In modern day music industry, music videos have become very important, as artistes try to convey specific messages and properly express themselves through these videos to the world. For most people, music videos help in digesting the message a song is trying to pass, and generally increase the enjoyability of the tune. Music directors help the artistes to bring the artiste’s ideas to life to the best of their abilities, but a very important coordinator often skipped are the ART DIRECTORS. In relation to music videos, art directors are the personnel involved in bringing creative and visual clarity to a body of work (songs, albums or EPs), in an effort to communicate the distinct mindset of the artiste at the time creating the music.
Over the weekend, I sat with one of the best arts directors in the game, heavily involved in the creation of some of your favorite music videos including JOWO by Davido, GODLY by Omah Lay and more. This inspirational interview puts into perspective what art direction is all about, and a little insight into the thinking and mind-frame of an amazing creative.
Dom: Hi! Introduce yourself to us please
Anita: Hello, first off, I just wanna take a minute to appreciate you and this platform. Really glad to be here, so thanks for having me.
My name is Anita Ashiru and I am an Art Director, Brand/Marketing strategist, an ideator and an entrepreneur amongst other things. I run a creative agency called AA Creatives that provides services such as Creative Direction, Treatment Development, Art Direction, Set Design and Build, and Brand Consultancy. I am also currently studying towards a master degree in Marketing Management.
Dom: When did you start out as a creative and how did that lead to you becoming an Art Director today?
Anita: Interestingly, ever since I can remember, I’ve always been a creative. At 15, my best friend and I started a blog that addressed topics and conversations amongst our peers, it started out as just a lifestyle/ gossip blog but it caught on pretty quickly, so we developed it into a profitable online catalogue for teenagers in Ibadan looking for where to eat, where to shop and where to have fun.
After high school, I went to fashion school for a bit. And in university, I started a clothing business with a friend. That didn’t last too long because school got in the way, but it didn’t stop me. I went on to getting involved in event organization within the university and I became the go-to person for developing innovative ideas and executing them with my peers. I also got involved in the political scene and became the coordinator and later, Vice President of the Nigerian Students Association.
After university, I worked as a Marketing Strategist for almost 3 years, in a fast-paced company where I quickly grew from an intern to an associate within a really short time period. I love learning and I love challenges. I resigned from my job to go back to school for my master’s degree, and that’s when I got into Art Direction.
Dom: As a Creative, how do you draw inspiration and develop your craft?
Anita: The truth is and if you look quite closely, you’ll realize that inspiration is all around us.
This isn’t very obvious to us most times and that is because it requires a certain level of consciousness and connection to the things around us.
It’s funny but I honestly get inspired by the most random things. So when I need to do work, I let my mind just wander (most likely off the topic related to the work in front of me), and somewhere in that space of wandering, it picks up something and we move from there.
In the topic of development, I love learning and I’m always willing and happy to learn. In my spare time, you’d catch me doing research, networking with people in the industry, surfing the web for work-related content. I am constantly consuming creative content and I always put it to work.
Dom: Could you give us a low-down of who/what you have worked on, and your favourite work yet?
Anita: To this regard, I must say that I’ve been quite fortunate and ultimately God has been a badass!!
I have had the pleasure /of working on videos of most of the key players in my scene as an art director together with my AMAZING team at AA creatives; a creative firm I just launched do check us out at www.anitaashiru.com and @aacreatives.co on IG. We have worked some very great projects. From music videos to photo shoots to brand ads. It’s a long list. I honestly don’t have a favourite because every piece I work on has its place in my heart.
Artists: Davido, Mayorkun, Peruzzi, Falz, Liya, Patoranking, Flavour, Simi, Adekunle Gold, Rema, Zlatan, Focalistic, Ruger, Joeboy, Omah Lay, Oxlade, Fireboy
Brands: Hennessy, Infinix, OPPO, Havana Club and so on.
Dom: There are so many Nigerians like you yet to find their voice. What would you say to them as encouragement?
Anita: I think I’ve found my voice. It’s just about now letting my work do the speaking. It takes time. It’s not easy. But being consistent, being daring, doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways- it works. People talk, and referrals come in.
Art Directors aren’t as popularly celebrated as Directors are, due to a lot of factors in the industry and the country as a whole so don’t feel bad if you’re not getting public attention; focus on the work and the opportunities will find you.
Dom: This has been an inspirational interview. Thank you so much for giving us your time, and we at The49thStreet wish you the absolute best in your future ground-breaking endeavours.
Anita: It is always a pleasure! Thank you so much again for having me, y’all are doing amazing!