Meet Onye Ndika

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Onye Ndika. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Onye below.

Onye, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

During Autumn of 2021, I was feeling stretched thin and struggling. The pandemic effectively ended my full-time work at a medical clinic. I was attempting to survive my life via two part-time jobs, which required full-time energy and effort. The chronic stress was exhausting and triggered numerous rheumatoid arthritis flares. Mix all of these together, and it created a depressive downward spiral. Then in October of that same year, I discovered a golfball-sized growth that turned out to be growing within my salivary gland. In order to stave off a total nervous breakdown, I booked a flight to Maryland to see my mother, and get away from all of the things by which I was being overwhelmed. At the retail job, I gave an ‘unwritten notice’ (if you will) essentially warning that if I did not take a break I was going to end up in crisis. Really, I told them that I did not care if I did not return to continue with employment there. A retail job during the holidays is gold to some, and hell to others. I was beginning to unravel.

November 16, one day before I would turn 41, I arrived weary and grateful at my mother’s home, but first I would have to return the phone call from my doctor. That conversation would serve to inform me that the growth in my neck was a malignant cancer and would require surgical removal. A pivotal moment in my timeline; that was my “come to Jesus moment.” I entreated her for a referral to see a therapist and requested a citalopram prescription. I prayed for the strength to face, fight & kill cancer, anxiety and depression. I yelled at God for letting them all gang up on me at once, all while fighting RA, and trying to survive. But I begged God not to cause my mother to have to bury me because He’d be getting a two-for-one, with speed. I am her favorite and we share a birthday.

Clearly, I survived. I would end up having surgery two more times in the two years following, in addition to the radiation treatment after the first surgery. Mercifully, more gainful employment opened up for me in February 2022, and I was able to end my appointments at part-time gigs. My art and my faith have both been strong anchors throughout my life, and never more so than that particular set of tribulations. Additionally, my community–close friends and chosen family–have surrounded me with care and love throughout those tumultuous times.

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?

As a geometric artist whose primary media is glass beads, adornment is a natural product of what happens when those beads are strung or woven together. Though I have spent the last few years creating geometric bead art that was not inherently wearable, jewelry-making is foundational to my origin story as an artist. Beaded-beads are larger, more ornate beads. They are constructed by weaving smaller beads together, usually glass seed beads. I discovered the joy in creating them while I was in the process of solving a problem: making them entirely self-supporting and not requiring a core bead as a base-form from the start of each one. My process for creating geometric beaded-beads often begins with a few triangle-weave stitches, assembled from seed beads and thin monofilament, but no needle. Some BBs are as simple as a tiny stellated icosahedron, others approach the complexity of my Anemone Ball pieces. The repeated layering gives them solidity, weight, longevity and strength, and allows me to explore manifold expressions of shapes in various sizes.

In August 2024, I had the enjoyable honor and pleasure of attending the Bridges Math Art conference in August. This was a special experience for me, because it was my first time attending in person, even though my art has been featured in the exhibits since 2019. One of my beaded microsculptures was on exhibit once more in the art exhibition. I also had the pleasurable honor of modeling my wearable art during the fashion event. When the conference takes place in the Netherlands next year, I plan to teach a workshop, in addition to the aforementioned activities.

As I vehemently desire to shed the external limiting belief that I only create “small” artwork (adornments, microsculptures, small tesselations), I have spent the last year dedicated to finishing two public art installations. “3-D Graffiti” is a 22-inch wide stellated icosahedron, woven using Paracord and spray-painted pool floats (that essentially serve as giant oval-shaped beads). For those who are not familiar with platonic geometry, think of the shape as a spiky ball. In somewhat similarly constructed fashion, my recent “Flower of Life” piece is a 90-bead triangle weave construction, anchored to a 4′ x 4′ wooden board.
Both pieces will be installed and remain on display in proximity to the downtown area of Indianapolis.

One of my current goals is to create more public works via private commissions or grant-funded projects. I also intend to create more 2D tessellation art, some of which will be featured on tapestries and other textile products. Am I still selling jewelry and smaller adornments? At times, yes; available items for sale will be featured on my social media channels. I also give myself the grace to refuse commissions that are not fun or not interesting. All new clients are required to pay a nonrefundable consultation fee. I am raising my operating standards as a creative, in order to inspire other creatives to do the same. Meanwhile, I am also writing a book documenting some highlights of my journey as an artist, including my art practice and some of my notable creative accomplishments. I plan to have it published early in 2025.

DBO Artist Manifesto:
Everything I create
Is an exploration of space
The universe lives in my skin

I manifest slivers
Of the infinities within

I do. Because I think.
I can. Create.
What makes me.
What I Am.

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?

Qualities
– Curiosity: as a scientist, I am naturally curious about the world around me. I share with people all the time that behind every science is an art, and behind every art is a science. Curiosity, mixed with creativity and a willingness to pursue the answer to “what if,” has always and continuously led me to wonderfully innumerable discoveries and realizations.

Areas of Knowledge
– I have a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. Also, I have been creating with beads since 1993.
So I am fairly sure that I qualify as a subject matter expert in my craft, per the 10,000 hours rule.

Skills (& advice)
– I separate exploration from obsession. I never create from a place of desperation or depression. I turn down commissions that are boring, low-value or uninspiring. Comparison is the thief of joy; I no longer compare myself to other artists. I give honor and credit to every source of my inspiration, including Mother Nature, 3D & 4D geometry, and outer space. You will never be at a deficit by following the Golden Rule.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed, something *is* going to give. Something *is* going to fall away. Something *is* going to shut down. It’s inevitable. I’ve learned that it’s OK to surrender to the shut-down, because after I have rested, I can restart. Rest is as vital to my well-being as consuming food and water. I no longer push myself past my mental or emotional limitations. Just like a dying mobile phone battery, I require rest and recharging. In the realm of physical recovery, absolutely nothing is going to replace rest. There is a saying, “if you do not make time for your wellness, your body will eventually force you to make time for your illness.”
So when I can, I do, and when I cannot, I rest, unapologetically.

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