Meet Joumana Ismail | 2D animator & animation director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joumana Ismail and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joumana, what role has risk played in your life or career?
My career has always been one risk-taking decision after the other. It is usually a flood of emotions accompanied by any new project I take on, fear of being unqualified for the job or feeling that my skills are not on par with the other team members and the project’s requirements especially if it’s an animation job. I have completely shifted my career from graphic design to 2D animation two years ago on my 30th birthday. Naturally, the feeling of inferiority gushes in when a studio or a director approaches me for animation services. A thirty-something newcomer onto a field that requires years of skill and experience, taking on responsibilities for creatives she admires. Scary! Exciting! A dream come true! Naturally, I take those projects on! The best way to approach those scary projects I feel is by taking them one day at a time. Writing down daily small tasks to deliver and asking the directors all the silly questions helps lessen my fears. I often remind myself that I am finally working as a 2D animator with studios around the world, something I was only able to dream of three years ago as a Syrian, female artist.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I believe no creative endeavour is easy, and that is what makes it so worth it. Every overtaken challenge is followed by a great sense of fulfilment immediately followed by a new challenge. Persistence and having no backup aside from art were my main drivers against any challenge I faced. I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, where unlike now drawing especially characters was taboo as aniconism philosophy was widespread, but I never stopped drawing. I then moved to my home country Syria where I did my high school years and Bachelor’s degree in Graphic design as there were no animation degrees in the country. Still, I took courses here and there and worked on my draughtsmanship. Then the crisis in Syria happened in 2011 during my graduation and I moved with my family to Dubai. I started my career in graphic design shortly after for about 4 years putting my dreams in animation aside in order to support myself and my family. When you are stripped of your sense of security, it becomes really hard to focus on what you once wanted. Your main focus becomes finding stability again. When that feeling came back to me after 4 years of working in Dubai, I went back to drawing and practising animation a little on the side. I started working as a freelancer with a focus on illustration and storyboarding, as 2D animation was and still very little in demand, but, I persisted! With the rise of social media, I started noticing various 2D animation studios in the UK and the US reviving the art form which in turn made me want to pursue animation finally more seriously. I applied to the Royal College of Art in London, got accepted and finally set my foot at the door. I believed that studying in a city full of renowned animation studios would give me the opportunity to actually start working with them. I persisted, with my family and friends having my back and supporting me throughout this journey, I finally made it!

Covid spread during my final year at the RCA, still, we all persisted! Animation was in high demand and I was able to work as an animator ever since. I had the pleasure of working on various commercial projects with creatives from all over the world for MeowWolf Denver, Netflix, Adidas, UN and more. I also got the opportunity to direct a section of a music video, which tested my general skills and the pressure of delivering a client’s vision as an animation director. It was stressful, to say the least, but I gained a lot of experience in managing time and budget, a team of brilliant helpers, and the client’s expectations. I would like the opportunity to direct again but maybe after a long breather of just happily animating for someone else!

As for the stories I personally would like to tell as an animator, there are plenty! I tested myself with my graduation project “Drawing the Line” at the RCA. An autobiographical documentary about my creative journey as a child living in Saudi Arabia while addressing aniconism. It was a deeply personal project, which made me feel a little too vulnerable but helped me get closer to the voice I want to have as a storyteller. I’m still not quite sure, to be honest, there are many stories to tell as a Syrian Muslim woman. There’s the conflict in Syria, the refugee crisis, the inequality, injustices and prejudices women face in the Middle East, as well as the rich Middle Eastern culture. However, I do feel deeply about childhood, how our childhood experiences affect our personalities and decisions and how our child self is always within us leading us, at least this is how it is for me! I love hearing my parent’s childhood stories, my siblings and friends. I also find myself thinking about children in refugee camps spending their childhoods in tents, I see video’s of them struggling yet playing, talking and laughing and wonder what childhood stories will they tell in the future.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, naturally, there are many tourists destinations in this desert oasis. However, I would take my bestie around the hidden gems of the city. First, we’ll hit the courtyard at Al Qouz and go around the little boutique stores and have our coffee at Boston Lane while sitting outside next to the Andalusian inspired fountain. Then, we’ll cross the road towards Al Serkal Avenue and go around all the different galleries and exhibitions. We’ll have a bite at The Night Jar, and check what’s showing at Cinema Akeel. One of the days will be fully dedicated to Dubai’s old downtown, my absolute favourite place in the city and the oldest! We’ll visit Al Fahidi neighbourhood and check the stores and galleries, walk around Al Seef and take the Abra “small boat” around the canal and finally have dinner at the Arabian Tea House. We’ll spend a day at the beach and go on a fancy night out to the DIFC to check the galleries around and have a bite at Roberto’s. We’ll skate around at Role DXB, hang out at Dubai Design District to check the exhibitions. We’ll have a day in the desert, and end it with a visit to Ras Al Khor wildlife sanctuary to see the Flamingos!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family takes the lead! They have always been my biggest support and believed in me even when I did not believe in myself ‘which happens often’. I had my eyes and heart set on being an artist ever since I can remember and they have been supportive of that ever since. My parents would buy me art supplies and take me to art lessons and my older siblings were the ones who opened my eyes to the world of Anime or Japanese animation and games. All this eventually opened up my eyes to the world of animation production and ignited my passion for it. Even when they were trying to come up with names for me, my eldest brother wrote down the name of the ship from Hayao Miyazaki’s anime series “Future Boy Conan”. The ship’s name was dubbed into Arabic as “Joumana” meaning the unique pearl. I love telling the story of how my name was decided and then telling people that I eventually ended up becoming an animator myself. I owe all of that to my family.

Website: www.joumanaismail.com

Instagram: @joumanaismail_

Linkedin: Joumana Ismail

Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/joumanaismail