All her life, Caris Tachie-Menson has only ever been really good at one thing, art. She wasn`t very strong academically. However, when it came to Basic Design and Technology (B.D.T), especially visual arts, she was good. The extracurriculars she took all revolved around art in one way or the other. They were a great way to boost her self esteem after a long day of failed classes.
Doing something she knew she was good at kept her upbeat and moving. Therefore, naturally, she pursued an art course in Senior High School – visual arts. There, she won her first ever award as the overall best visual arts student!”
Being a woman in this field is quite interesting.
Unsurprisingly she did an art course again in University. “The trajectory of this story seems pretty clear. I studied Graphic Design and picked up a lot of skills. I developed a love for animating”. Caris realized she had a very keen interest in stories, not necessarily telling stories but stories in general. As a result, she wanted to be a part of the storytelling world, just not with words. “My interest was very visual oriented. I thought to myself `how can I help tell stories visually? And there came the answer, cartoons! I’m aware of comics being an option but that’s not where my interests lead me”.
In her third year for her internship, she looked for places she could learn animation and nothing else. Focusing on animation alone seemed like a risk in Ghana but she was determined. “Parables Animation Studios is where I had my internship and later my national service”. She learnt so much from there about the work flow of animation and all the challenges it comes with.
This was important as she needed to know what she would be dealing with if she decided to enter and stay in this field. It comes with the responsibility and challenge of presenting things accurately and beautifully. It has to appeal to the audience. You need to have the discipline and drive to keep at a tedious and repetitive work. Always looking for and learning the newest software and trends. It requires growing your personal skills, adding to and perfecting existing skills while meeting deadlines.
If you don’t try to move, your past will keep you stuck longer than you need to.
“I stayed with parables after my national service and have been working for them for almost 2 months now. Entering this field, I did not expect it to be dominated by males. However, that is what I came to meet. Generally, it did not make a difference to me. Throughout my schooling years, there was always a good balance between men and women in my classes. Yet, to say this did not catch me off guard would be false. Other than having a bit of rowdiness and lively chats across the office and teasing comments thrown here and there the numerical advantage of men in my field of work poses no concern”.
For Caris, being a woman in this field is quite interesting. With few women practicing animation professionally, it serves as a topic of interest and draws attention whenever people discover her. “This makes me happy. I am glad to be among the few women who pursue storytelling through animation in Ghana”.
Ms Tachie-Menson can`t wait to see this industry grow as many more join in with their talents and passions. “It will bring collaborations and growth of the industry as we tell our stories through this medium, packaged for today`s audience”.
The world is ready for women and you should be eager to seize it.
Her advice to you is to go ahead and pursue storytelling, animating, illustrating, graphic design or any other art field if you are interested. “Practice without ceasing and learn from your environment. Try out the field of your interest and if it doesn’t work out don’t let it keep you down. Move on and try something else. Obviously, it is easier said than done. However, if you don’t try to move, your past will keep you stuck longer than you need to.
To the young ladies out there, don’t allow the small number of women in the field to intimidate you. People are happy and eager to support you. The world is ready for women and you should be eager to seize it”.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Caris. You are definitely an inspiration to young people pursuing art. I`m excited about the future of animation in Ghana.
