Takeover Tuesday with Sarah Chokali
An interview with Sarah Chokali: a passionate and multidisciplined motion designer based in Brooklyn, New York. I was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq, and have had a lifelong interest in the power of visual storytelling.
Q&A with Sarah Chokali.
Read time: 5min
Mack Garrison:
Thanks for participating in our Tuesday Takeover series, Sarah. For folks not familiar with you or your work, could you give us an introduction and a little background on how you got into the creative space?
Sarah Chokali:
Thank you for having me in the Tuesday Takeovers alongside inspirational artists I’ve admired.
I'm Sarah Chokali, a passionate and multidisciplined motion designer based in Brooklyn, New York. I was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq, and have had a lifelong interest in the power of visual storytelling.
Growing up in a challenging environment sparked my creativity and my love for art at a young age. I've always been fascinated by the way that visual expression can create a connection between people.
I’ve started my career as a graphic designer around 2014. However, my passion for animation led me to discover the world of motion design. Since then, I've been on an ongoing journey to learn more about using motion to communicate and bring ideas to life. I aim to create impactful visual experiences, and I’m not tied to one design discipline. I am working on experimenting with different techniques.
Currently, I’m working with the dream team at Grandarmy at their office in New York City.
Mack Garrison:
You've got an entertaining portfolio in a variety of styles! Do you have a preferred medium you like more than others?
Sarah Chokali:
That's a great question. I'm a bit of a medium maverick. I don't believe in playing by the rules and sticking to just one medium. To me, the magic happens when different mediums come together to create something truly unique and unexpected as long as there is a clear contrast, whether in values, shapes, textures, and/or colors.
Having said that, After Effects is like my home base, the central hub where all my creative ideas come together. It's where I can bring all these different assets and techniques together.
Opening shot from Sarah Chokali’s demo reel.
Mack Garrison:
Some would say that 3d motion design work and illustration work are on opposite sides of the creative spectrum. How does one approach influence the other?
Sarah Chokali:
It's true, 3D motion design and illustration can appear to be on opposite sides of the creative spectrum. But for me, it's less about the differences between the two and more about the different processes that go into each.
I think of it like this - sometimes, I sketch an illustration on my iPad using my pen on the screen, then I'll bring those sketches into Adobe Illustrator and use the pen tool with my mouse to refine the lines. Both steps are part of creating an illustration, but they require different approaches.
The same goes for 3D motion design. During the process of building abstract shapes and bringing them to life in 3D whether using simulations of keyframes, it can be very different from the traditional illustration process. Both methods bring me joy and excitement; by combining different techniques in one place, a new style can be born.
The switch between different mediums is challenging. It didn’t come easily to me, especially when I’m fighting that resistance to using my comfort tools instead experimenting with new techniques. It takes time, practice, and dedication to combine different techniques. I had to sacrifice a lot of my social life and even some sleep in order to learn 3D, but my drive to create unique visuals kept me motivated.
I don’t recommend the combination unless you have enough energy and time. Nothing is more important than our health.
Mack Garrison:
Great answer! I really love your character work; both illustrative and the 3d versions. Where does the inspiration for each come from?
Sarah Chokali:
It’s flattering to know that you find it this way; thanks a lot.
My inspiration for the characters comes from my desire to challenge gender norms and celebrate femininity. Growing up in an environment where being a woman was seen as a sin and with limited representation, I've always been drawn to creating strong female characters. I find joy in bringing these characters to life, both through my traditional illustrations and through my 3D animations. I consciously and subconsciously find it as a way to give a voice to those who may have felt suppressed in the past and to provide a positive representation of women in my work.
Character from Sarah’s “Parallel Project.”
Mack Garrison:
What’s an ideal project for you, and is there a brand you would love to work with?
Sarah Chokali:
Since I’m currently not a freelancer, I’d say what makes a great project to me is the project where I need to push out my limits and seek to create unique visuals for it.
Mack Garrison:
It's always hard to choose a "favorite" project, but is there one piece that really sticks out to you?
Sarah Chokali:
Ah, that’s so tough, especially given that the most interesting projects are still in production. But I just started a new passion project where I share a breathing exercise for the social media scroller. This project is dedicated to creating animated content that offers a peaceful refuge for the mind. Also, it is gonna be an exercise for me as a motion creator.
Mack Garrison:
Can’t wait to see it! I know you're a big advocate for women in tech. What are some initiatives you're currently working on?
Sarah Chokali:
It has always been a pleasure and great responsibility to advocate time and efforts to help unrepresented groups. I’m involved with Code Lab initiative in Baghdad, which focuses on creating the first AI hub in Iraq by organizing bootcamps and workshops. However, I’m temporarily not as active as I used to be when I was present in Baghdad. My goal is to create impactful content that serves to inspire or represent oppressed voices, especially women in my country.
Work from Sarah;s Code Lab involvement.
Mack Garrison:
How has growing up in Iraq shaped your professional career?
Sarah Chokali:
With every challenge comes a new opportunity to learn and develop. Living in Iraq was like living life in a difficult mode. Not only I experienced economic sanctions, two wars, and a civil war that cost me to lose friends and family members. But I also experienced living in a society where women are titled to be only good wives and caring mothers. While I was lucky to have supportive parents, the environment was unfair to women. Women’s freedom and independence are far away from being a reality.
I was vocal about my rights as a human being to work and choose my path. My desire to make an impact and work passionately as a creator was unrealistic to dream of in the environment I lived in.
But I was curious about animation creation. When my uncle’s house got a computer, I stayed there playing with MS paint and was fascinated by that software. Yup! I imagined I could create things frame by frame with that software.
It’s more like my motion design career helped me get independence. Additionally, when I paid for my work, I’d save 75% of it to invest in optimizing my work process to overcome the challenges I was facing.
My background has shaped me into a more determined and resilient individual, always seeking to learn and grow in my craft.
Sarah is one of Iraq’s Influential Women In Tech - click the image to see the article!
Mack Garrison:
Any final takeaways for our audience?
Sarah Chokali:
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about my story with motion design.
With motion design being a rapidly expanding field, it's truly an exciting time to be a part of this industry. Accessibility to resources has never been easier, and if creativity gives purpose to your life, then listening to your intuition, overcoming obstacles, and putting in hard work can lead to fulfilling that purpose.
However, keeping up with the constant advancements in technology and technique can be intimidating, which is why it's crucial to prioritize rest. This includes taking breaks from social media and focusing on physical and mental health. Social media platforms are designed to consume as much of our attention as possible, making it even more important to reduce the time spent scrolling and redirect that energy toward what truly matters. It sounds easy but we all know that many of us find it challenging to limit the impact of social media on our energy.