MONEY OR PASSION: CREATIVES IN NIGERIA TALK

In the world we live in, to make a living solely off of art or creativity, you have to

1. Be a trust fund kid.
2. Marry rich or
3. Be willing to fight twice as much as anybody else. 

First of all, art is subjective. Like with things that are judged by perception, there are no definitive ways to assess your performance. Think about it: that the probability of your success rate is determined by individual judgements of over a hundred people with different levels of exposure, preferences, and interests. It is a risk, that not so many people are willing to take. 

For whatever art form you are in, you'll spend the early years of your career convincing people that there is something about your work that is worth the price, worth the admiration, and even worth the recognition. Years, that will include you feeding and housing yourself, and if you get to find your higher purpose long after having a family, there are bills and responsibilities napping at your chest.

There are arguments that say we are born into the luckiest of generations. I do not doubt that. They say it's a lot easier to make a living off of art now. While I agree, I also hold a strong view that the market now, more than ever before, is way too dicey. The internet, which has made for accessibility, has also increased competition. To be successful, factors like network, nepotism, and performance act (I define it as the ability to sell yourself) play as grading points before your skillset.

Everywhere in the world, making a career out of art and creativity is not a walk in the park. But to do the same in Nigeria, one must be ready to run in the wild.

Challenges of Being a Creative in Nigeria

Let's take the fashion retail business, for example. 

Statista records that the Nigerian apparel retail industry had total revenues of $5.0 billion in 2022, and the fashion market was set to scale at $1.31 billion in 2023. It also records that the Nigerian fashion e-commerce market accounts for 19.0% of the total e-commerce market in the country. It is a large market, and ideas make up the tiniest bit of a business's success. 

Inflation:

The last few years have seen Nigeria facing the worst economic situations. Still, the fashion and clothing markets have continued to grow. It is not to say that there have been no difficulties. 

Ifiek-Motu-Awaji Daniel, a student and the creative director of In My Head Clothing says, "Well, the major challenge in Nigeria is getting a good supplier and also quality goods. And then most of the materials are imported, so with the dollar rate, everything is expensive."

Boldness in Pricing:

One thing about Nigerians is how quickly they adjust to situations. They'll write long essays and epistles about how miserly living has become, but somehow they always find a way. Is it a good or bad thing? We'll let you be the judge.

When asked if the economy affected his pricing and how he learned to stick to a scalable system, Ifiek says, "I already decided on a minimum for the prices of all my products. So that’s not really an issue. It’s something I learned in a business class.". 

If you needed a sign to pay for that business course, well, here it is. 

Work-life balance: 

For a long time, debates like this have existed. Is there truly a strict balance, and if there is, how does anyone get that level of control? 

For young people, the discourse is a little different. First, you decide you want to take life seriously, then you have to explain to the people in your life why you no longer have time to text and talk as much as you used to, and then you have to take school seriously (if you're a student), all while trying to make a profit and grow a sustainable business. 

Ifiek says, "I actually still explain to people, and then I'm also trying to find the balance, but I guess that it’ll get better with time. About the explaining part, some people understand, some don't." When asked how that experience has been for him, he goes on to say, "I guess people change, that's all."

Copyright: 

If you do anything creatively for long, you'll realise how much copyright is overlooked, from books being uploaded to illegal websites without credit to the authors. Movies and music are downloaded from illegal sites without due credit to the artists and directors. 

While we argue about the sustainability of creative work, it is important that we tackle the issue of copyright. Considering that most people in Nigeria live on survival, discussions like this will continue to exist. Because why would you use the 15, 000 naira you can use to get a custard of tomatoes to buy a 500-page book? 

Challenges of Being a Techie in Nigeria 

The technology ecosystem gained more ground in Nigeria post-COVID. Nigeria, with a large population of over 200 million, had lots of its citizens training and applying for positions with people all around the globe. People from countries with unique challenges, but not anything like the one we experience here. Like creatives in Nigeria, people who work in tech are not alien to challenges. 

Aniebietabasi Obo, a student, software developer, and tech/blockchain enthusiast, shares some of these challenges.

Electricity: 

To be in the technology space and thrive, a good power supply plays a huge role. Stories of techies losing job interviews because the light went off and their devices shut down are not new. In fact, the challenge of poor power supply is a reality for every 1 in 5 techies.

Resources to Learn and Working Devices: 

It's an expensive space to be in, from regular data subscriptions to getting functional devices to enrolling in structured courses. The list is endless, but these challenges exist, and people in the technology space are figuring ways around them. 

Job Application: 

After a certain level of training, you'll have to gain hands-on experience to be able to prove that you know what you claim.

Aniebiet shares, "There's this problem with some Nigerian employers. They don't employ you; they just want to overwork you, and if you're not smart enough, you don't even realise it. Sometimes, even if you do, because you are looking to gain experience, you overlook it.".

He goes on to say, "Another challenge in the job market is the stereotype of being a Nigerian. There was this Web 3 guy I cold pitched. He saw my resume and was interested, then we got talking. When it got to discussing payment, he asked where I was from, and I replied, Since then, he has stopped responding to messages.". 

Work-life balance: 

No niche is separated from this challenge. For student techies to succeed, there needs to be a stage of separation. And sometimes, this phase can be challenging. When asked about his experience, Aniebiet says, "Many of them got angry and are still angry because I had to detach for reasons best known to me. Then, they even created a messenger group to mock  me. Funny, right?."

It's easy to laugh about certain things when you have passed through them. But the journey to finding one's dream is so bumpy that if you imagine all of it, you would lose your willpower. 

If you are still here, it means you are waiting for the answer to the title of this article. 

Aniebiet says, "Passion it is. Yes, mainly.. I had this push to keep my hands dirty. I would like to see instances, but this might make it too long." He also agrees that the money was evidence that his passion was profitable. 

Ifiek, on the other hand, says, "It's tricky; I don't know. But right now, I think it is money. Money will bring passion."

But really, let's talk. What is your choice, and why?