Mr. Maz Joachin’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

Mr. Maz Joachin shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Maz, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I’ve been really enjoying cooking recently. It’s definitely something that has brought me joy in a way I hadn’t anticipated.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Maz Joachin, and I am an animation director and cartoonist from The Bahamas. Over the course of my career, I have recognized that a significant part of my work involves advocating for the value of animation and its potential to benefit our nation.

I founded Streetlight Animation Studios, one of the few animation studios in The Bahamas, where we have been featured in multiple film festivals and contributed to shaping the local cartoon and animation landscape. Beyond production, our studio is dedicated to education and outreach, we regularly host workshops and training sessions to equip students with the skills and knowledge to explore this creative medium.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I was in 11th grade when my art teacher at the time looked at the characters I was illustrating and made a very brutal observation. “Why are all your characters white?” I was baffled, I hadn’t thought about it but subconsciously I was programmed to draw what I saw on TV, which were mostly white characters. She then told me that one day my characters will be what kids look at to see themselves. All these years later, she was spot on!

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
When I was 6 years old my mother died suddenly. Losing my mother was the catalyst for my turn to art actually, it was comforting to create worlds where I had a sense of control and stability. I’ve long since learned to use my art as an expression of the pain life can bring and not as an escape.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Honesty! We have to learn to live our most honest lives. The best parts of us come from being authentic I think. This to me is what makes art so powerful.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Absolutely! Praise is overrated, do the work and do it because you love it.

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