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My Creative Hero: Saschael Carter and Ryan Tomash

12/10/2023
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Performance Art Canada's art director, Sydney Mia Gittens, on the influence of writer, director, and New School master student Saschael Carter and principal dancer at the Royal Danish Ballet Ryan Tomash

Sydney Mia Gittens is a multidisciplinary art director, artist and designer based in Toronto, Canada. She has a focus on creative problem solving, out of the box thinking, and strong applications of design systems. She is a graduate from OCAD University with a bachelor of design in advertising and a minor in digital & media studies. In 2021, she won the OCADU GradEx Medal for her capstone thesis. As a student, Sydney has been recognised by the ADCC awards, NAC awards & The D&AD awards with ambitions to recreate that same success in her professional career.


LBB> Who would you say is your creative hero?

Sydney> I actually have two, slightly unconventional heroes for an art director – but trust me, they are related (literally). Up and coming writer, director, and New School master student Saschael Carter and principal dancer at the Royal Danish Ballet Ryan Tomash.

Imagine if you will, it’s late 1999, and three incredible women are about to have babies within weeks of each other. My mother Dianne, her sister Anna, and her sister-in law Imebet. There must have been something in the water that year. All three of us, myself born in September, Ryan born in October, and Saschael born in November ended up as creative kids who grew into creative adults. 

 

LBB> How long has this person been important to you and what are your first memories of meeting them or coming across their work?

Sydney> I guess it’s self-evident, but I can’t remember life without them. They’ve probably been important to me from the first day we babbled absolute nonsense to each other. But I can tell you my first memories coming across their work.

The first full memory I formed of watching Ryan work was when he was quite young (I want to say 12 but I could be wrong). My family went to see him in a production of the Nutcracker – or should I say THE production of the nutcracker at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. I remember knowing this kid was talented, but I knew him as my cousin, not some kind of prodigy. Showing up unaware that he was going to be among the starring cast is honestly a core memory. At that point, I realised he wasn’t just talented; he was going to be a big deal.

With Saschael it was different – a more gradual realisation with them. When we would play pretend as kids, they’d conjure up stories that were dramatic, intense, elaborate, and funny. And I mean legitimately funny, not kid funny. They would direct us in short films made on a little camcorder my sister got for Christmas, and in vlogs on family vacations. I still remember reading their first formal piece of writing – a novel they were working on before they even entered high school. The worlds that they built in their mind were just something else. I proofread one of their stories once and I was shocked that so much talent could live in someone my age.

 

LBB> If it’s someone you personally know, how did you get to know them and how has your relationship evolved over the years? If you don’t know this person, how did you go about finding to learn more about them and their work?

Sydney> Again self-evident. While I got to know them as people across our entire lives, I got to know them as creative people much later. I was fortunate to have been close with my family growing up – even with Saschael growing up in Brooklyn. Our parents really put in effort to make sure we grew up around each other. As we get older, I like to consider us all friends as well as family. They are truly some of the coolest people I’ve ever met. 

 

LBB> Why is the person such an inspiration to you?

Sydney> They work harder and are more dedicated to their craft than any creative I’ve met in advertising. If they put their mind to something – it will come true. When Saschael decided to learn Spanish I distinctly remember seeing them six months later and I swear they were almost fluent. 

 

LBB> How does this person influence you in your approach to your creative work?

Sydney> Whether that’s my work as an art director or as an artist, they inspire me to approach my work the way they approach theirs. They’re reminders that no matter what craft you’re in, there are a few ingredients that are universal to the recipes of success. Passion to the point of obsession, dedication to the point of torment, and self-confidence to the point of faith.

I think about them both at the very least once every few days – and it’s always while I’m doing something creative.

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