How can I reduce memory pressure on my MacBook Air?

Unless you start seeing performance issues, simply do not worry about it.

Apple's approach is that unused RAM is wasted RAM. So, a lot can stay cached in RAM primarily for faster access at a later time. Just because memory pressure is in the yellow does not mean there is any issue, it just means that the Mac is making the most use of its RAM. Even if goes to red, it may not necessarily be an issue unless it is there all the time and huge amounts of swap are used, i.e. in your case approaching 24 GB.

How much RAM does your Macbook Air have?

Again, performance was fine. There was no stuttering or lag.

To me, that statement suggests you should be fine.

My greater concern with M-series Macbook Airs for rendering and other high-load tasks is they are fanless, cooled only by convection. The entry-level Macbook Pro M4 has one cooling fan; the M4 Pro and M4 Max have two.

I recommend reviewing this Apple article so you can avoid overheating issues:

Keep your Mac laptop within acceptable operating temperatures - Apple Support

Thanks for the followups. Sounds like you got the right Mac.