Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
I wish younger Umaimah could see me talking about this now. I grew up in Northern Nigeria, and I was the little girl who loved pink, dolls, and princesses. This meant that I loved all the Disney princess and Disney fairy movies, Barbie films, and shows like Totally Spies! and Winx Club. A lot of my recent work reflects these films and shows. The only animated show I loved that didn’t fit in with any of these was Tom and Jerry.
I wasn’t aware that working in animation was an option as a career growing up, so I never thought much about it. However, as I got older and learned more about the industry, I decided to move to the U.S. to major in animation. After graduating from SCAD, I was lucky enough to land my first job with Disney TVA as a Color Designer and then a Prop Designer. I’ve also always loved the process of creating concept designs, so I’ve recently been involved in visual development work at Warner Bros. and Bento Box.
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
One of the challenges I dealt with was unfamiliarity with the digital art tools and not having access to them from Nigeria due to barriers like shipping costs. Of course, this wasn’t a problem when I started attending an art college. However, I would say the main challenge I currently deal with is being an artist from a different country; many restrictions and barriers make it difficult when working in the U.S. as a non-citizen. I’m sure many other ex-pats can agree when I say it gets exhausting trying to handle them, but many before me have made it easier by creating platforms like Discord groups and so on to find support systems.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
This usually changes for me, but I’ve always been inspired by artists whose works are whimsical. I have recently fallen more in love with playing with bright lighting; I especially love looking at a piece and feel like the lighting is so intense it’s blinding me. It’s why I have been pulling inspiration from artists like Alex Cho, Devin Elle Kurtz, and Kat Tsai. I also love how magical every painting they make feels. Someone else who has inspired me since I was a child is Adrienne Brown-Norman. She is responsible for the Disney fairy book paintings. Even as an adult, I still wish I could escape into her illustrations and exist in that world.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
I would love to be an Art Director for an animated show, maybe one day for a feature film. There’s so much exploration of style and research that goes into being an Art Director. The idea of being responsible for the visual direction of a whole project is so exciting to me, and I hope to see myself in that position one day.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
It’s no news that many artists don’t get the respect they deserve from those around them or the industry. The Union is a space that has validated me as an artist and made me feel like my career is just as important as anyone else’s. It is inspiring to be alive in a time where we get to have an organization that exists to be our voice and fight for us to have a place at the table.
Learn more about Umaimah at her website.
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