Meet Chiamaka Barbara Chukwu

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chiamaka Barbara Chukwu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chiamaka Barbara, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.

I’ve experienced burnout before, so I’ve developed a few habits to help me manage it going forward. I make sure not to take on more projects than I can handle and try to avoid overworking myself. I also try to structure my work hours, though I haven’t been able to fully stick to this yet, it’s still a work in progress.

Whenever I start feeling frustrated or stressed about a particular task, I take a break and do something else I enjoy. I might read a book, watch a movie, or just take a nap ,lol, it helps me reorient my mind and return to work with a clearer head and calmer energy.

I also make sure to take full breaks from work. I set aside periods when I completely close off from commissions to get some much needed rest. If possible, I throw in a vacation or staycation during that time.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am Chiamaka Barbara Chukwu, an environment visual development artist and children’s book illustrator based in Lagos, Nigeria. I currently work in both the animation and children’s book illustration industries, and I’m focused on advancing my career in both fields.

I find it both exciting and challenging to tell stories through visual imagery and to have the ability to transport people to different worlds through imagination. As an environment artist, it’s always an adventure exploring creative journeys and discovering just how limitless imagination can be. As a children’s book illustrator, I consider it a privilege to create stories where kids see themselves represented, shape their self-perception, and are introduced to the joy of reading from an early age.

I currently have two children’s books that I illustrated, Sim Sim Goes to the Salon and I Don’t Like the Birthday Song, both published a few months ago. I’m very proud to have worked on projects that shed more light on children with special needs, and I look forward to doing even more of this in the future.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think my openness to always learn more has helped me cultivate strong collaborative relationships with the people I’ve worked with over the years. My drive to deliver quality work and maintain good communication with clients has also helped me retain them. Additionally, being unafraid to explore different options within my field has opened up opportunities I might not have encountered otherwise.

Networking is very important to career growth. I would advise people to keep improving their craft, attend fairs and events, connect with others, collaborate, and consistently put their work out there for the world to see.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

Providing a safe environment, to the best of their ability, for me to grow up in and fully experience my childhood, as well as supporting me in my career decisions, were among the most impactful things my parents did for me. As a self-taught artist, pursuing this career path was quite a pivot and a risky one. I’m deeply grateful for the financial and emotional support I received from my parents when I decided to follow my passion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://barhbie.artstation.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barhbie_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-chukwu-3b9471117