The Artist

The artist is a professional who creates unique work from his imagination. He draws inspiration from many different sources such as his society, the Internet, and his own experiences. Furthermore, she may decide to specialise in a specific medium such as water or oil painting, sculpture, and weaving. Artists also work with other type of media such as textile, drawing, computer graphics design or even photography.

Personality Traits

An artist may be someone who enjoys being by herself or may be an outgoing person. Artists are marked by their special ability to see beauty in the things many of us ignore or overlook. They are usually introspective people, independent-minded, and often labelled as being eccentric.

Role Models

You will find great role models in famous Nigerian artists such as Yusuf Grillo, Nike Davies-Okundaye, and Bruce Onobrakpeya. Here is a list of some of the most famous artists from Nigeria. But hey, you should pay attention to the new school of brilliant artists in Nigeria, too. I think you will be impressed by the work of Ayobola Kekere-Ekun.

Education & Training

Secondary School: Key subjects are Fine Arts, Literature in English, English Language, Mathematics, Biology (one Science subject), and any other subject.

Higher Education & Professional Training: A diploma or degree in Fine Arts may be useful, but not necessary. Some artists develop their skills through self-training or may decide to sign up as apprentices or students at an art school. It is a wise decision to attend a attend some form of training if you do have the opportunity. See a list of some of the best art and design schools in Nigeria. Going international? Here is a list of the 34 best art schools in the world according to www.format.com.

Career Prospects for The Artist

The career prospects for artists are looking increasingly bright in the twenty-first century. Some artists are self-employed while others prefer to work for organisations such as media or advertising firms or other creative enterprises. Artists and their work are appreciated and richly rewarded in business, movies, marketing and advertising and publishing. The artist’s work plays a vital role in the success of these industries. If art is your thing, you can be sure of getting rewarded for your work in the field(s) you choose to work in.

Resources

• First, a blog dedicated to Nigerian art: https://jesscastellote.wordpress.com. See the author’s 2018 list of Nigerian visual artists under 30.
• Professional membership: Society of Nigerian Artists

Footnotes:

• Photo by Dazzle Jam from Pexels
• http://study.com/becoming_an_artist.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist