All of us are artists. It’s a little-known truth, but a very powerful one indeed. Born into a realm of endless creation, we constantly seek to invent, build, and change the world around us. Whether or not we will be creators is not the question. The real question is: what kind of artists will we choose to be? What gifts and talents are buried deep inside of us just waiting to blossom?
For Blake Bonner, her artistic seeds began to bloom in 2016. A vibrant twenty-something, Bonner pursued screenwriting at Columbia that fall and started her own animation team called Black Sunrise Studios. Since then, Bonner has been working on her first animated short and is furthering her music talent by learning piano and perfecting her guitar skills. As an animator, writer, vocalist, and musician, Bonner lives her truth creatively and is always seeking new ways to share her gifts with the world.
Simmons: So, what first got you into animating?
Bonner: I’ve always loved cartoons, but I remember growing up watching cartoons with black characters, and the shows on television would make me feel some type of way. They had no new or progressive characters that were black people.
S: What’s your favorite animation and why?
B: Rick & Morty! I love the intellectual undertones. Rick & Morty has some interesting concepts, and it shows that nothing’s really “real.”
S: I love that show! So, what’s next up for you and your animation team?
B: Right now, we’re putting out GIFs, and we’re working on a short project coming out in July 2018.
S: Wow, that’s really exciting! Tell me more.
B: Well, the short’s main character is the Grim Reaper, and the episode is about how he loses his keys to the Underworld at Father Time’s house party. The show has characters like Gaia, or, mother nature.
S: Which character in your short do you relate most to and why?
B: Definitely Gaia. We as artists that are creating the animation put a lot of ourselves into these characters.
S: So how did you find your “artist tribe?”
B: I had a strong intent to find artists to create with. The universe helped me out. I was drunk in a Lyft, and just got into a conversation with my driver…We kind of found each other.
S: What’s your role/niche in your animation team?
B: Screen writer/creator/creative director/project director & manager.
S: How do you balance all of these projects and roles at once?
B: It just seems to be working…it helps that we’re all in this together [my animation team]. We’re all learning together. It’s great having a team.
S: Okay, I know this is really cliché and intense, but where do you see yourself in 5 years?
B: Making money off my art. I’m going to sustain myself off of my work. Honestly, I want to be so rich that I can pay people’s tuitions. I’m an artist with many mediums, and I want to be a master of my craft.
S: Tell me what all mediums you practice
B: I’m a writer, a singer, a musician, and a visual artist. My main focus right now is animation and music. On the music side, I play guitar, and I’m currently learning how to play piano.
S: What’s popping on the music scene?
B: *laughs* I can’t say right now, but I have a lot of cool projects coming up.
S: Okay, last question, this is a big one *laughs.* Is there anything you want to say to those just starting out as artists?
B: Yeah, man. Stand in your truth, and stand in your being. Don’t wait for anyone’s permission to be great.