If you ever see a strawberry-clad fashion superstar in the halls, chances are you’ve just caught sight of Maggie Baker. When she was not doodling or being a general icon, Maggie served as the 2023–24 art director of Zephyrus and a staff artist.
Since she became part of Zephyrus, Maggie changed significantly. “I’ve gotten a lot more confidence in myself since [I joined Zephyrus]… Like when I first [joined] I definitely could not just go up to someone and just ask for something out of nowhere and now that’s a daily thing… I think it’s cool,” she said. She believes that these skills will help her “learn how to take critiques, communicate, and be a cooperative person.”
One of Maggie’s favorite memories involving Zephyrus was going to Boston for the National High School Press Association Convention. “That’s a highlight of the whole [year], being with my friends and exploring a city…[and] the subways, it was hectic and fun,” she said. She also enjoyed seeing a rat for the first time. “It was a life-changing experience,” she said.
When not exploring Boston, Maggie has cemented herself as a card master amongst the art staff and has made many artists reconsider their egos about winning games. If you asked Maggie what card she would be in the deck, she would answer a three of diamonds, because diamonds are pretty and she likes “sparkly things.”
Maggie’s choice to pursue animation and visual arts in the future is fueled by years of loving the medium and taking advantage of any available artistic opportunity. Her passion began in early childhood with inspirational movies like “Frozen.” “It was everything to me…I feel like with 3D [animation] you can do so much with it… It’s just really pretty to me if [it’s] done well. It can make these stunning things,” she said.
Next year, Maggie plans to major in 3D Animation at Ringling College of Art and Design. Zephyrus, and especially the art staff, will truly miss Maggie’s abundant creativity and completely unexpected comments. We hope that many subways await Maggie in the future.
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on May 24, 2024
