In the past, many people looked down on skills that were not related to medicine, engineering or law. They thought those skills were not good enough or profitable. But times have changed and we see increasing examples of how people pursue their passion and develop talent in any field. In this interview, Abdulwaduud Afolabi, a budding artist, who got inspiration from his mum’s handwriting as a home-economics teacher, developed his interest into a profitable enterprise.
How did you find yourself in the field of art?
I am an artist with an unquenchable thirst for art and storytelling, who stretches his expertise beyond the canvas, around art and the creative industry. I grew up shuffling between my uncle’s house and my mother’s home, and with the constant shift of environment, I found solitude in writing, reading comics and the weekend newspapers.
My mother was our home-economics teacher when I was in secondary school and I used to envy her handwriting and drawing. They were top-tier. The fascination of wanting to match her skills and calligraphy led me to drawing for my classmates, redrawing Supa Strikas and comic characters which suddenly became an obsession post-secondary school.
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I found myself escaping to my drawing pages instead of reading for my ICAN exams. I got into university as an Economics student and drawing portraits of my friends or their girlfriends was how I funded most of my needs as a new undergraduate. At 200 level, I decided to dump Economics to finish my studies as a Fine Art student of OAU but you best believe, everything I learned around Art was in practice and outside the four walls of school.
How long have you been doing art?
Almost a decade, in a couple of months, it will be 10 long years of giving myself to my own evolution as an artist.
Since you started, has it been economically viable to meet your needs?
I believe in money and passion. Who says you have to only pick one? Money is a practical necessity for all creatives and that’s what helps us sustain our passion and invest in our craft. Money helps us create impactful works. I have ideas I wish I could afford right now. Money or passion? Passionate money! I make seven figures in a year presently.
What are some of the challenges you have experienced in the developing yourself into an artist?
There are too numerous to mention but I don’t whine about challenges because they give me room to solve a problem and potentially monetize that solution. If there’s something I really want to change in the art and design industry though, it’s having a standardized body in the country or continent that awards and rewards artists and designers for their works and creativity. Getting nominated from industries and judges that don’t even know our qualifiers is disappointing to see year in year out.
Way to go? I also believe you shouldn’t dwell much on the problem and start thinking of a solution because that’s what you have within your control.
What inspires your work; take us through your creative process?
That’s a tricky one, love inspires me. The collective love of wanting more beyond myself: The wanting of your people to win; the wanting of your colleagues to be safe; the genuine collaboration that is birthed from a love of wanting to serve people beyond yourself. That’s my inspiration to get up and it keeps me going every day.
What are some important apps you can’t do without?
First of all, I can do without anything, God willing. I am an artist; I will find a way. Regardless, my top apps are Procreate, CapCut, Pinterest, Behance, and my bank app.
Can you describe your perfect day?
That will be every day I wake up grateful and extend that gratefulness by serving someone or simply making them feel seen or heard.
What makes you stand out from other artists?
I am in a league of my own. You can copy my work but you can’t copy my spirit, most importantly, I genuinely want other creatives to also win. The sky is big enough for us all to fly.
If you weren’t doing art, what would you have been doing?
Writing, teaching, exploring, so many things I can be, but you best believe I will also paint that lifestyle like an art.
What is your goal in 5-10 years’ time?
Leading a community of millions of creatives worldwide. To own an eco-system of art and design and have a loving family.
