WITHOUT ART MY LIFE WOULD MEAN NOTHING - Jooda Babatunde Abdulfatai

                              

 

WITHOUT ART MY LIFE WOULD MEAN NOTHING                           

             Art is one area of life that transcends the history of man due to its unending beauty which is both captivating and enchanting. It is often said that art is life as a result of its ability to portray and preserve historical records of life in a spectacular way through its many forms. Art indeed is a reflection of life in a larger context. In this interview with a renowned artist of his generation, yours sincerely was able to hear firsthand from the horse’s mouth, what it takes to be a good artist among others. It sure is a good read. Enjoy

                                           Can we meet you Sir?  

                 My name is Jooda Babatunde Abdulfatai. I am a Nigerian, a Yoruba man and a Muslim by religion. I am an artiste by profession. I am happily married with two kids.                             

                                      Tell us about your academic history.  

        I finished my primary school between the years 1986-1992. The name of my primary school was Tadimu Islam Ahmadiyah Primary School. My secondary school education was at St. Finbars College, Yaba, Lagos State. I completed my secondary school education in the year 1998. After that I stepped further in joining an art school named ‘Feodek creation Art school between 1998 and 2001. I also attended Yaba College of Technology Popularly known as ‘Yaba tech’ between 2013 and 2015. I studied General Art in the institution.

                          What aspect of art do you specialize in?

                 I am a full studio artiste. I teach, instruct and enlighten children on art and painting as well.  

                           When did you discover your love for art?

I discovered my passion for art and creativity in my primary school days.

           Enlighten us more on the aspect of art you specialize in?

                       I specialize in card making because I love it. Through cards, I have been able to enlighten and meet people. I am also a core artist and my work has made people see greeting cards in a different dimension. I’ve been doing this for eighteen years. I also paint, design clothes like “ASO OKE” for customers. I specialize mainly in graphic painting.

           

             What have been your motivating factors in your career as an artiste?

                    I love art like my life. I discovered my flair for art from my primary school. I developed myself thoroughly on it. At Finbars College which was well known for art and sports,I was very fond of my art teacher then as he put me through the basics of art work. After my secondary education, I met an experienced card maker who taught me a lot about creativity. This fostered my goal to make my own art studio.

            

What are your prospects based on your career in the next few years?

               In the future, as an artiste, I am working towards having a school for card making with hands. Also a great expansion of my card products to various places where they are essentially needed. Again, because of my love for children, I would love to create more means in which I could impact knowledge and wisdom through my art work for the kids.

              What are the challenges you’ve faced in the course of your profession.

               My profession is not as smooth and easy as it seems. The major challenges I faced when I started was lack of sponsors and materials to effectively develop myself.

             What is your advice to young aspiring artistes who are eager to excel in the profession?

                I thank God for my life. I have been affecting young lives with what I am doing. This has made parents bring their children to me to educate them on art. The advice I can give to young aspiring ones is to believe in themselves and not be discouraged by limiting factors.

           Thanks a lot for a beautiful time spent with you. What do you have to say about Complete Naija?

               For me, I see it to be an interesting and enterprising idea that gives people room to explain and educate the general public on what the road has been like so far.