Today we’d like to introduce you to Chioma Iloegbunam.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
*Hi, there! I’m Chioma, and hopefully I don’t put y’all to sleep with my rambling.*
I’m from a super small town in suburban Georgia (Grayson represent), and I was also really shy and hyper-independent as a kid, so I often turned to escapism whenever I wanted to entertain myself. I grew really attached to animated films and all different kinds of cartoons and children’s books, and I loved drawing and writing simply because it made me happy (plus I wasn’t too bad at it either), so naturally, I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to pursue art seriously when I grew up.
When I got to college, I decided to study illustration with concept art as my concentration. As you know, all majors have their “must-takes,” but I never realized just how extensive and cool illustration as a realm really was ’til I went to SCAD. I soon realized that I enjoyed doing it all, but I ultimately knew that I wanted to work in animation and editorial publications.
As I mentioned, I’m a pretty shy person, so I already don’t really love being perceived on social media very much; however, I think I became more confident when I first began posting my artwork online in 2019 because it let me interact with and meet so many new people who shared the same interests as me! And with the new exposure to my work came a diverse clientele of the nicest people ever. And they paid WELL, let me tell you.
My first real industry job at a large studio didn’t come to me until right before I graduated college. I was like “Girl okay, let me just send these people my resume and cover letter through this job posting. They won’t even read it, but I’m still gonna do it anyway.” Lo and behold, with my at-the-time small resume (that I hope my lame jokes in that interview made up for), I scored that first job, and I’ve been jumping between clients and building new experiences and opportunities ever since!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Whew. Definitely not the smoothest of roads.
For starters, let’s tackle the obvious. I’m black, and I’m feminine presenting. And while there are a decent amount of us in the animation world, we can’t deny that the percentage of us who actually score jobs in a lot of these bigger studios’ art departments is relatively scarce. A lot more scarce than you realize. I talk about this with my peers who’re in the industry all the time, and it’s pretty surreal. They’ll straight up tell you “We literally only have like, two black people on the entire team.”
It takes much more push and drives in any art-driven creative field for us to be truly seen – whether it’s in animation studios, fashion, or even live entertainment. So yeah, at times, it definitely would be discouraging to not hear a peep back from a long list of recruiters you reach out to or a plethora of jobs that, say, you really wanted. And boy, does that happen a lot. Then there’s also the whole “inherent imposter syndrome” debacle that comes with being an artist.
And I won’t lie, I don’t love the rejection part. I don’t know if it’s the Venus in my 10th House or the Nigerian in me, but lorddd, hearing that “no” on a not-so-great day will truly test you at times. In fact, you’ll hear “no” a million times before you hear a yes – especially when you look like me – and that’s okay. That one “yes” always makes up for it.
Thankfully, I also never know when to quit. And I think that’s taken me to some pretty great places so far.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a digital illustrator! I specialize in concept art and editorial publication, but overall I’m known for my digital art. I’m a photoshop gyal through and through.
I get asked about my style a lot, but it just sort of…happened? It’s definitely a culmination of all the things I loved as a kid. Most of my favorite artists growing up were some of the true old-timey veterans of animation: Milt Kahl, Eric Goldberg, Chuck Jones, Gustaf Tenggren, Floyd Norman – the list never stops. But I also loved to read short stories and fantasy books packed with traditional illustrations, and I’m naturally attracted to exaggerated shapes and fun colors, so I just incorporated that into my work. And well, boom! Here we are.
A lot of people have this mindset that you can’t enjoy things or consume things a certain way once you reach a certain age. You turn 18 and all of a sudden, you’re considered some old, insipid loser for having any hobbies or interests that harmlessly feed your inner child. But if I’m being honest, it’s the only way to stay sane on this planet as an adult. Especially as a minority. Sometimes life is difficult, and sometimes it sucks, and sometimes you just need to learn to decompress in ways that suit you and remind yourself that a piece of media doesn’t have to be so colorlessly bleak to still be impactful. If it makes you happy, it’s good enough.
I think my work heals my inner child in ways that I’m only half-willing to admit out loud, and it makes me both happy and proud when people from around the world reach out to me personally (90% of the time they’re older than me) and tell me that my work makes them feel that way too.
I mean sheesh, the world is dark enough as it is. Sometimes people just wanna bury themselves in silly short stories with trees shaped like cotton candy.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I mentioned healing my inner child and the importance of doing so before, but I also want to stress integrity because that’s something that’s always mattered most to me.
Because whew, you definitely realize it’s something that a lot of people lack in the creative realm, and age certainly doesn’t guarantee it either. Once you bring yourself into these dream creative spaces, the rose-colored glasses tend to melt away with time. Because the dark side of capitalism still exists in the entertainment industry, as does greed and the many frustrations that come with that, and you’re more than likely to reach some bumps along the way. Just knowing your worth and what you stand for can really make or break your experiences, but also, pushing for your own respect is what earns you the most gratifying support and success. And that makes it worth it.
It’s simple, really: if you think you deserve to be paid more for your work, you absolutely do. If you think you’re perfectly qualified for a position, you absolutely are. If you think you deserve to be seen and treated like an actual person, you absolutely do. I’m mainly speaking to my fellow black artists when I say that last part especially, but this can and does truly apply for anyone.
Pricing:
- $90-$100 per illustration
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chiomailo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.iloe/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chioma-iloegbunam-565a6a16b/
Image Credits
Myself, Noggin, Practical Utopias & Patch Animation.
