We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shania Waul a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shania, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I grew up with creatives in my home. My dad is a musician and my mom is a casual painter. My father often encouraged me to move forward once he saw my potential. I started taking it seriously around the age of 14 when I saw a local newspaper article about Danielle Parchment, a young animator. I was surprised anyone had the opportunity in Jamaica to hop on that.
I first started taking small commissions from friends and then uploading webcomics on Webtoon. This is when I realized I could earn something off something I love and people do enjoy what I make.
I started selling at local anime conventions and got bigger in local and international commissions online. I don’t think younger me would have thought it could have gone this far.
I found my spark, and I want to contribute to making the animation and art industry in Jamaica more recognized and to tell more stories.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I first started drawing around 6 or 7 years old then got into digital art around 14 years old. I started with a small Android phone and Ibis Paint X with just my fingers. I didn’t have a tablet or a laptop back then but I remember practicing to adjust to this new art form. My friends and teachers at my high school, Merl Grove High encouraged me.
It wasn’t until I was 18 years old a friend lent me their laptop during the COVID lockdown, I started exploring digital art no longer on the phone. After that, I won a Wacom tablet from a local animation festival and my journey continued. I practiced and used Krita a free software I discovered while attending animation classes at the University of Technology. Later, I discovered my love for Pixel art at the age of 21 years old.
I now use Clip Studio Paint for my digital art and Aseprite for pixel art with my same ol trusty Wacom tablet I won when I was younger, at this point it is my lucky charm and one of my most precious items.
My sister, Petula Waul and I came up with an idea to make cute t-shirt and keychain designs based off Jamaican themes, places and items, making the store 9 Lives. We thought of just trying to avoid slapping on just Jamaica on a shirt for Jamaican merchandise so that even locals love wearing them outside of country celebratory events.
I am very proud of this store and my upcoming projects as I plan to work on future animated shorts and video games that represent my country well. I tapped into them a little, working on mini dress-up games and assisting on student films locally.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect is just seeing how excited non-creatives and creatives get about my work. I teach young artists and their passion reminds me of my younger self, as I often take pride that my people are so talented and have so many stories to tell.
I love having conversations at pop-ups or anime conventions about art or entertainment-related topics. I love that I created a safe space not only for adults but also kids to express themselves. I love giving stickers, it just makes them happy.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I have so many but I mainly want to make a name for myself in the animation and gaming industry. I plan to hopefully have my projects out there within 5 years or less, working with other local creatives.
Hopefully, I’ll get a physical location for my store, 9 Lives as many suggest.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/shania-waul/home?authuser=0
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chococatowo/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shania-waul-3681482b1/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Chococat0wU
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@chococatowo
- Other: https://chococatowu.carrd.co/
Image Credits
Jahnell Stephenson author of the book Collabortion
lobodakidd art commission request (pixel animated picture)