INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

Davonne Dupart on inspiring the next generation through stories that entertain and educate.

www.liftedwingstudios.com

avonne Dupart is an artist, award-winning filmmak-D er, educator, and executive director of Lifted Wings Studios, an animation production studio. Lifted Wings Studios inspires the next generation through stories that entertain and educate. Davonne is grateful for the opportunity God has given her to reach tens of thousands of children through her company. “It’s an exciting adventure, and I’m excited about expanding my team and our products to serve our community in more unique ways in 2023,” she adds. Davonne’s “why” is to nurture, and her faith serves as a moral compass in her life, sustaining her.

What is one issue or concern you feel needs to be discussed, and what can you provide as part of the solution? I’m concerned about what is being produced in the media, specifically shows and movies that target children. We’re in a society where a digital screen is constantly put in front of a child to keep them occupied and not all of it is beneficial for them. That’s why I started Lifted Wings Studios.

What life lesson did you learn the difficult way? Always have a contract! When I was starting out in the animation industry, I was offered a freelance position as an animator for a couple of months. All our conversations and agreements were through email, (which I didn’t know weren’t legally binding.) The studio needed someone to start immediately, and I needed the work. After a couple of weeks, I hadn’t gotten paid, and the studio was giving me the runaround. When I finally did get paid, it was about a third of the amount I was owed. This company did this to all the artists on the team and the studio went out of business immediately after the project was done. I contacted a lawyer who gave me sound advice but that was a difficult way to learn that lesson.

Tell us about one life experience you feel significantly shaped you into who you are today. This dates back years, but I had a very impactful teacher in middle school. She was the art teacher, and I wasn’t in her class, but she would spend her lunch break and time after school teaching me how to draw. She bought me my first portfolio as a surprise and helped prepare me to apply for art school. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think I would have pursued my desire to be an artist. Fear, shame, and regret. What advice would you give someone who is trying to overcome this obstacle? I believe we live out our life purpose in stages/ phases/seasons. I also believe God is a God of order and won’t give us the next step until we’ve done the previous step. I experienced this when I was completing my Master of Fine Arts degree. I need this degree to be the educator God has called me to be. It took me 7 years to complete a 2-year program. I had to apply for readmission to finish my degree. Why did this take so long? Life happened. Providing for my day-to-day needs took priority over my degree completion. However, I began to experience hinderances in my career because I did not have my diploma. I felt ashamed because all my loved ones thought I’d graduated. I felt like a failure because this degree shouldn’t have taken me this long. Then I had a revelation. The diploma only has the date you finished, not the date you started. So, I reapplied and finished my thesis knowing this would open the next stage in my life. After I graduated (again) so many doors opened! So, my advice to those who are struggling with fear, shame and regret is this: what matters most is how you finish! You may have a rocky start but finish the race strong!