After its discovery in 2019, Covid-19 broke out fully in 2020. The first case was not confirmed in Nigeria until February 2020. The Federal Government implemented lockdown leaving thousands of Arteasy’s customers all over the world stranded.
They say a time always comes to match words with action. Covid-19 gave us the opportunity to match our words of making the everyday artists stronger and more confident with actually empowering them at the time when most people needed someone to be there for them.
We came up with a response to keeping the company of creatives that we are dedicated to serving with quality yet inexpensive art supplies. And Arteasy Insight hosted by Arteasy CEO Awurumibe Michael Dubby was born.
This article is a compilation of the wise contributions from some of the seasoned creatives- Morenike Olusanya, Eniola Claire Idera, Arinze Stanley, Fatola Israel, that were interviewed during Arteasy Insights which was hosted Live on Arteasy’s IG Page. If you missed the event which started in April of 2020, here is a rare opportunity to experience the educational, inspirational, and empowering again.
Morenike Olusanya
She was the first to be interviewed. Her nuggets below will be more useful to you if you are a visual artist and illustrator like she is.
Watch her Arteasy Insight interview clip here
Also, as you would discover here, different key messages were extracted from her Arteasy Insight interview. But the following stand out:
Learn to say No and never short-change your services because your client claims to have someone cheaper- this is most important to upcoming or emerging artists who feel they need to offer their creative services at a (ridiculously) cheap price because they need experience, exposure, and connections.
It Is realized however that at the end of the day, the clients you cut your fees for will go to patronize another creative when they have a bigger project that would give you the connection, experience, and exposure that you seek. So, it is better to have charged what you should have charged or would not regret charging when they betray you to go a more “loud” creative.
Draw up a mood board before you commence any project– it is common for most creatives to simply begin a project without planning or critical thinking; assessing and gathering the materials and resources. Hence why you need a mood board that can be in the form of digital or physical collages created, arranged, or designed to look like the final thing you intend to achieve or have drawn by the end of the project.
Eniola Claire Idera
She came up next and gave the Arteasy universe some even mind-blowing insights. Her wisdom is helpful to designers and multimedia artists. She shared fresh knowledge and they are :
Trust God– only a few successful artists talk about trusting God. Still, the place of God can never be overshadowed when it comes to climbing the ladder of success as a creative because the industry is greatly competitive. Many creatives make the mistake of trusting in their own abilities but forget to hold on to the ONE who empowered them with such talents.
Watch her Arteasy Insight Interview clip here
Develop Your Style– another very valid point. It is common these days to see replicas of the same art pieces with very little change. The creative industry is filled with lazy people who wait for someone to release what they have done and then copy that.
Imitation is gradually becoming a norm in the art world but to stand out, you need to develop your style and resist the temptation of developing another fashion designer, artist’s style which would be the easy route to take that does not guarantee success that can be sustained.
Grow in your own space– everyone will be successful but the few creatives who succeed are those who grow in their own space. A lot of promising creatives break down and tap out because they watch other people’s space and subdue the original growth that is meant to happen in their own capacity.
Your space is the only place you can be free to create something unique from your flawlessness. Encroaching other people’s spaces is why many top-notch talents have not been discovered or evolved to the dimensions that they should.
Arinze Stanley
He had to come up next to match the energy and attention of Morenike Olusanya and Eniola Claire Idera. Although different technical challenges were recorded during his Arteasy Insight session, there were still tons of wisdom nuggets that were identified. The following stand out because they are unique:
Take breaks when you can- for an artist like Arinze who strives for perfection in his unbelievable artworks, this is a surprising statement to make. But really, are breaks not necessary?
Most successful artists almost sound like they work all through the day like Michael Angelo. But breaks are important when you can have them to renew your creativity, refuel your energy, and strengthen your stressed body, mind, and soul.
Watch his Arteasy Insight Interview clip here
3Ps- Practice- Patience, and Persistence. Use the 3Ps and know peace in your career and journey as a creative. You can’t possess one of the 3Ps and be good to go. They are interconnected and paramount to you as an emerging artist who is optimistic about making it big as a fashion designer, architect, artist, etc.
Dr. Gbadamosi Adefemi Fola David
He is a motivational figure for the reason that he is multitalented; a practicing medical practitioner and a successful artist. Out of the abundance of wisdom nuggets, Arteasy Insights could extract from his session, these two stands out the most:
Make it a journey of personal happiness, not social acceptance– you can not but agree to this statement. A lot of creatives are in the creative world or in a particular section of it because of the amount of recognition that is attached to it.
However, to last long in anything personal happiness is a major factor that must be present, most especially, to remain relevant in the creative world. In the long run, social acceptance will only result in pressure that is not needed or helpful to your creative journey.
Watch his Arteasy Insight Interview clip here
Create because you can- if the purpose is creating out of personal happiness, it becomes easy to create because you can. But social acceptance directs you to create for the wrong reasons which lead you to a lost path the emptiness. Creating because you can is one sure way of sustaining your space and growing in it as you progress.
Fatola Israel
He talked majorly about the one thing most upcoming artists lack the time to:
Network– creatives are mostly about creating and creating and creating. It is rare to meet a creative who does not feel like hanging out is a waste of precious time.
However, as Fatola Israel puts it; your network determines your networth. It is important to your career that you build a professional relationship with colleagues in your industry.
