Meet Mayowa Nwadike

We recently connected with Mayowa Nwadike and have shared our conversation below.

Mayowa , thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

I see art everywhere and in everything, all the time. Given the right perspective, I can find inspiration anywhere, maybe especially amidst mundanity, or what may seem benign. Finding inspiration is more about deciding what to focus on, than seeking focus somewhere. But if and when there are times when seemingly nothing is capturing my attention, I can dip into past ideas I have stored away. I consider my memory to be a storage chest, with artifacts I collect for safekeeping when I feel uninspired, I consult my vault and can retrieve a treasure.
But of course, great work does not manifest in isolation, and my own experiences can only translate so much, that I am constantly learning from peers and other artists. Everyone has their perspective and process, which can refocus my attention on aspects of my artistic practice I might have overlooked. But inspiration is about more than just ideas, it is also about drive. I gain my drive in large part through my collaborations with other artists. I seek these encounters out as I believe that continually, there is a need to evolve. This desire for evolution draws me towards multiple disciplines like film and photography. I refuse to be static and limit my storytelling to a singular method or medium, and I gain wisdom through a range of creative expression.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a multi-disciplinary artist with my primary focus on mixed media figurative art, Through art, I can share my version of the world I would love to see and speak on important issues in the world we currently live in. This serves as an outlet for me, my little sacred space, where I can express myself with so much freedom.
Outside the intimate moments of bringing my ideas to life, my biggest goal is to communicate these thoughts and emotions with others and hope it has a positive impact on the viewer. I have had the privilege to share my art with people of different works of life in galleries and museums, when people share how my paintings make them feel and the emotions they evoke in them, there’s this sense of accomplishment, a “job well done” stamp, one that alleviates all the burden off my chest. The conversions that ensue validates all the reasons for creating art as if saying “I see you and you see me too”.
I am currently preparing for the Affordable Art Fair for spring of 2025 in New York which would be my first participation in an art fair and I am eagerly looking forward to it.

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?

The top three qualities that I have found to be most impactful in my creative journey thus far have been consistency, optimism and discipline. As I think more about this, I have come to the realization that these qualities are interlinked and exist harmoniously within my creative process. For me, consistency means showing up and doing the work. Through consistency, I can engage in self-discovery and maintain my commitment to myself and my creations. Working frequently allows me to mentally evolve as an individual and that evolution shows in my art over time. It requires endurance, but this is how I honor myself as a person and as a professional. Consistency is one of the best teachers, it has taught me optimism and discipline. Optimism is vital for anything really. It is what encourages longevity. Naturally, if you feel positively about something you’re doing, while you’re doing it, you’ll go far. Personally, I like to search for the silver linings in things and put my focus on that. This allows me to accept the good as well as the bad and that encourages me to push further. I would strongly encourage the upcoming artists to prioritize discipline. Discipline can lead to consistency which is where true tangible improvement lies.

Consistency I feel that one thing that has helped me through my journey as an artist is consistency and showing up and doing the work. That is the way to work on self. To by committing to do the work that is how you evolve as an individual. It is through consistency and showing up do you learn discipline, patience, endurance and tolerance.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

In the beginning, if you go all in – it’s great. You want to prove your voice and vision – you want to champion your cause. But focusing just on your strengths is short-sighted. You lose in the long run. You need to gain other skills to grow as an artist or in whatever other endeavors. At first, I wanted to practice what I knew I wanted to be good at, and what I liked doing the best. I wanted to sharpen my skills as a portrait artist– a goal I assumed was worthy of my efforts. But, I soon learned that I needed a more well-rounded repertoire of skill sets. To be an artist, I needed to learn self-advocacy, how to better be a storyteller, and sharpen my conversational skills. It is a continuous process of learning but you have to be malleable, and able to adapt. Be who you need to be to achieve your goals and that would require you to take on several different roles- sometimes you have to be the teacher, most times you have to be the student.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mayowanwadike.com
• Instagram: @mayowanwadike
• Facebook: Mayowa Nwadike
• Linkedin: Mayowa Nwadike

Image Credits

courtesy of the artist