We were lucky to catch up with Miles Oscar Matunya recently and have shared our conversation below.
Miles Oscar, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
As an Artist/Creator, I spend so much time reading blogs on the internet written by renowned creatives and they act as my inspiration. I regularly attend Art & Creative Workshops both physically and virtually, these help to keep me in the groove and they tend to be very effective. As part of my daily routine I have 1-2 hours of sitting around doing nothing and during this time I get to brainstorm and come up with artistic ideas.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My career as an artist/creator started off during the COVID-19 lockdown period in 2020 and I was 18 at that time. I had a very active WhatsApp Chat Group where I posted Motivational devotions every morning and I ended up recording & posting motivational content on my YouTube Channel. Some of my school mates were really supportive and they were my primary audience. Then in 2022 after the lockdown ended, I discovered that I was also good at Songwriting, Scriptwriting and Poetry. I started ghostwriting songs for local artistes and a few renowned musicians for a small fee. My poetry and scriptwriting skills were nurtured by my English & Public Speaking teachers from as early as the 4th Grade. I wrote & produced short films, audiobooks and web dramas in 2023 with the help of my former workmates, school mates & peers which are on my YouTube channel (Miles Matunya). This year in June I released my first poetry album ‘Ink Justice’ on YouTube & Audiomack with my friends and it reached a very small audience as a result of inadequate funding to market it. Currently I’m working on a Hip-Hop Album titled ‘Seven Lives’ set to be released in 2025 and everyone should look forward to it. Above all, the fascinating thing about being an artist is that you get to express yourself in a unique way that might be therapeutic. The other thing is, I get to inspire and entertain other people with my art even though the audience is still small but I get satisfaction from that.
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?
Motivational speaking, Scriptwriting & Songwriting were the most impactful areas of knowledge in my career. They enabled me to network with a lot of like-minded people that have helped me to be where I am today. I got nominated for 2 prestigious awards as a result of these skills so I rate them as the most impactful. I would want to urge people who are still in the primary stages of their Scriptwriting & Songwriting careers to believe in themselves and learn how to handle criticism from their audiences. They should also utilize and believe in the power of collaboration and networking with like-minded people.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
At this stage of my career and also considering that I’ve a Hip-Hop album on the way, I would want to network and collaborate with hip-hop, indie & pop artistes from all over the world as well as music producers, filmmakers & videographers who are willing to work under a shoestring budget setup. They can get in touch with me on Instagram (username @matunyagram) as well as via e-mail ([email protected]).
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matunyagram
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sway.dr
- Twitter: https://www.x.com/matunyaonx
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@matunya1
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/75MszAlYaTA2FwK3SWUhqr
Image Credits
Photographed by Seizure Visuals (Panashe Munemo)
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