We recently connected with Faith Omole and have shared our conversation below.
Faith, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I would say from my mom. This woman did everything she could to raise 2 kids when she was in her twenties, she was working and studying at the same time. My mom and grandma had very tough lives mostly because of the man they married, yet I have never seen any of them break down in front of me before. They always found a mission to keep them going and that did it for me.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a visual artist as well as a filmmaker. I can’t really remember a time when I’m not creating, my work is an extension of my childhood biggest desire; to have real connection with my family and people around me. I am largely inspired by my personal experiences and the need to preserve cultural elements that holds actual wisdom in them.
My past projects were include; revisiting my childhood memories as an athlete and working with a number of girls at the M. K. O. Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta on the outlook of the female child in sports during my residency at Kuta Art Foundation. I also recently completed a residency that explores the 70 years of music in Nigeria. I am currently working on a new personal project that centers around prayers and I’m excited about adding new elements to my process!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Discipline; I think the most creative people in the world without the self control to manage time would just waste it all planning and never doing.
2. Confidence: I remember when everyone told me I should stop my exploration of symbols, even a respected figure in the art field. But I knew what I wanted and I just found myself evolving from there. I also never waited for opportunities to come to me, I go out and get one. I applied for open calls even if I’m not sure I’d be considered, I spoke about my passion the best way I could and people can tell if you’re faking it.
3. Ability to explain my works for a common person to understand and that comes from actively learning about myself and asking myself about the pieces I have created. I basically made sure I know why I’m creating.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
People I’ll love to collaborate with. Definitely clothing brands. I’ve always wanted to explore how my symbols would look on fabrics.
Most importantly though, schools!
I’ve always wanted to teach kids the importance of native symbols and their wisdom. I would love to design school uniforms, matching the chili values to a symbolic representation. It’s always been my dream.
Anyone interested can reach me through my mail or a direct message on my Instagram page to hear my ideas!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faithomole_m
- Facebook: Faith Omole
Image Credits
RanbyDele on Instagram and me, the artist
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
