#20 TifeChris: Visual artist who wants to create a global identity for herself and bring the value of creativity back to Nigeria
I want to create a global identity for myself and bring the value of creativity back to Nigeria. I want to make people see the value in being creative and people won't see the value until one succeeds
Hi, Thank you for joining us for today’s episode of StudentsWhoCreate Interview. Our Student Creative for today is a final year student in the Department of Geology, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU). She is a visual artist and the founder of TifeChris, an art brand that connects art with our daily lives through paintings, murals and other forms of visual art. How did she get started with visual art? What are the biggest challenges she faces as a student creative? How does she navigate through these challenges? What was the pivotal moment for her as a visual artist? What drives her as an artist? What keeps her going? Read and enjoy!!!
Hi, Thank you for speaking with us. Can we meet you?
My name is Fagbenro Christiana Boluwatife popular known as Tife Chris. I am a final year student at Olabisi Onabanjo University studying Geology. I am a 22 years old Visual Artist and the founder of Tife Chris, a registered business that connects art with our daily lives through paintings, murals and other forms of visual art.
I like to express myself with my work. My works portray storytelling using figures as forms of expression which enables me to communicate with the audience and share people's experiences and realities through my works. I enjoy swimming and basketball.
How did you get into visual art?
I never wanted to go into art at all because my parent wanted me to study medicine which I also wanted to study too because I wanted to help people heal from their pains and make them get better. Fortunately for me, art can do that but I didn't know that while growing up. I didn't know that art could be a point of healing for people.
I got into art when I was about to gain admission into the university. I wasn't given admission to study medicine or any related course I wanted, so during the break, art was like therapy for me because it was what I could turn to at the time. I started to learn more about art and fell in love with it and gained more understanding of what art truly was. I picked up my pencil and started making serious work. Afterwards, I went to an art gallery in Abeokuta to learn how to make better work. Ever since then, I have been pursuing my art career.
What has the journey been like since you started?
It has been wonderful because it's just like taking gradual steps. I started with pencil drawing. I was able to explore other mediums but I was more comfortable with oil painting. The journey has been filled with ups and downs like anyone will face. I stopped pencil drawing because I love using colours and how I could blend them with my subject and also, how I could use oil to create beautiful expressive works. So this means I focus majorly on oil painting not to say that I don't do pencil drawing anymore.
What has been the most memorable moment for you since you started?
I have had a lot of good moments but I would say my most memorable moment was in 2020 when I sold my first physical art piece because it confirmed to me that something is possible through art and made my parent see the possibilities in art and not see it as something useless. It was like a breaking point from that point of being a regular artist to the point where someone recognized and owned my work.
How have you been able to combine school work with pursuing art as a career?
To be honest, it has not been easy because it can be demanding. The thing about me is that I can go months without doing anything relating to school or geology, for example, the way school has been on strike for more than 6 months now but I can't go a month without doing anything relating to art. I will feel so empty and insignificant without doing art. I am passionate about art and so I always make time for it and try to balance it with school work.
I dedicate more time to art when we are on break to do more work but when school is in session, I dedicate most of my nights except during exam periods to doing art. Most of my artworks have night scenes because I do them at night. It can be draining but I try to create time to rest because if I don't I will break down. I also have to do art because the income I get from art is what I use to sustain myself in school. I just have to keep at it until I graduate and then I can focus fully on art.
What are some of the challenges you face as a student artist?
The first one is time because I have a commitment elsewhere and I have to do what I need to do.
Another one I will consider a challenge is funding and exposure because as a student, there's a limit to how much I can travel or attend events. School expenses take a lot of my money and at the same time I need to get art materials for my works and list them on the NFT platform because I am also into NFTs. Being an artist is funds-consuming. What is the essence of free time when there's no material to work with? So money is needed.
How have you been able to navigate these challenges?
I try to prioritize and try not to get overwhelmed by too many things going on at the same time because it gets me to me. For example, when I see a lot of messages, I don't even know where to start and it can be mentally draining. I try to prioritize and do what needs to be done.
As someone who usually works on deadlines, I try to get what needs to be done done before the deadline.
As for funding, I try to balance the way I spend by just getting what I need. I only get gadgets that are necessary and will help me grow to get better ones, so I prioritize what I get and spend on as an artist.
For me, it's about prioritizing what I need to do, when to do them and how I spend.
Is there a community for artists in your school? Are you a part of any community?
There's not one currently in my school but I am in a community that helps me here in Abeokuta anytime I am around. This is where I gained more experience and learned more about art. I am currently there having a residency program for a couple of months to work. The name of the community is Kuta Arts Foundation. The community has been very helpful. I engage with the community online when I am not around in Abeokuta.
Why is there no community for artists in your school?
The problem with my school is that we do not have all the faculties on the same campus. For more context, students in the faculty of science have their campus in a different location from those in the faculty of art. The separate campuses are responsible for this.
I have tried hosting an art exhibition but have not been able to achieve that but I am optimistic about it and hope I get a chance to work on it soon.
What is your creative process like? How do you go about a project from start to finish?
