SUCCEEDING AS AN ARTIST

No doubt I’ve seen the struggle that many of my fellow fine art undergraduate and graduate alike face, most especially financially, this is the reason why I’ve decided to write this little piece of article to advice art student about what I think they should be doing while in Art school, and this is just the only one advice I have for them:

Be truly educated Yaba College of Technology, art school, where I study; just like many art school in Nigeria, is known for a rigorous and tedious practical studio work, that I could rate at 80% or more practical or more and less emphasis on theory, this great approach have been a culture that has been transfer from one generation to another.
But my advice to student is that education should be all-rounder, just because you are studying fine art doesn’t mean you should not know something about business management, finance, marketing, Info. Tech, etiquette, politics or even read motivation material, history or current affairs. Your education in college should set you apart for been well groomed, flexible and easy to adapt to live challenges, so that after graduation you could fit in into even a non art profession, even if it’s just to make a decent leaving or to even setup your art studio or gallery, this non art education can be very useful as we leave in a very dynamic world that changes frequently, you could do this without losing focus of your art, if you are determined.

For example, while I discover my talent very early as an artist, but in 2004 I made one of my best decision of my life by going to learn how to use the computer which not only influence me to becoming a graphic and web designer but also a programmer or software developer I later press on to study computer science at the college, but I never lose focus of Art, because I still pursue my dream by also studying fine art at the college and guess what; today 98% of my income comes from building website and software for organizations, yet I still keep my passion for art as fresh as I did while I was young for at least three reasons:

1. Painting or drawing puts me in a relax mood, it’s like a therapy for worry.

2. It gives me through deeper sense of fulfillment when I complete a painting or drawing, knowing that it has a better tendency to outlive me and influence generations to come just like Leonardo da Vince, Bruce Onabrapeya, Yusuf Grillo or Pablo Picasso’s works is influencing us today.

3. by not selling much of the works now doesn’t mean it will lose its worth or spoil on the contrary it may be more valuable with time as people get to know me.

I’m not saying you should take the same step as I did by studying two courses, but you can invest in quality literature or books and read about other field other than art, because you won’t be leaving in isolation you will leave among business men, politician, lawyers, engineer, accountant and even a petty trading around the corner of the street and any of this people can be a big plus to your career as an artist.


By: Onuorah O. Benjamin