More from the Women in MoGraph

This is probably not going to come as a shock to you, especially if you’re a woman, but women working in the motion graphics industry really love what they do. They would also really like a few things to change. In 2018, when Maxon hosted a Women in MoGraph panel at NAB, artists on the all-female panel spoke candidly about everything from feeling mansplained to and talked over to the need for more flexible work arrangements, industry mentorships and meaningful promotions and opportunities. The discussion was eye-opening.

Since then, we’ve continued to promote constructive discussion about the gender gap in motion graphics, most recently at SIGGRAPH where we asked some of the women presenters at our booth a few questions. Here is what they said:

I think not talking candidly about pricing hurts everyone. When I first moved to Los Angeles, I was going over my rate at an ad agency and the project manager quietly shut the door and said, ‘Say a higher number, you won't believe what men vastly less experienced than you are paid.’ The next time I got together with my creative ladies, we chatted about that over coffee and immediately increased our rates.

Another, more ego-bruising barrier is simply being dismissed, or taken less seriously. I feel extremely fortunate to be in a stage of my career where some of that mindset gets filtered out before a project begins: But it’s still there. — 3D artist and designer Blake Kathryn

Earlier in my career, I think it would have been an element of boldness, of daring to ask or knowing you could ask for certain things. Now, it’s balancing family life. I am so grateful for all those all-nighters I happily pulled as a 20-something building cred, skills, and a portfolio. But now I’m simply not at a stage where I am willing to sign on for a project that comes without the flexibility to be with my family in the morning and evening regularly. — Graphic designer Megan Newell

Leveling the playing field on a mental level is key. Personally speaking, I find myself more nervous about speaking up, pitching an idea or defending a concept than my male counterparts. I often default to a meet-in-the-middle accommodating mode. Talking with fellow women creatives, it seems like the fear of coming off as bitchy, or a difficult freelancer, is a common insecurity. Whereas men going through those same motions are usually perceived as being assertive. — Blake Kathryn

Don't be afraid to present and talk about your work. So many women think they are not good enough; others don’t have enough confidence. Keep at it and always whisper to yourself, ‘you are GOOD ENOUGH,’ and you’ll eventually believe it. — Designer Liron Ashkenazi-Eldar

Work hard, follow your passions, try EVERYTHING. Don’t be afraid of technology. Make the stuff that YOU think is cool. Make passion projects. No one is going to hire you to make an amazing thing unless you prove you can make an amazing thing. — Megan Newell

Much of what was said here echoes what we heard in 2018. So what can be done to narrow, or even close, the motion graphics gender gap? At Maxon, we’re always working to ensure our booths and events feature talented male and female artists. But the sheer fact that men outnumber women in the profession sometimes makes it difficult to get as many women onboard as we would like.

If you are a female MoGraph artist and would like to be a presenter at a future event, please contact Mathias Omotola at m_omotola(at)maxon.net. And if you’re reading this post, and you work in the industry, consider what else you could be doing to support and encourage female colleagues. Because this is not just a problem for them: It’s a problem for all of us. And we all need to work together to solve it.