#6 Ope Adey: The Architecture Student Who Loves to Shoot
I work for a company in Lagos and at the same time school in Ife, so I am always traveling to Lagos. I travel often to Lagos and it has been stressful but it's something I love to do,
Hi, Thank you for joining us for today’s episode of StudentsWhoCreate Interview. Our Student Creative for today is a student of Architecture who enjoys shooting (pun intended, haha) and creating visual content. How does she manage to study Architecture in Ife and work in Lagos at the same time? Read and enjoy!!!
Hi, Thank you for speaking with us. Can we meet you?
My name is Opeyemi Adeosun, I am an architectural student of OAU. I am in my 400 level and I love God. I am a photographer, designer, a cinematographer (I shoot and record videos).
In your introduction, you mentioned that you do photography, design, and cinematography. How did you get started?
I started in church. I entered into a church in 2017 and I was just in love with everything and decided that I was going to start in the media side of the church and began to learn everything about media at the time. I began to learn how to take pictures, how to edit audio, and how to record a video. Basically, My creative journey started in the church.
How do you combine all these with schooling?
I have not exactly found a balance with it, it's difficult, trust me, it’s very difficult. I have not really found a balance. For someone like me, I procrastinate a lot of times. I would say I want to be focused on schoolwork on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday but I actually don't do that, I still do some other things, but I would say that because it is something I love to do, I create as much time as possible for it. I have not really found a balance and I'm in my final year but it's been good all the way.
What are some of the challenges you face as a student creative?
One of them is Time!!! Time is so short, It is never enough. 24 hours is never enough because I actually work in Lagos now. I work for a company in Lagos and at the same time school in Ife, so I am always traveling to Lagos. I travel almost every weekend to Lagos and it has been stressful but it's something I love to do, therefore I create time for it. I would say time is something I've always had issues with, it's God that created time and he's been helping me.
How have you been able to handle this so far?
I've not overcome it yet, I still battle with it because I'm in my final year and I'm in architecture and architecture is time-consuming. The thing is, I speak to my supervisor a lot and I told him I am working and he understands and I also spoke with my boss in Lagos that I have school works to do and she understands that I am a student who has school work to do.
I have come to terms with the fact that I do not have time and I am a student. I just face it and say to myself that as much as I know I am a student, I still have to get the work done. I stay up almost every night and make the sacrifice to get it done.
Are you a part of any creative community in your school?
As I said earlier, I started from the church, and my creative team in the church is called Ina. They are my creative community and the only one I've been a part of ever since.
How would you describe the impact of this community on you and your work?
It has been very helpful and has helped expand my capacity so much because every time I am called upon to make a video or have a shoot, my capacity increases.
What is your typical creative process like for a project?
I don't really have a specific process yet but most of the time I first go online, I go on Instagram, Pinterest, Google, Freepik to look at a couple of things and afterward go to my artboard to sketch the stuff in my head and then take it to the software required for the execution.
Basically, Research > Inspiration > Moodboard > Sketch > Execute
What are some of the tools you use in creating?
Aftereffect, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro for editing pictures and video and camera to shoot videos and take pictures.
How would you describe the impact of Covid-19 on you and your work as a creative?
I am going to say 2020 is my best year yet because Covid-19 allowed me to isolate myself and learn new skills. It was in 2020 I learned how to shoot and edit videos and also learned motion graphics too. It was also during the lockdown I got a job and I got jobsssss, so I would say it helped me to isolate to improve my skills.
Have you ever felt like quitting?
Definitely!!!
How did you handle the feeling at the time?
Let me say that I am at a point of almost losing my job and it is because I have been really exhausted and it is just so much to do. And if I am exhausted I just leave things and not do them. The key thing is I have a community I speak to about all this stuff, my friends encourage me. It's good to have a community of friends helping me now and also there are people that just send me a text acknowledging and appreciating the work I do, which serves as an encouragement and keeps me going. Lastly, speaking to God about it, I am always crying to God like Omo!! I just want to quit and be done with all these, I just want to sleep and eat chicken and chips all day and not do any work.
What project of yours are you most proud of?
There's this project I did at the end of last year, a conference my company put together and being that I was the only one in the media team in the company then, I had to be the one to put the conference together for over 5,000 people and it was online because of Covid-19. I was the one doing everything from live streaming to video to sound, I was basically doing everything. It is the biggest project I have ever taken on and it took a lot of me, it took a lot of sleepless nights and energy. I was always crying because there were times I got overwhelmed but I kept on going and it was an excellent job.
How do you not stay out of ideas? How do you stay creative?
I would say Instagram. I am always on Instagram and I see a couple of things I want to try out, be it photography or design. I see a lot of things people do out there and It's mind-blowing, and this makes me strive to do more. Also, in the place of my communion with God, he is my first mood board. I get a lot of inspiration and ideas in the place of my communion with God.
There’s this saying that “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. What do you do for fun? How do you relax when you're not creating?
I do tell my friends that I don't really have a fun life. I relax by staying in my room to watch movies with friends and eat chicken and chips (I love it), with the Air Conditioner on
Who are some of the creatives that inspire you?
Ty Bello, Yemi Kings, Yemi Kings
Who is the one creative person you would love to work with or collaborate with on a project?
It has to be Ty Bello
What brand would you love to work with?
Instagram, I love the brand and product. I love everything about them, it's just so excellent and up there.
What advice do you have for someone looking to start their creative journey?
I would say, Don't get too tired and don't expect all the applause to come immediately you start, it will take a while before you get the claps. Keep going and never get tired to the point where you will need to stop and finally, love God.
How can people reach you?
People can connect with me on Instagram
Thank You for sharing with us!!!
Takeaway Nugget: Do what you have to do even if you have to burn the midnight candle and don’t expect applause when you start. Keep going and never get tired to the point where you will stop.
Thank you for reading and don’t forget to share the story if you enjoyed it
See you next week😎!!!
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I am super happy to know someone like you and I am proud of your work. As a rookie photographer,I look up to you.
This is so amazing Ope Adey, may God continue to strengthen you.