A Valued Conversation with Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

Briana Mukodiri Uchendu is an illustrator, visual development artist, and a first-generation Nigerian American based in Houston, Texas. Her work is inspired by her interests in folklore, film, and animation and her passion to highlight voices that usually go unheard. Briana is a graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design, where she majored in Illustration. In her illustration debut, her work for The Talk by Newbery Honor-winner Alicia D. Williams was juried into The Original Art 2022 by the Society of Illustrators and was awarded the Silver Medal. The book was also named a Coretta Scott King (Author) Honor Book and an Amazon Best Book of the Year, among many other honors. Her forthcoming projects include We Could Fly by Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell (Candlewick, October 2023), Soul Step by New York Times-bestseller Jewell Parker Rhodes and Kelly McWilliams (Little Brown, Summer 2024), and Night Market by Seina Wedlick (Random House Studio, Fall 2024).  

I had the pleasure of asking Briana about what stereotypes she has had to overcome that she explores through her artistic process, working with the writers of the books she illustrates for, and so much more.

UZOMAH: How did art come into your life, and when did you decide to pursue it as a career?

BRIANA: I wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember. I decided to pursue it as a career right before graduating high school. Being an artist was not something my father respected or wanted me to do- he worked hard to come to America and build a life here. He was very artistic himself, but because of his circumstances, being an artist as a career choice was very silly and not practical as an artist. Success is not guaranteed. Sadly, he passed away that year. Life fell apart in many ways, and it’s still being reconstructed. At that point, I felt like I had nothing else to lose, so the risk of becoming an artist seemed very small. Art was all that was left, and so I pursued it with everything I had and decided to apply to art school. I didn’t know if I would be accepted or even if I would be able to secure a loan from the government. I was really lucky.

U: Do you work with the writers you illustrate for, or do you get the book and create from there?

B: As an illustrator, I’m usually given the manuscript and have pretty much all the creative freedom. I don’t usually work with the author at all. The closest I can get to understanding the author’s vision is through very short illustrator’s notes within the manuscript. I’m my brief experience; I only received two manuscripts with illustrators’ notes in them.  One of my recent books, WE COULD FLY, written by Rhiannon Giddens, was actually created from the lyrics of her song—no author’s notes and no collaboration whatsoever. The only way I could get close to the author’s vision was to ask questions through the editor to get some sort of idea. For the most part, the entire creative process involves myself and critique throughout the process.

U: What cultural shocks have you experienced from being American and Nigerian?

B: I was born and grew up in America, but my father had a really strong desire to share his culture with us as much as he could because his culture would be our culture. I’m very thankful for being taken to Nigeria at a young age and being surrounded by my Nigerian family. This gave me a different perspective on American life.  During my earlier years, I was surrounded by not only a lot of Nigerian Americans but also different cultures like Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican, and Black Americans. My experience was very similar to other first-generation immigrants, and I didn’t see myself as different. Going into middle school, however, I was moved to a predominantly white area where things changed. It was there that I became very aware of my cultural identity as a first-generation immigrant among “traditional” white Americans. I was expected to take academics very seriously, as excelling in school and getting top scores were very important to my father. Meanwhile, my peers were encouraged to join sports or other extra-cuticular activities. At lunch, I ate my food too fast and never wasted anything on my plate. The other girls would pick at their food or not eat at all. On Christmas, we went to church, and being a “prayer warrior”  was more important than getting gifts. Hand-me-down clothes and shoes were normal. The individuality my peers were encouraged to develop was something I missed out on by sharing my room and bed with siblings and relatives.  I didn’t grow up watching the same movies or reading the same books as my peers- this led to a lot of awkward interactions when trying to relate to others. I used to feel sorry for myself, but thankfully my father would take us to Nigeria often, and I would see how privileged I really was. There are upsides to being in America, but I am proud to be Nigerian. We are resourceful, hard-working, creative, intelligent, entrepreneurial, musical, and resilient. We are natural storytellers and natural athletes. We prioritize health over taste. We respect our bodies. I know now that the things that made me different from my American peers actually made me stronger and more adaptable.

U: What stereotypes have you overcome that you explore through your artistic process?

B: I never felt bound by stereotypes, so I don’t think I ever overcame any. Being mixed, I am neither black nor white. My mother is white, but she holds a lot of the characteristics that you would stereotypically attribute to a black American woman. My father is black, but I would have never described him as a stereotypical black American man. Stereotypes are never something I ever grasped because of this reason. Every individual to me, seems to hold the capacity to be so much more than what they look like on the surface or where they came from. Sure- my upbringing and cultural background shapes the way I see the world to some extent, but I have an active interest in so many other cultures. Not just my Nigerian culture. In some way- my upbringing of not having much in the way of art supplies or parental support meant that I used whatever I had around me to express myself. I would create dolls or cardboard houses. I made things with twigs, leaves, clothes, and scraps.  My creative process is a little similar. A lot of improvisation. To this day- I can still say I thrive in improvisation and have built my creative process around that. I start with a feeling and then find the tools to make that feeling seen.

U: Do you use all technology to create and draw without a computer?

B: I use a mixture of both but more digital these days as it’s easier and cleaner, and cheaper with more controlled results.

U: Do color choices go into what you will create depending on the story you are illustrating for?

B: Yes, color choices are probably the first thing I think about, and it’s hardly a choice and more so an exploration.  As I said, l start a piece with feeling. To me, color is a pure expression of feeling and a great starting point for any piece.

U: Do you ever experience a creative block, and if so, what do you do to overcome a creative block?

B: I experienced creative blocks when I’m not inspired. The best way to inspire me is to change my environment. I listen to a new song or an old song that I haven’t listened to in a while. I look at other people’s art or read a book or watch a movie, and creativity tends to flow after that. If I’m experiencing a creative block when it comes to technique or process, I tend to improvise, use a different medium, collage, or something like that.

U: You are the Illustrator for the upcoming book, “We Could Fly,” by Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell. What was it like working with musicians?

B: I wish I could say I got to work with them more actively. Unfortunately, I was only given the manuscript, and the rest of the creative process was up to me. I’m very thankful and excited about this project, though, because working from the song is unlike working from just a regular manuscript. To me, music is probably the purest form of art. If art was a mineral that you could find in the ground and refine or alter to meet your needs, music would come straight from the Earth. Something about sound evokes an immediate feeling inside you. Even without words or visuals, you feel something. I think that visual art, like illustrations and paintings, can evoke the same feelings, but I’ve always felt like music had a stronger effect. I was almost brought to tears when I first listened to this song, and visuals immediately came to my mind. I can definitely say working with musicians is more potent and inspiring for my creative process.

U: How would you describe the role of an illustrator in the art world?

B: I would describe an illustrator as a translator. If you were deaf, you would need someone who knew sign language to translate the sounds coming out of people's mouths- tell me an illustrator does the same thing. I feel that an illustrator's job is to translate thoughts, feelings, and stories through visuals. And every illustrator has a specific accent, flavor, and expression they can put into the translation. It’s whatever they, as individuals, take away from the subject matter.

For more information about Briana’s artwork and future projects please visit her site. You can also follow her on Instagram.