People you can get information and contacts from when in dire need of such. Hence, networking is as important as creating as networking determines how you sell what you create and where it can get to.
Watch his Arteasy Insight Interview short clip here
Upgrading contact list– creatives do not have many contacts or form long-lasting relationships as they are almost buried in work. Still, it is essential to have contacts of persons who you can always trust to have your back during emergencies or when the going gets too tough for your creativity to handle alone.
In Fatola’s words, “when you are stuck, what are the chances that you would have someone to call?”
Olarinde Ayanfe’s
Arteasy Insight was one Arteasy audience looked forward to because of the life she brings to her interviews. The following are wisdom nuggets that stand out from her Arteasy Insight Interview:
Read– in her words “ you are out of school but you are not out of books…” Truthfully, creatives tend to rely on information provided by natural talents. But reading helps a creative to discover and do more with their creativity.
Reading helps to identify information that is only probably available in history which can be useful in a creative product or service. Reading can be useful in understanding or interpreting the ideas brought forward by natural talent itself.
Therefore, Ayanfe knew exactly what she was saying when she stressed RRREEEEEEEAAAAADDDDD!!!!!!! During the interview.
Watch her Arteasy Insight Interview clip here
Social Acceptance– as a child and at the beginning of her artistic journey, all Ayanfe wanted was the approval of her mother. Eventually, she realized that “likes and comments do not matter. It is about you(her) not them.
It is about a genuine feeling of fulfillment of one’s burning desire to create”. According to her, the most important thing above social acceptance as a creative is creating “…from within. It is left for others to key into what you have created”.
Arc Tosin Osinowo
She shared countless numbers of insights. It was hard to handpick the uncommon ones because she kept sharing so much wisdom that one would learn in a lifetime.
Research your creative industry– asides from reading books as recommended by Ayanfe, understanding the history behind your creative profession can expand your reasoning and comprehension of the principles that govern it and how to work around that to be relevant in your creative industry.
Watch her Arteasy Insight Interview clip here
Arc Tosin Oshinowo suggested books that can aid increase in creative logic. They include; FREAKONOMICS by Stephen J. Dubner, A LITTLE HISTORY OF THE WORLD by Ernst Gombrich, SAPIENS (Telugu) A BRIEF HISTORY OF MANKIND by Yuval Noah Harari, BLACK AND BRITISH; A FORGOTTEN HISTORY by David Olusoga, A PLATTER OF GOLD; MAKING NIGERIA 1906-1960 by Supo Sharore.
Funfere Koroye
during the Arteasy Insight Interview reiterated several valid points but the following are the ones that we think are unique to him.
Share your work or post it– while creatives are worried about sharing their idea with people who are most likely to steal them, Koroye says that should not stop emerging creatives from reaching out to people they believe can invest in their creative dreams.
These are people who on a normal day would not have come across such mind-blowing creativity.
Watch his Arteasy Insight Interview here
The 180 Degree rule– states that “…it takes 30 days for you to create a new habit, 60 days for you to see results, and 90 days for others to notice the changes. It takes less than a second for you to start”.
This rule backs the popular vocabulary of practice, patience, and persistence as put forward by Arinze Stanley earlier on.
He crowned the interview with a book suggestion- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by Phil Knight (creator of Nike)
Ayo Filade
from his Arteasy Insight Interview seems like the kind of person who goes straight to the point. His unique wisdom nuggets include:
Watch his Arteasy Insight Interview clip here
“Know the difference between your fans and your clients.” According to ayo_draws, fans are those who like your creative work on social media.
But the biggest art clients are most times meant during art shows and exhibitions not Instagram and Tik Tok.
Answer the “…WHY?”– what is the reason behind venturing into your creative industry. Without fame and money, would you still continue doing what you do after 5 years?
The most important thing is doing what you do because you are happy and passionate.
Art.byBello
He is popularly known as a color thug. As someone who has built a career out of bullying colors and an embodiment of what it means to be creative- rebellious- here are his wisdom nuggets that stood out.
Have fun– this becomes harder to do when you are an established creative with so many exhibitions or commission pieces in the queue. Still, fun enhances creativity in ways that are unexplainable.
Stay true to your art– in the days of NFT where it has become a norm to copy and steal other people’s art, staying true to your art is one of those things that can make an artist relevant and easily identified.
Osa Okunkpolor
Arteasy Insight Interview full clip can be reseen here. The following are wisdom nuggets from him that stand out:
Create your own success– one of the ways to do this is by working instead of just wishing to be successful or fantasizing about other people’s success. There is a point where everyone is meant to start, but the ones who create their own success are those who start.
Create your own purpose- it is easier to get lost in taking up the purpose of other creatives. Especially legendary artists and established creatives in the different creative industries. But it is important to create your own purpose.
Ken Nwadiogbu
He is one of the young artists making Nigeria and Africa proud. His Arteasy Insight Interview could not be missed because he provided fresh wisdom nuggets.
“Do your research”- the place of researching a subject has been overshadowed by copying other people’s work. However, “ the more research on a subject, the more you understand the entirety of it”.
“Never give your art for free.”– this would go out especially to upcoming and emerging artists who give their works out for free or at ridiculously cheap prices because of the desire for exposure and attention for their works.
Doing so at any point in your career will render your art useless. “ Art has value…” so the worth should be evaluated no matter how small and exchanged with something of equal worth.