our events or finds inspiration in my personal artistry is what I define as success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cosgala.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecosgala
- Facebook: instagram.com/tranquil_ashes
