
Art is beauty and beauty is art. There are certain people who have made it their life job to uncover the beauty in art. Ibiwoye Oluwatobiloba, our #TheInspiredDream for this episode is one of such people.
TheInspiredDream.com.ng is a Nigerian blog with international excellence and reach. It is the dream of Leke Ademo and it seeks to make viral the achievements of people who have achieved greatness with their time and other resources in business and industry especially as it relates with the use of one’s natural giftings.
Everybody is truly unique. Some people’s gift are more visible than others, but everyone is uniquely gifted.
On a certain day in 2015, I had just finished serving my country a few months back. So I went visiting in the city of Ibadan, one of Nigeria’s premier city. I met this young guy who looked like a regular guy on the street. As I got to know him more, I found out that this guy is so skillful that his arts looks like reality, that’s as if they were snapped with a camera.
Tobi is skillful with the use of the pencil to make drawings that look exactly like the person being drawn.
How did this artist become so amazing that he draws so well, could he have been drawing from his mother’s womb? Like some singers claim.
Here’s what Tobi had to say, ” I’ve been drawing all my life. But the upgrade happened in 2014. April 14. After a very long time (about 5 yrs) of not drawing again. A high school friend just buzzed me. “Tobi you used to draw in highschool nah”. I said yes! Then she said she remembered I used to draw in highschool. I was like yup. And she said she needed me to draw someone for her. Jokingly I asked how much? And she asked for my price…”
That was how the business of drawing started for Tobi. He has since developed his skills and has become really good. Amazingly, the day Tobi signed his first deal was the day my result was approved by the Senate of my Alma Mater. As the discussion progressed, I asked him how much he charged he noted happily, “I said I was taking N5,999. She laughed and said thats 6k. She said it was too expensive, she would pay 5k. Then I knew it just got real.”
“And in my mind I was kinda worried because I was only kidding. I hadn’t touched a pencil in 5 years. And I knew i wasn’t even good enough to get paid for those drawings I did in high school. They were so unprofessional and were just sketches.”
But now, with the benefit of hindsight, Tobi can say that the art that was dormant all those years was actually supposed to be expressed. Since that day, there has been no looking back for him.
In his words, “So I took the job but I gave her 2 weeks so I could get back in the game better So i started finding things out and practicing and by the end of the 2 weeks. It came out nice. I was so happy to see that she loved it. But I kept it cool. She didnt know what happened.”
That was how he got back into the game of art. From the pictures you can see that ‘skill’ is an understatement to describe his work.
Join me in this journey as I interview more amazing people who are using their gifts and ideas to make things happen in their world.
I remain, yours truly,
Leke Ademo
Your Personal Brand Strategist.
You can book me for speaking engagements.
Contact me on:
WhatsApp: +2348077454779
Facebook: Leke Ademo
Twitter: @lekeademo
Instagram: @ademoleke