Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Talanje. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Talanje, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I have worked on, and is something I am currently working on, is my comic zine, Instincts! Instincts! is a collection of short comics about the intricacies of life from a feminine lens. I never had a dream of being a comic artist, but in college, I ended up picking it as my major because I felt as though I had something to learn there. Even though I had no intention of picking up comics as a career, I got very invested in it and for my final project, decided to create a zine of mini-comics, called Instincts! I mostly created Instincts! because I would get a lot of feedback about my work being to indie to fit into a specific niche, so I had to create my own. I also created it as a place to navigate my unresolved feelings, a place I could be vulnerable. I think it directly reflects where I am in life, emotionally and professionally. For the second issue (that I am about to self publish) I opened it up to more people for submission. In a way, it also reflects in me trying to join the world and be more open to other people’s stories. Very recently I have been talking to a lot of women who tell me about trusting their instincts, so I think the whole thing ties up a little bit. It is definitely where a lot of my brain power goes into – creating and archiving this material that reflects who we are in this time.

Talanje, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a comic artist and a video artist from Nairobi, Kenya, but based in New York, New York. I would love to call myself an odd job artist mainly working with technology and visuals. I have always been interested in visual language especially through animations and music videos. I had a knack for drawing, growing up and loved taking and editing videos. The original plan was to go to college and learn 2D and stop motion animation, however, along the way, I switched to sequential art as a major and continued pursuing video art as a side gig, working for musicians. I enjoy being more experimental with my work and researching and deconstructing ideas to their bear bones before dressing them up again. In both of these passions, the quality that has shone through is that of a storyteller. I enjoy leading people through an amalgamation of emotion through visual works like illustrations, comics, websites, video visualizers and live visual shows. I am very proud of my artistic voice, or perhaps I should use the word ‘confident.’ And so, I also respect someone else’s artistic vision during collaborations, as though two worlds are colliding. My work has always been very personal to me, and I like to be as honest as I can in the process and final product. I specialize in personal projects

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I haven’t really met a lot of non-creative people; even the most traditional person that I have met has a special way of doing things. I think being creative is something that is inbuilt into all of us, beyond hobbies and careers. Everyone’s brain is different, so we have different ways of doing things, which is how society works – someone is always solving a problem that you’re not even thinking about. So, for those who think of themselves as non-creative, it may benefit you to give yourself credit where it’s due.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I am very interested in archiving material for future generations. Due to colonization, a lot of African history and culture was destroyed and lost, and as a result I feel a little bit of a disconnect from my ancestral line. History is important because it grounds us; the people who came before us navigated difficult aspects as well and they conquered and lived. When history is destroyed, so is your sense of belonging, in a way – and whether it is for the positive or negative, so are the foundations of a societies’ values. I felt very disconnected to reality, growing up on stories and dreams written out by people who didn’t look like me or speak my language. And so I create and try to uplift the art and stories of those around me so the ones who come after us have an idea or at the very least some confidence in a life worth living.      

Contact Info:

• Website: https://talanje.com https://instincts.world
• Instagram: @da.gorett @instincts.world
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-matalanga-59b252186/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kariyobangi
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@bluebanddays

Image Credits
Artwork by Talanje (on everything) on the final image of the scattered comics and stickers, Artwork by Sofia Ramos Tovar Artwork by Yng Kara Artwork by Talanje