SABALI. @artbyabiola - Tumblr Blog

It's Not Goodbye, It's a New Url!

I haven’t been the most consistent blogger, but I do appreciate all of you that take the time to read my posts and and leave their comments!

Behind the Art Blog is permanently relocating to http://www.artbyabiola.com and all new posts will be published HERE!

Hope you will continue to follow my random adventures!!

Ciao for now,

Aby

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I went to Thailand...I loved it and here are my favorite 5 things!

I went to Thailand…I loved it and here are my favorite 5 things!

Hi there!

It has been a looong time since I last made a post, far too long. I did not have anything interesting to share and I did not want to write just for sake of writing, but I am back and I cannot wait to tell you all about my Thailand trip because it was AH-MAZING!

It was some what of an impromptu trip, which made the actual travel a complete nightmare because of poor planning, but…

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Happy Hanukah!

I am not jewish, but I have a lot of jewish friends…why? Because I had the pleasure of living in Israel for 3 years.

No it wasn’t a Pray.Eat.Love motivated move, I was there for work and by work I mean basketball!

That was the first country I lived in to play professionally and I LOVED IT! The people, the food, the culture, the language, you name it I loved it.

Of course like in every place where human exist, there are some negatives to it, but the good most definitely outweighed the bad at all times. Since Hanukah is coming to an end, I felt it was the perfect time to share the…

Things I loved about living in Israel

1.The language

Hebrew is a very intriguing language in my opinion, it is only spoken in Israel, and truthfully its pretty useless outside of the country (kinda like Italian come to think of it). and pretty much everyone speaks English, but me being me I decided I wanted to learn it anyways! My first year was more of a google/teammates effort which helped me get ready to enroll in the Ulpan (אולפן‬) my second year. It was a really fun experience ad my first assignment happened to be during Hanukah, where I got to light the first candle on the Menora and read the first blessing in front of the class, their family and friends.

2. The culture

Got to say, Israel was a very welcoming country for the most part, I can’t even begin to tell you how many Shabbat dinners I did NOT pass up, or how many people, when I asked for directions while driving, ended up telling me to just follow them to where I was going to show me the way!

My favorite thing to do was going to the Shuk (the market) and just soak in all the colors, the smells and the obligatory fresh squeezed pomegranate juice!

3. Exploring

I am pretty sure I have traveled most of Israel (not that is that big) and got to see some of the most amazing sites. The obvious, are of course the Dead Sea where I got to live the dream of finally floating on water (guys, I’ve tried and I can “swim”, but floating is just not in the cards for me) Jerusalem (more times that I can count), Tel Aviv (can you say paaaaarrrtttaaayyyy) and Eilat.

Floating

Natural mud

Western Wall

where to next?

Eilat adventures

Eilat under the sea

There are so many more places worth mentioning, so here are some of the ones I was able to make my way to and totally recommend. Haifa, the Masada Fortress, Ein Gedi, Nazareth, Caeserea, Ramat Hasharon, Herzeliya, the safari in Ramat Gan, Ashdod and so much more I am sure its escaping me right now.

Mount Olive

Caesarea

Jaffa

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

4. The neighboring countries

I know that politics, when it comes to the part of the world, make it for a bitter topic, but let’s put that aside and simply focus on the people. Humans, we are really not as different as we are so busy trying to be.

While in Israel I venture to Palestine and Jordan. In both places I felt extremely welcomed and I enjoyed being able to visit countries that are often described in a less than positive light. (Will tackle Africa and its stereotypes soon enough!).

In Palestine other than the beautiful historical architecture, I was really excited to be able to see a few pieces by Banksy making powerful statements.

In Jordan I had to of course get to the door of Petra, one of the most breath taking experiences ever!

Mount Olive

Caesarea

The nativity

Jaffa

I know I will be back in the near future, I left lots of good friends there and i am sre there are loads of new adventures for me to get in on that side of the world.

Have you ever been to the middle east? What countries did you visit? Let me know in the comments!

Ciao for now,

Aby

Happy Hanukah, let me tell you about my time in israel! Happy Hanukah! I am not jewish, but I have a lot of jewish friends...why? Because I had the pleasure of living in Israel for 3 years.

Happy Hanukah!

I am not jewish, but I have a lot of jewish friends…why? Because I had the pleasure of living in Israel for 3 years.

No it wasn’t a Pray.Eat.Love motivated move, I was there for work and by work I mean basketball!

That was the first country I lived in to play professionally and I LOVED IT! The people, the food, the culture, the language, you name it I loved it.

