We were lucky to catch up with Tajianna Okechukwu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tajianna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started on-camera acting around age 9 or 10. I shifted into theatre and learned the craft of performing on stage when I took drama in middle school and then high school.

At my high school, there were “small learning communities” and I was in BADA (Bay Area Digital Arts) which introduced me to video production.

Eventually, I went on to double major in Theatre & Cinematic Arts in college.
I learned the art of storytelling as both an actor and a filmmaker.

I’ve had to combat the narrative that I’m sure most of us multi-hyphenate creatives have experienced which is, “You should pick one to break into the industry with as you are just starting out…” “You’re doing too much…” You’re going to be tired…”

Although having multiple career interests presents its challenges such as honoring your bandwidth and energy in addition to healthy time management, I find myself years later still in love with the navigation of it all.

Tajianna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Tajianna Okechukwu and I am actor + filmmaker from the Bay Area. As a little girl, I was always fascinated by characters and visuals on screen. My eyes were constantly glued to the TV. I constantly read a lot of books when I was young so fictional storytelling was always a part of my world. I also grew up watching my mom in the arts & entertainment industry so that intrigued me even more, especially after seeing her direct her first feature. My dad was a chauffeur so he was always dropping off celebrities at dinner in a limo or picking them up from the airport in a fancy SUV. I was constantly surrounded by entertainers which truly led me to believe that my dreams could become true.

I am a multidisciplinary creative with training & experience in performance and film theory. As a storyteller, I strive to create stories that explore issues through the Black experience. I direct short-form content and do event videography in addition to acting in short films and commercial content. I want to create projects that will shift paradigms and shake culture in our society. Pushing the envelope and putting a mirror up to the world so it can look at itself is something I’m very much an advocate for in storytelling. I am always looking to “network across” as Issa Rae says it. And of course, telling stories that center Black livelihood is the biggest value to me as we have been traditionally misrepresented and underrepresented in front and behind the camera since the beginning of cinema. Representation truly does matter and I am dedicated to seeing it through that I use my gifts to model effective ways of what that looks like through entertainment.

I aim to launch my own production company and educational platform in the near future!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In my opinion, society would be most helpful to artists by investing more funding and resources in arts education starting in school. Youth and young adults need support and spaces to navigate their creative journey, so if more resources were allocated towards the arts, I believe that creatives would learn how to make their art their livelihood while sustaining their love for the craft.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

As a performer and creative facilitator, I believe the main driving force behind my need to be a storyteller is my community. I am from the Bay Area which has been my creative playground for the majority of my life. The places that fed me my education and work experience to develop my voice and interests as an artist are etched in my heart. I am forever indebted and owe every place I’ve touched love and creation. I tell stories for people who come from where I come from and who like what I look like.

Contact Info:

• Website: tajianna.com
• Instagram: @tajiannaokechukwu
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tajianna/

Image Credits
Dorean Raye Jennifer Chen Jay Yamada Lydia Tsou