“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give,”-Winston Churchill. How do you use your art work in charity work?
Well, I do charity work everyday. Whenever I make a sale, 25% goes to helping artists in transportation,food,credit, and some of it goes to orphanages.
How did your journey as an artist begin? Tell us about your passion, challenges and success.
My journey as an artist began at the tender age one. I used to draw comic stripes from newspapers and comics books.My passion is always evolving; experimenting on styles and techniques in art. I’m inspired by nature.My challenges are financial because art is expensive in terms of materials,travelling around the globe while exhibiting my work,marketing and even getting venues to exhibit art is costly,doing an exhibition and not knowing if the profit will ever live to reimburse the loan that one took to do the exhibition.My success is always putting a smile on peoples’ hearts and faces.
What kind of art work are you involved in besides being a poet?
The kind of artwork I’m involved with is digital art done by a software called Adobe illustrator version CS6.All the images are vector format and are available on the net for free. My artworks are in black and white.Then there is biro portrait done by the normal ball pens, ‘ biro ‘and the canvas is embossed paper which are available in any supermarket.
Are people creating more space for art in Kenya?
Yes people are creating more space for art because we interact with art everyday and everywhere,it’s all about knowing the right market/media of communication and positioning one’s services and products. Once quality and quantity are balanced, Kenyan art will grow faster.
What message do you have for aspiring artists? Stay humble,stay real,stay focused,appreciate,support,share and attend to other artists’ projects,know your value and worth,don’t work on discounts and bargains, support local and buy local.Appreciate anyone who shows effort.Be a constant learner and a good listener.
How would you want to see intellectual property laws develop in Kenya most especially in the field of art?
Intellectual property should be introduced in all academic levels in all fields and should be taught freely to the general public.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Honestly I don’t know what will happen 5 seconds from now,although I wish to have a comfortable financial place to help artists for free in their start ups without thinking of reimbursement. What are you doing to get there? I go to seminars and conferences about policy making in the creative economy,and helping other artists in developing modules and templates to help them achieve more success based on my experiences and lessons I learnt along the way.
‘Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything-‘George Bernard Shaw. On that note, tell us about your PEOPLE CHANGE exhibition.
PEOPLE CHANGE is a concept philosophy on self examination about our humanity and spiritual ways of connection based on perceptions,stereotypes and dreams.
What other exhibitions have you done and what were they about?
The RISE exhibition is a social and political commentaries of precolonial and postcolonial period and the future of Africa in the world view of different subject matter.
What does your work at ‘Fatuma’s Voice,’ involve?
My work at Fatuma’s voice involved logistics at the time I worked there.
If you are passionate and determined, you can achieve anything. What doors have opened for you as an artist?
Meeting people from different walks of life and finding deeper knowledge in interpretation of art as culture.
How has your relationship with your friends and family shaped your identity?
My relationship has been shaped by knowing that we’re unique and have a special role to play in the bigger circle of life and people need people.
Finally, if you were given the chance to meet one of the greatest artists in the world. Who would it be? Dead or alive.
Fela Kuti who passed on in 1997.
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