Spotlight.
Mirabelle Morah
INTRODUCTION
Mirabelle Morah is a communications strategist, and motion designer helping purpose-led brands make the world understand what they are building. She is the founder of Grohwie, a design and creative tech company. She also runs the design fellowship supporting emerging designers with creative entrepreneurial skillsets and resources. A Skoll Fellow, Mastercard Foundation Scholar, and Edinburgh Award winner, her work spans across Africa, Europe, and North America. Mirabelle also built her first media company at 17 to amplify the words and works of young changemakers, activists and artivists. And ever since then, she has not stopped building and helping others grow.
INTERVIEW
How did you get into your creative practice? What initially inspired you?
Though at the moment I’m a motion designer and I dabble with creative technologies here and there. But speaking of creativity in a broader sense, I first started out as a writer, you know, a storyteller. I was very inspired by the Nigerian writer called Chimamanda Adichie, how she told stories about issues that were happening in society, specifically gender inequality. I thought, "Wow if someone can write this well and talk about issues around them, then I want to also be a storyteller who uses my words and my art to amplify what's around me." That was how I initially got into that creative aspect of storytelling and I still hope that one day I would meet Chimamanda.
When it comes to what I am practicing presently, which is more of creative entrepreneurship and motion design, I was still inspired by my deep respect for telling stories and amplifying concepts. I really wanted to let my words and my stories become more visual and I also wanted to help amplify the work that other organizations were doing so I experimented with animation and I just got hooked on motion design.
What themes do you tend to interrogate in your creative practices?
I believe in this saying that an artist does not tailor his art according to those around him but he pours it out as it is, just like it is within him. It's a famous saying by someone, I can't really remember who. But in that sense, I think that my themes tend to revolve first around inner resilience and the art of “being.” The second thing I tend to interrogate is how technologies affect our lives. I'm always trying to ensure that the tech we are using is advancing us in a positive way and not ruining our lives. The third is using storytelling as a tool for amplifying ills and wrongs within society, especially when it comes to youth development and other societal vices.
What is your favourite project you’ve ever worked on and why?
I grew up in this city called Calabar. It is a city in South South Nigeria. One of my favourite projects I've worked on recently is a piece of motion design that celebrates the cultural heritage that I grew up in. It celebrates our traditional dance, the masquerades, the greenery of the city, the nature. It was just beautiful when I lived and grew up there, so I thought to celebrate the memories with a piece of mixed media motion design.
What advice would you have for creatives of colour looking to get into your creative practices?
Well specifically for motion design I would definitely say that you've got to practice, practice, practice and you have to feed your curiosity. Many times some of the earliest things we create look so awful but then if you keep creating and if you keep feeding yourself and if you are open to taking in feedback, then in no time you'll find yourself improving your skills. It could take a few months; it could take a year; it could take three years but don't give up. Also try to network with other people. Learn things from other fields of work. Learn the business side of things too, to negotiate. You’ve got to live sustainably while doing the amazing work you’re doing.
What are you currently working on?
Right now I'm working on a few things, two specifically:
1. The Grohwie Design Fellowship, which is me supporting emerging designers with business skill sets. It's an eight-week fellowship and right now I'm rounding up the second cohort. I've been in a phase of pairing these emerging designers with about five to six NGOs and social enterprises so that they could work with clients, work in a team, experience some real clients' work for the first time (for some of them), and also use their design skills for good.
2. I'm also working on currently building a gamified learning app that would support many more emerging designers with bite-sized design skill theories and also connect them with job opportunities. So these days I’m learning as much as I can and I’m pretty much just looking for people who have more experience within the creative tech industry and are our creative entrepreneurs who have grown creative businesses themselves so I could ask for support and advice and listen to them as they scale.