‘Creatives not selling themselves enough’

The colloquium at the recent National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) organized by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) which held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State was all about thinking outside the box in the creative industry. The event which held at the Civil Service Auditorium of the State Secretariat was organized […]

The colloquium at the recent National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) organized by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) which held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State was all about thinking outside the box in the creative industry.
The event which held at the Civil Service Auditorium of the State Secretariat was organized away from the academic lecture-like pattern of previous editions.  It was a semi-formal gathering with pupils, students, young graduates and youths making up the majority of the audience and renowned landscape photographer, Dayo Adedayo and small scale entrepreneur and brain behind ‘Kulis,’ Chimezie Uwandu as speakers.
The idea behind this, NCAC boss, Dayo Keshi said, was to get Nigeria’s young to start thinking of other ways of earning an income and applying themselves in ways that are creative rather than solely depending on paid employment.
She said the colloquium touched on every area the NCAC has been trying to project as was reflected in the theme of this year’s expo – ‘Exploring the goldmine inherent in Nigeria’s creative industries.’
Keshi said: “We thought that the colloquium should take a different twist so that we can begin to turn our hobbies into moneymaking ventures.
“We all have different things in our head but we have to pick one and stick with it. For the kind of things we are promoting and encouraging people to delve into there are hardly any barriers and the resources to start off on them are almost everywhere if people know what exactly they want,” she said.
The culture gatekeeper encouraged the youngsters to reach out to the NCAC with their challenges and the organization would do all in its power to help.
Speaking on photography and how it has become more and more valuable in recent times and the need for the audience to remain on top of their game as number one, Adedayo advised that they engage in photography not just for the sake of it but also because there is commercial value in it.
On the down side of such creativity, Adedayo said: “Most of us in this industry are not selling ourselves as we should. Also we need support from the government. The Ministry should commission photographers to document Nigeria, document our artistes. A lot of them are dying whether old or young and we haven’t preserved their history, legacies or their works.”
One of the discussants on the platform, Professor Femi Shaka of the University of Port Harcourt spoke about the needed reforms of the Nigerian educational curriculum to include business.
Speaking on the creative goldmines he said fashion designing, modeling, dance, photography and Fine Art among others can churn out a lot of money for practitioners. 
He advised them to pursue their dreams and “don’t let anybody be an obstacle. Personal creative ingenuity is key because being an artist means creating something out of nothing.”
While encouraging the prospective entrepreneurs whom he told to see their creativity as a cultural property, Professor Best Ochigbo who spoke on the challenges of products said: “If you see your creative works as such you will feel the need to protect it, even though marketing usually is a problem.
“Sharpen your reflexes, see the thing in your environment and think outside the box.”