Today we’d like to introduce you to Davonne Dupart.
Hi Davonne, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Since I was a little girl, I’ve loved to draw. At the age of eight I told both my mother and schoolteacher that I was going to be an artist. From that moment on, my focus was on fulfilling that dream. Growing up in San Francisco I attended an art high school where I was formally trained in traditional drawing, painting and sculpture. At the age of 15 I was named a California State Art Scholar and that reaffirmed my talent. Once it was time to apply for college, I wasn’t sure what a career in art would look like for me. A pre-college course introduced me to animation. Once I saw my drawings move, I said “This is it! This is what I want to do.” I came to Georgia in 2011 to get my masters of fine arts degree in animation. I was fortunate to get hired at Bento Box Entertainment a month before I graduated. Over the past 10 years I’ve worked at a number of animation studios here in Atlanta. I’ve animated content on Cartoon Network, PBS, HBO, and Hulu. These experiences have driven me to become the founder and executive director of Lifted Wings Studios.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many challenges. In the beginning my family didn’t take my dream seriously, it was considered “cute.” My mother did become supportive once she saw that an artistic career could be profitable. Halfway through my second year of graduate school, my apartment building caught fire and was destroyed. My unit had major water damage and I had to move immediately. This caused a lot of emotional and mental stress and I had to take a break from school. My priority was getting back on my feet. At this point several friends had started working at animation studios and I was still trying to finish school. When a studio would send me an animation test, I would get hopeful. With each test I put forth by best effort, one time my computer broke down and I borrowed a friend’s in order to finish. However, I was still getting rejection letters. It was a season of trying to finish school, work through my trauma and trying to stay encouraged while applying for a job. Once I got hired at the first animation studio, more opportunities opened up for me because I had professional quality work on my reel.
As you know, we’re big fans of Lifted Wings Studios LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Lifted Wings Studios is a production studio focusing exclusively on content with a message that educates and uplifts and media that brings families together. We collaborate, design and execute. Specializing in animation, our services include 2D and 3D pre-production and production. We can also serve customer digital illustration and design needs.
Our values simply put: if it is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy, we want to be a part of it!
LWS is proudly black owned and participates in expanding opportunities for other BIPOC visual artists.
What we are most proud of is the project we did in partnership with RLMG for the Unity Center at the California State Museum. It was an interactive anti-bullying animation exhibit named “Courage to Act” It highlights the importance of recognizing a victim and then being proactive in some way, no matter how small. These are the type of messages that closely align with our brand and values.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love seeing so many black people doing well, with great careers. I didn’t see that where I grew up. Now here is the dislike: it’s difficult to live in the city if you don’t have a car.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@liftedwingstudios.com
- Website: https://www.liftedwingstudios.com/
- Instagram: lifted_wings_studios
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liftedwingstudios
Image Credits:
The two live action photos are courtesy of Richard Lewis Media Group.
