Why I Dare to Dream

Fig. 1 - Sailor Moon (Naoko Takeuchi, 1992-1997).

I was always described as a child with her head in the clouds. Mine was a military family that moved from place to place every few years, traveling across the country. I was too young to stay connected to old friends each time we moved, so being continuously friendless wasn't unusual. One of my earliest memories was learning to adapt and make space for myself. I learned quickly that the most consistent friend I would ever have was myself. I became best friends with my imagination and she never let me down. Together we’d go on adventures far more interesting than my normal nomadic life. I became a child with many identities. Some days I was a warrior fighting to save my home from invaders. Some days I was a girl on an alien planet searching for treasure and jumping dimensions. This isolation, combined with my active mind, were the first bricks paving the way to my becoming an animator.

Eventually I discovered manga and comic books, and from there I learned about anime, superheroes, and fantasy. I discovered a new world filled with magical girls who saved the world. Sailor Moon (Naoko Takeuchi, 1992-1997), an anime and manga series about a middle school girl fighting evil with her friends, taught me the power of friendship, facing your fears, and finding your family (Fig. 1). Inuyasha (Rumiko Takahashi, 2009-2010) an anime and manga series about a half-mortal, half-demon who goes on a quest with a mortal girl, taught me to fight for things I want, even in the face of adversity. Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki, 1989), which features a witch who struggles to make her own path in the world, taught me how to love myself. These anime’s inspired my greatest dream: to become a magical girl. To do so, I learn to animate.

Fig. 2 - Swim.

Fig. 3 - Swim.

I was shocked when I became more aware of racial disparities in society. The anime, manga, and media I loved so much was created with a different audience in mind. I began to notice that Black girls were never the main characters. In fact, we weren’t even in animated series like Sailor Moon or Inuyasha. All the characters I saw and read about looked nothing like me: Usagi, Salior Moon’s heroine, has long blonde hair, fair skin, and bright blue eyes. Kiki’s Delivery Service’s protagonist, Kiki, has black hair, but she, too, is white. Within my favorite series there was a distinct lack of darker skin tones. This lack of diversity wasn’t an accident or an oversight: it was the norm for all anime. I began to think that maybe Black people weren’t allowed to have dreams of fantasy and adventure. Every time I went to school with a comic book in my hand and was told that comics and anime were for white kids, I believed it more and more. I began to hear and see increasing numbers of boundaries and restrictions. The things I couldn’t do because I am Black. The things I couldn’t be because of my skin.

Have you ever held a dream for so long, that feels so unreachable? So far away that it became a fantasy?

I think that best describes what animation felt like to me growing up. It was something I loved so, so much. But it wasn't made for me. It wasn’t even made with anyone like me in mind. I tucked my alternate lives deep inside myself to protect them. I kept dreaming, but I was no longer the main character. When I would draw and create character designs, I never drew Black people. I drew what I saw in comics, in anime, and in mainstream media: all fair skinned, bright eyed characters. When I created new worlds, they were places I wasn't allowed to visit.

It wasn’t until I graduated college that I realized that if there wasn’t space reserved for me, I could make a new space. Somewhere along my journey I had forgotten my very first lesson. I began to recognize that I had been creating within the confines that I took from society and imposed on myself. I had compiled a lifetime of dreams and characters held so close and so tight to my chest that they couldn’t breathe.

When I put my pencil to my screen I wondered… What if I made a Black girl the main character? How would I draw her? How would I give her life? I drew one Black girl, and another, and another. I wrote their stories, their adventures. Because they matter. Because I matter. If I don’t tell their stories, they won’t just remain characters in a dream: they will soon become a distant fantasy.

When I begin to animate, I start by fleshing out a concept based on a sense of wonder. In my short piece Swim (Figs. 2 and 3), I wanted to draw a mermaid and so began to think about the aspects surrounding them that are most interesting to me. I focus on these fascination points and build from them a character. What if mermaids evolved from sharks? How would they move through the water? What would their tails look like? With these thoughts in mind, I begin to plot my vision. I start by creating and transitioning simple shapes across the screen. I build up the bones of the character, layer on their body language, and fit them with an appropriate attitude. Once my character portrays a distinctive feeling, only then do I begin to add defining features.

Fig. 4 - Black Girl Magic.

I also create pieces that simply fulfill my greatest desires. My obsession with magical girls has led to many character renditions, redraws, and updates. I want to see myself, my friends, my family, and loved ones as their most magical selves. I think of the things that make us diverse and special, what I want to showcase, and I use it as inspiration. What are the different ways we do our hair or our makeup? What are the things we would be most proud of? When I created my short piece Black Girl Magic (Fig. 4) showcasing these aspects was the main inspiration for me.

I don’t limit myself to fitting in between preconceived notions of what ‘Blackness’ is, or what it looks like. I don’t limit myself because there are no limits to the Black diaspora. And likewise, there are no limits to the shades of Black skin. In fact, skin tone is usually something I figure out at the very end of my process. I discovery draw facial features, hair, clothing, and accessories. These things are important of course, but to me the most important thing about creating is feeding my sense of wonder. I want to draw the things that would have amazed my younger self.

The beautiful thing about art is that it can reach people across all barriers. Social media provides a platform for sharing and connecting with others, but with so much work out there it is easy to become lost in the vastness of it all. However, I don’t animate to make money, or even a career out of it. I animate because I love doing it. I animate because representation matters to me. I animate to help Black girls dream.

Fig. 5 - The infinite ways that Black girls are magical.

I want to discover more and more ways to express that everyone is allowed to dream without limits. Animation is a method I use to achieve this goal. I want to represent the infinite ways Black girls are magical. I will continue creating small animations that are snapshots into these new worlds. An animated Black astronaut, a superhero, a vampire, a queen. I will animate us as mermaids, as warriors, and magical girls (Fig. 5). I strive to create animations that are easy to consume, easy for all to understand, and easy to share. I want these small clips to change the perception that anime isn’t for Black people. To reinforce that we can dream in whatever medium we want. I want to see us in books, comics, movies, and animations. I want representation to become so common, so expected, that the novelty wears off. So that these dreams of Black girls living infinite lives becomes the norm.

**Article published: October 30, 2020**

Biography

Jojo Blan is a social activist, artist, writer, and creator who believes that representation matters. She is a self taught animator who strives to create vibrant pieces that showcase our differences. Her otherworldly, colorful, and inclusive characters challenge the concept of “normal”, and emphasize the fact perception is only limited by your imagination. Follow her instagram BlantasticCreations to view more of her work!