Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu, [email protected]
Day One of the Artistes Creative Entrepreneurship project boot camp at Eveline High School kicked off on Thursday with a dynamic start, as 40 creatives gained invaluable insights from seasoned professionals – author Philani Amadeus Nyoni, arts administrator Raisedon Baya, and rapper Asaph Afrika.
The trio shared their experiences in the arts sector, reflecting on their journeys and encouraging the young cohort to remain resilient in their creative pursuits.
Nyoni said the artistes must learn to, “Create as an artiste and sell as a businessman in order to see the light of day in the arts business. Don’t just create for emotional release but have a specific reason why you are creating and that will be your fuel everyday.”
He further challenged the artistes to keep on practising until they get it right.
“Work on your craft for at least two hours a day for the next five years and you will see tremendous changes and improvement in it. That will sustain you and make you a professional in whatever field you are in,” he said.
Guest facilitators Asaph Afrika and Raisedon Baya also hammered on the importance of identity. Baya, with 36 years under his belt shared how being resilient in art has made him the person he is today.
“I’m a product of patience and perseverance. Back in the day, art was seen just as a pastime and it wasn’t easy convincing parents that this was a path I would want to walk on for the rest of my life. To me, it hasn’t always been about money but the love of art.
He also encouraged artistes to embrace education.
“There’s nothing sorry more than a shallow artiste. Let’s take education seriously. Let’s read wider, consume a lot of what we are about. If you are a writer, read more, if you are a singer, practice more and know yourself and know where you want to go. Be motivated to go on and ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing,” he said.
Asaph Afrika spoke of the magical four Ms in art: Money, message, music, mentality.
“To me, art is about these Ms and what one is about. I’m more on mentality more than anything but each one of us chooses which M they want to major at. Mentality brings out the message in my music I invest more on it because that defines who I am and what I produce. Also, we need to push art before finances, money will come as long as you have something going on. Just keep producing and those who are supposed to see will see,” he said.
The bootcamp is set to continue and end on Saturday afternoon where the creatives will checkout from the Eveline High School premises. – Follow on X @MbuleloMpofu
