A Day in the Life of Our Animator – Sheryl Jenkins

The next installment in our Durham University Visual Arts and Film student’s Day in the Life series features the fabulous Sheryl Jenkins. Over to you Skyler…

During my internship at Changing Relations, I had the honour of interviewing Sheryl, an artist with a passion for stop-motion animation and co-creation practices. She tells stories with her fingertips and uses animation as a tool to express social issues, injecting new perspectives and inspirations for my future video production.

What does it take to bring still images to life—and use them to spark meaningful conversation?

That’s what I wanted to explore in my interview with Sheryl, an animator whose passion for hands-on storytelling and community collaboration animates every frame of her work. From childhood experiments with flipbooks to complex projects tackling serious topics, Sheryl’s journey reveals a deep love for process, play, and people.

From Flipbooks to Frames: A Lifelong Love for Animation

Sheryl’s earliest experiments in animation go way back. “When I was about four, I had a book for Christmas with pictures in the corner, and when I flicked through it—magic. It was amazing.”

This sense of wonder still fuels her today. “Even though I know how it works, I’m constantly going, man, how does that thing? It’s just amazing.”

Her work spans everything from school workshops and community projects to installations and festivals. But whatever the setting, one thing remains: “I like to be hands-on, and I like to be involved in the process.”

Craft over Code: The Animator’s Presence

While she’s no stranger to digital tools, Sheryl prefers an organic, tactile approach. “I have a bit of a love-hate thing with technology,” she says. “I like to be able to see an animator was present… you can see fingerprints in the plasticine.”

For Sheryl, the charm of animation lies in its imperfections—and in the passion of its creators. “I just love seeing people passionate about their thing, their style, their characters.”

Telling Tough Stories with Tenderness

Sheryl doesn’t shy away from serious subjects. In fact, she believes animation is uniquely suited to tackle them. “It gives people a distance from things,” she explains. “People can tell their story without feeling too much in the spotlight.”

One of her most powerful projects explored a young person’s experience with domestic violence. “They created the visuals, they recorded the voiceover—it’s intense, it’s amazing. I wish more people could see it.”

She sees animation as a bridge: “It allows a story to be told in any way you can imagine… It’s a way to make complex topics easier to digest.”

Collaboration as Core Practice

Whether in a school or studio, Sheryl thrives on shared creativity. “Co-production, to me, is about exchanging skills,” she says. “You bring people forward… then you’re working together on a similar footing.”

Every session is an opportunity for mutual learning. “As soon as I’m going in, I’m like, what do you want to do? What are your ideas? Let’s do it.”

Animating Across Generations and Platforms

Sheryl’s work has taken her from nurseries to care homes, youth centers to prisons. She’s animated stories on climate change, identity, culture, and beyond.

And when it comes to reaching audiences? “TikTok is fast and throwaway. Instagram has more story. YouTube is where I get the most engagement,” she says. “People also love behind-the-scenes stuff. They want to know the process.”

For Sheryl, animation is never just about the end product. “I find it frustrating that I can never quite capture the process,” she admits. “I wish people could see how it all came together.”

Art, Emotion, Connection

Each animation Sheryl creates—whether with schoolchildren or in collaboration with refugee communities—carries a bit of that early magic, curiosity, and care.

“I think everyone just likes to play,” she tells me. “No matter what the age.”

 

Sheryl’s love for the ‘magic’ of animation made me realise the infinite possibilities of video creation. Her experience in using animation to address heavy topics has helped me to place more emphasis on emotional expression and collaboration in video production, and to explore the value of visual narratives in social inclusion. This has given me unlimited inspiration and encouragement for my future career plan in the creative production industry.

Thank you Skyler for this super interview and to Sheryl for creating our wonderful Weaving Stories animation!