As an artist, the first thing is for me to know and understand what I want to do. I don't know if it is different for others. I think about what I want to do, talk about and express in the project I want to work on. This is usually based on what I am feeling and passing through at that particular time and I think of a way to express it. After this, I get my canvass, prime and then sketch. When it comes to sketching, I mostly look for references online and sketch them out. I make sure my sketches don't look exactly like their reference. One common theme in my painting is that my characters always have dreads because I am mostly on dreads which influences my painting. After priming and sketching, I begin to paint.
This process may take months or days. The last painting I did took about 3 days for me to finish painting it. Sometimes I might start a piece and it gets tiring. I may feel like it's not enough and I just stop and have to wait for a long time before I get the energy back to finish it while sometimes I know what I want from the onset and get to it in days. One thing is, I never have a picture of my finished art in mind though I make sketches at the beginning, I often change a few things along the way.
In summary,
Understand the end goal > Prime Canvas > Reference and Sketch > Paint >
What are some of the tools/materials you use in your creative process?
I use Winton Oil Paint and Oil Colour, a product of Winsor and Newton. I also use Marisel Oil Paint and Van Gogh Oil Paint. I use a pencil for sketching and I use kerosene to mix the oil paint, sometimes I use acrylic paint. Finally, I use brushes to paint.
How would you describe the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on you and your work as a creative?
I sold my first painting during the lockdown because that was the first time I really had the time to utilise the internet. The lockdown gave me enough time to create works and explore the internet. Prior to the lockdown, I was so blind to the opportunities on the internet. I marvelled at the opportunities and potential to connect with people online. I also got a commission work to go to Delta for a wall mural which was the farthest I had gone for work during this period. When I first got the call, my parents were cautious about it and I was kind of scared too but then I went with a team member. After that, I even went back about two more times to do more work.
During this period, I also applied to a lot of competitions and open calls and won a number of them which came with cash and some other incentives. This period was enlightening period for me. I sold my first piece on Twitter to Tolu Ogunlesi. The period opened up a new reality for me. I have gotten a number of jobs on Twitter since then.
Have you ever felt like quitting?
No, I have not felt like it. Sometimes it can be hard but I have never thought of quitting because I don't know what else I would be doing. Also, I have created that identity, in that, if anyone hears the name TifeChris, what comes to their mind is art. Art is a part of me. When there are downs, I just take a break and rest it out or push through. I have gotten a conviction that this is for me, so through thick and thin, I will be a visual artist.
What are your proudest projects?
I have a lot of pieces I love but one that I really enjoyed the process is Lost Reflections. I made the painting in 2020 for a competition I entered and it was shortlisted for the top 5. The piece speaks about child soldiers and was inspired by a movie titled “Beast of no nation”. I put so much into the piece and it took a lot of energy from me but I was happy it got shortlisted. Others can be found on my IG
How do you stay creative? What keeps you creating?
It is mostly the fact that I want to create a global identity for myself and my goal, which is to bring the value of creativity back to Nigeria. I want to make people see the value in being creative and people won't see the value until one succeeds.
The urge to be successful drives me. I believe you can impact more people when you're successful and you are able to reach more people when you're at that level. A lot of people don't value being an artist because they don't believe you can make enough income or are important as an artist and art are so much more than that. This drives me because if I fail as an artist, I have failed a lot of people and myself.
What do you do for fun? How do you relax when you're not actively creating?
I do that by resting when I need it. I am involved in an organisation called JCI where I am the Local Organisation President for my school. I have fun attending conferences and working on different projects for JCI. We're currently working on a project titled “Waste to Art”, where we will be having a clean-up session and making art from the dirt and waste we take from the street. I love these activities because I love seeing people get engaged. I also party at conferences. I travel too and go to the beach to swim because I love swimming.
Who are the people that inspire you?
I focus more on artists of the old. Frida Kahlo is someone whose art I love and can say I paint like.
For modern-day artists, I respect Toyin Ojih Odutola because of the impact she has had on the creative and art space. I am also inspired by Ceracerni
Who are the creatives on the top of your list of creatives you would love to work or collaborate with on a project?
I would love to work with Ayanfee and Ceracerni.
I would also want to do something with Aderenle Sonariwo, Chimamanda Adichie, Kehinde Wiley, and Anthony Azekwoh
What top brands would you love to work with?
I would love to work with GT Bank because they appreciate art. I would love to supply them with artworks or do a wall mural for them.
I would also want to do something with Art X Lagos
What advice do you have for someone just starting out in their Visual Art journey?
I like to tell people that they can actually do anything they want to do. The important thing is to love yourself first because once you love yourself and accept yourself for who you're you, you can do anything you want to do.
Be self-aware of what you really want and just go after what you want. Without trying you won't know what is possible. Also, ensure to enjoy the process.
Who would you like us to interview next?
Akintepede Aduragbemi
How can people reach you?
I am Tifechris on all social media platforms. You can connect with me on IG and Twitter.
Thank you for sharing with us!!!
Takeaway Nugget: Love yourself first because once you love yourself and accept yourself for who you're, you can do anything you want to do. Be self-aware of what you really want and just go after what you want. You will never know what is possible if you don’t try and ensure to enjoy the process.
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See you next time!!!
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