Today we’d like to introduce you to Adriel Meka.
Hi Adriel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story is one with many locations, many inspirations, and many surprises. Artistically, I would say the root of it all came from being a child with a very inquisitive nature in a family where creative ideas were often explored and encouraged. I was born at the peak of Montréal’s winter of 1996 to a family of artists: My dad is an architect while my mother designed aircrafts. My grandmother is an African art historian, aunt is a graphic designer, and my sister is in fashion. From a young age, I was always fascinated by the details of new things and fixated on figuring out how they worked….what makes them tick?…why does the light hit in that specific way? For various reasons, I also ended up moving around a lot between many different states and countries including Arizona, Hawaii, Georgia, Canada, Switzerland, and more recently California. Amidst the relatively nomadic lifestyle, I quickly found comfort in the constant that was art…
All that was left for me to do was find my own creative voice. I was always a huge fan of movies, drawings, and cartoons and often found myself creating things or looking for ways to communicate my passion to others. I learned that I loved making things for people to enjoy and connect with while simultaneously showing them how I saw the world. Sometimes I would take a pen to a pack of blank index cards and create a wild new monster card game for my friends to enjoy at the lunch table. Other times I would doodle for my teachers or use my flip phone to record travel videos to edit for my family (I know, I know, I’m old.) Many people in middle school can recount stories of me drawing stick figure comic books and selling them for a quarter between classes. I was also a sucker for 90’s kid-style campfire stories.
I fell in love with the creative medium and wanted to learn as much as I could to get better. This led to me starting off as an illustrator then, after attending the Savannah College of Art and Design and the University of Southern California, I was able to further my passion through the study of Animation.
When it came down to pursuing a career, most of the reassurance I needed came from my mom’s mantra of “no matter what you choose to do in life, make it your passion and give it 110% all the way through.” It was with this that I persevered through ups and downs and always strove to grow as a professional. A lot of it was trusting the process; working in-between jobs during the day and hustling at night, not knowing where the next opportunity was going to come from but knowing that I had to just continue to put one foot after the other. Through practice, networking, and amazing support, I have been fortunate enough to begin a career that has enabled me to work on films, children’s books, animated TV shows, and musical records. My dream is to pitch shows and direct films and I’m so grateful that my journey has led me to places such as Apple, Nickelodeon, and Slam Magazine where had wonderful opportunities and met amazing people… Overall it is easy to say that I’m beyond excited for what the future has in store and where my creative career will take me next.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” and believe me, many of us have tripped, limped, and slipped along the way. While I’ve been fortunate to find success on my journey, it’d be impossible to say that it was a straight path. One of the overarching difficulties I faced when approaching the beast that is the film industry is the competition. Like many other skill-based industries, I quickly learned that it was very hard to shine or find a voice among the sea of super-talented artists at Disney, Pixar, or other big studios. Personally, my portfolio was rejected by a lot of studios after graduating from SCAD back in 2018. There were numerous other artists out there with 30k IG followers and immaculate styles that left me feeling like I had a long way to go before even dreaming of being considered.
Despite this fact though, the biggest challenge can also double as the biggest inspiration. The field is highly competitive and constantly innovating at a fast pace. It’s important to keep up to date with new concepts, new artists, and new methods of doing things that change the game and to find a way you can adopt those changes. I learned not to let this cripple me and instead use it as a type of motivation. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the speed and progress of your peers. Like many things in life, it is important to learn from others while you invest in yourself because, at your own pace, you will create something that will inspire others.
Shortly after SCAD, I found myself working retail and ended up with a gig at the Apple Store. With my dream in mind, I always strove to find a way to implement my art into what I did. From day one, I told the managers “ I’m going to work on movies one day” and was always showing customers how to draw on iPads using my favorite app, Procreate. During my breaks, many of my colleagues would find me with my iPad in the coat room drawing tirelessly to practice and improve. After showing my team I was passionate about creating, they graduated me from being a salesman to teaching drawing classes at the Apple store, and shortly after, I moved to a store back home in Montreal right before the pandemic.
Some time passed and I decided that one way I could try to gain a competitive edge was by applying to USC’s grad school for animation just before things went on lockdown. At this point, I was out of a job because of the global crisis and I had no idea if I was going to be accepted to USC…basically, my plane (like many of us at the time) took a nose dive. I was scrambling to plan my next move and when all hope seemed lost I received a message from an aspiring author who had seen the work I was posting and offered me a position as her lead children’s book illustrator. The opportunity came at an amazing time and I used the platform to find more and more work. Before I knew it, April had arrived and I received my acceptance letter to grad school. Through USC, I was able to become connected with so many other amazing artists in the same boat and also found myself accepting opportunities with studios like Nickelodeon. The road hasn’t always been smooth but I’m a firm believer in trusting the process and giving it your all each step of the way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Artistically speaking, I gravitate to things that are grand, cinematic, and visually striking. I’m deeply inspired by the transportive powers of surrealist and escapist art in how they make you feel like you’re traveling to a new world.
I like to say I’m an illustrator and animator by trade but label what I do as visual storytelling. This may also be what sets me apart as an artist but I tend to enjoy being very stylistically versatile. I love the idea of storytelling through the use of scenery and characters and enjoy creating various art styles. My works often alternate between image-making using static 2D illustrations, 3D animation, 3D VFX, 2D Animation, and MoGraph. When I need a break from visual art, I also find myself taking an interest in recording and producing music as a small hobby. Overall, I am a big fan of creating things using whatever I can get my hands on, and love finding ways to approach new themes I haven’t explored before
As far as artist identity, I would say I’m most known for my moody digital portrait paintings, stylized character designs, and world-building landscape illustrations. I get a lot of inspiration from film and photography and try to tell stories with my characters using subtle but detailed motifs and expressions. Most of my more popular pieces across social media tend to take this form. In terms of my body of work, I’m most proud of my published illustration pieces including the children’s books: Gary and the Great Inventors, I am a Triathlete, and Kulu the Wise Turtle as well as various album artwork I’ve created for musicians such as The Motion Epic, Jack Preston, Bashia, and Max Cruise. Through these projects, I’ve been able to touch themes like 80’s pop, heartwarming family stories, and Urban street art.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
To revisit the topic of the competitiveness of the industry, through time I was able to find ways to navigate the feeling of being artistically discouraged. I was able to rationalize the fact by accepting that there will always be people above your level and below your level of skill. Learn from those above you. Be willing to grow and adapt to unexpected challenges but also help those below you and pass on what you know. Simply put: gain value from those you can learn from and find value in those you can teach. Both sides of the coin can be quite empowering.
Another quote I came to respect is “alone you go fast, together you go far.” It’s easy as an artist to feel like you can carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Your art is near and dear to you and you may not always feel like you know how or when to pass on responsibility for something so precious. Through the process of collaborating on children’s books and films, I learned that while it feels natural to zone out, be in your element, and be a one-man show/jack of all trades, it’s not always the best route in an industry fueled by collaboration. Building a team of people all working towards the same goal and learning from each other while creating amazing memories is definitely the way to go.
The last important piece of advice I continue to receive is that it’s easy to put pressure on yourself while you strive to be your best; however… while hard work is important, what’s equally important is that you celebrate the small victories and goals that carry you to your big dream and always remain grateful to those who helped you along the way. Don’t forget to rest and take time for yourself!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.adrielmeka.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arekusan_meka
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriel-a-meka23/
- Other: https://www.artstation.com/arekusan-meka
Image Credits
The Motion Epic, Max Cruise, Jack Preston, Bashia Rivera, Nia Obotette, Akura Marshall, Brenda Mveng, Kwaku Ansa, University of Southern California
