Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Iman Gadalla. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Iman thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I like to think I got the best traits of my parents to make me an artist. My mom loved to write and create beautiful stories and poetry, my father draws amazingly, being able to create landscapes in a manner of minutes. However, neither of them ever pursued their artistic talents, having grown up in different circumstances that caused them to believe this was not truly an option for them. I always loved to combine these talents they gave me, to come up with fun characters and worlds and then visualize them on paper. A part of me knew I always wanted to be in this field, but I was conditioned to believe as well that this was not an option. It was not until my senior year of high school, as I was preparing to go to college, when a SCAD recruiter came to my art class to talk about SCAD. The plan was originally to go to Auburn or University of Alabama, close to home, and learn engineering or psychology like my parents. But it never felt right. When the recruiter came in, all I could do was visualize myself learning more about my passion and using it, and I could never go back after seeing that.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Iman Gadalla and I am currently a graduate student at the Savannah College of Art and Design at their Atlanta campus. I first came here for my undergrad in Illustration, with a focus in concept art, so after I graduated, I realized I wanted to go back and recieve an education in Animation as well. Currently, me and my friend, Raven Campilan, are co-directing a 2D traditional hand-drawn film, titled Nafsee, which means “Myself,” in Arabic. We are about to start our pre-production phase, which is my favorite phase of the animation pipeline.
This film is a love letter to my Egyptian Heritage, and my grandfather who would take me to the night markets in Egypt as a kid. He is my last and strongest memory of Egypt before we left to America. The film is a coming of age story set in a magic night market, that has so much personal meaning to me as a human being and an artist.
To me, that is what anything I create represents, it is a huge extension of myself I want to share and relate to others with. My cultural background, beliefs, struggles, wants and dislikes are things I feel when we share, bring us closer together, and I connect through my art through letting those parts of me out.
My dream is to work in young adult animation making magic cartoons with silly themes and deeper messages. A friend of mine described my work as “healing the inner child,” and I have never loved a description more. I aim to continue to do that through every creation and collaboration.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part about being a creative is connection, with artists and non artists alike. Art to me is an expression of humanity, our stories and beliefs. Everyone, no matter what career path they choose can relate to feelings of joy, sadness, anger, shock, vulnerability, bravery and fear. Entire communities share cultural histories that bring them together, despite all being different. The way these things are visualized is through art, as it has been since the beginning of human history. When I share ideas with my friends, artist or non artist, there is always something in the story they resonate with, because its a shared emotion between us. Or, they will give me pointers on how to head towards a direction that illicits a strong emotion we all feel, even without them being conscious of it. I just love it! All stories are everyone’s story in a way as we all come together over it, and I am so so in love with it.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal is to build community everywhere with art, particularly animation, as I believe it is one of our most powerful forms of visual story-telling. Stories bring people together, whether it is sharing them, creating them, or listening to them. I want to bring Arab stories to the limelight, as our stories are often not heard and I believe they deserve to be. I want to bring stories of Neurodivergency, as so many of us face that. I want to create shows with my friends that speak to everyone, and bring people together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://imangadalla.squarespace.com/
- Instagram: @imangadalla
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iman-gadalla-75738122b/