Why I Almost Gave Up on Animation

Animation has always been my first love and like most first loves, it wasn’t always a smooth ride. You know that thing where you’re chasing someone, and they’re just busy “focusing on themselves”? Yeah, that was me with animation.

When I started out, I was buzzing with excitement. Character designs? Check. Visual development? Double check. I was ready to bring stories to life. But then reality pulled up, no jobs, no callbacks. Every time I sent in a portfolio, it felt like i was shouting into a void. And when responses did come, it was the usual, “We’re looking for someone with more experience.” Or, “Your style is great, but we’re going in a different direction.”

Excuse me? Which direction? Should I follow you or bring Google Maps?

It was exhausting. I poured my heart into designs, spent days perfecting the tiniest character details and still couldn’t catch a break. And that’s when I almost threw in the towel.. I started questioning everything; Was I even good enough? Was my art just destined to live in my sketchbook? The worst part? Knowing I had all this passion and nowhere to put it.

The Big Shift: Finding Joy in the Work

At some point I had to face the hard truth, I could either keep waiting for opportunities to come, or I could create for the joy of it. So I chose joy.

One day, out of sheer frustration, I designed a grumpy little character, basically a visual representation of my feelings towards the industry. It wasn’t for a client and it wasn’t part of a portfolio. It was just for me. And that tiny project reminded me why I started this journey in the first place.

From then on, I stopped obsessing over landing the “perfect” gig. I played with shapes, exaggerated expressions, and created backstories for the most random characters. I experimented with visual development, building worlds that felt so real, I could almost hear the characters arguing about who ate the last piece of meat. And you know what? People noticed.

How I Got Through It

Here’s the thing about visual development, every texture, every splash of color, every odd-shaped tree tells a story. It’s like being the director of a movie that hasn’t been shot yet. And when the characters fit into that world? Pure magic.

I started applying this thinking to my work, paying attention to how environments complemented character personalities. It was no longer just about how a character looked, but how they lived. Suddenly, my designs had more soul, and that’s when opportunities started coming in. Not a whole lot, but enough to keep the fire burning.

What I Learned (The Hard Way)

• Stop Waiting for Validation: If no one is giving you opportunities, create your own. Design that passion project. Build that world. Animate that grumpy character for the fun of it. You never know who’s watching.

  
  

• Ask Yourself “Why?” More Than “How?” Every good design starts with a reason. Why is this character always slouching? Why is the color palette muted? When you start with the story, the designs will follow.

  
  

• Be Okay with Cringe Work: Not every design will make you feel proud. Some will look like they belong in the recycle bin. But that’s part of the process. Embrace it. Even Davido had to start somewhere.

  
  

• Community is Everything: I found strength in talking to other artists. Some were thriving, others were stuck like me. But the support? Priceless. If you don’t have a network, build one.

  
  

• Your Style Will Find You: Stop chasing trends. Draw, experiment, and keep creating. Your unique style will show up when you least expect it. Probably at 3 AM when you’re arguing with Photoshop for crashing for the fifth time in a row.

The Bottom Line

Looking back, the moments I wanted to quit were the ones that shaped me the most. They forced me to redefine why I create and to lean into my own voice as a designer.

So if you’re feeling stuck, just know that it’s not the end. Keep designing, keep developing, and most importantly, keep telling your stories. Whether it’s a fully animated feature or just a random doodle of a frustrated character, it matters.

And who knows? The thing that almost made you quit might just be the thing that takes you to the next level. Because as we say in Naija, “E go be.”