Of course like in every place where human exist, there are some negatives to it, but the good most definitely outweighed the bad at all times. Since Hanukah is coming to an end, I felt it was the perfect time to share the…

Things I loved about living in Israel

1.The language

Hebrew is a very intriguing language in my opinion, it is only spoken in Israel, and truthfully its pretty useless outside of the country (kinda like Italian come to think of it). and pretty much everyone speaks English, but me being me I decided I wanted to learn it anyways! My first year was more of a google/teammates effort which helped me get ready to enroll in the Ulpan (אולפן‬) my second year. It was a really fun experience ad my first assignment happened to be during Hanukah, where I got to light the first candle on the Menora and read the first blessing in front of the class, their family and friends.

2. The culture

Got to say, Israel was a very welcoming country for the most part, I can’t even begin to tell you how many Shabbat dinners I did NOT pass up, or how many people, when I asked for directions while driving, ended up telling me to just follow them to where I was going to show me the way!

My favorite thing to do was going to the Shuk (the market) and just soak in all the colors, the smells and the obligatory fresh squeezed pomegranate juice!

3. Exploring

I am pretty sure I have traveled most of Israel (not that is that big) and got to see some of the most amazing sites. The obvious, are of course the Dead Sea where I got to live the dream of finally floating on water (guys, I’ve tried and I can “swim”, but floating is just not in the cards for me) Jerusalem (more times that I can count), Tel Aviv (can you say paaaaarrrtttaaayyyy) and Eilat.

Floating

Natural mud

Western Wall

where to next?

Eilat adventures

Eilat under the sea

There are so many more places worth mentioning, so here are some of the ones I was able to make my way to and totally recommend. Haifa, the Masada Fortress, Ein Gedi, Nazareth, Caeserea, Ramat Hasharon, Herzeliya, the safari in Ramat Gan, Ashdod and so much more I am sure its escaping me right now.

Mount Olive

Caesarea

Jaffa

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

4. The neighboring countries

I know that politics, when it comes to the part of the world, make it for a bitter topic, but let’s put that aside and simply focus on the people. Humans, we are really not as different as we are so busy trying to be.

While in Israel I venture to Palestine and Jordan. In both places I felt extremely welcomed and I enjoyed being able to visit countries that are often described in a less than positive light. (Will tackle Africa and its stereotypes soon enough!).

In Palestine other than the beautiful historical architecture, I was really excited to be able to see a few pieces by Banksy making powerful statements.

In Jordan I had to of course get to the door of Petra, one of the most breath taking experiences ever!

Mount Olive

Caesarea

The nativity

Jaffa

I know I will be back in the near future, I left lots of good friends there and i am sre there are loads of new adventures for me to get in on that side of the world.

Have you ever been to the middle east? What countries did you visit? Let me know in the comments!

Ciao for now,

Aby

Shalom & Toda Happy Hanukah! I am not jewish, but I have a lot of jewish friends...why? Because I had the pleasure of living in Israel for 3 years.

If you are anything like me and your art isn’t crazy expensive, but is also not exactly cheap, you probably go through long period of art sales droughts. It can get frustrating when trying to set a value goal for your art, but wanting to of course sell.

Should I lower my prices for the sake of you know…food or should I thug it out because one day I just know I’ll make that life changing sale? I chose to not compromise too much; other than the occasional sale and the first time collector discount, my prices have been steadily going up and are still on track to rise every 2 to 3 years.

Regardless to the prices of my original pieces I always wanted to be able to share my work with anyone that felt connected to it. I realize that a $1,500 piece might not be on someone’s priority list, but maybe a 40$ art print could be. It all started with prints because those are the most popular and logical options for visual artists looking to expand on sales, while not devaluating their original work.

Over the years, so many more creative ways to express my work came about and were so well received, I figured I should let you know about all my methods for sharing art with the world, maybe one of these might work for you too!

1. Wear it!

Who doesn’t like a t-shirt? A few years ago I started experimenting with printing a few of my most requested pieces on t-shirts. I was a bit nervous at first because I had to invest on supply, had inventory to handle and let’s be honest, this whole thing could have very easily been a huge waste of money. Luckily, it turned out that people really liked that option and after selling out of a couple of designs, I decided that the best option would be online drop ship services: no inventory, no shipping, no upfront costs, no stress!

Merch by Amazon is where I sell all my shirts (hoodies, long sleeves and pullovers). You will have to register and there is a acceptance waiting period to get in, but once you do, it is pretty straight forward and fun! Don’t get me wrong, like with everything if you want it done well, there is a a fair (huge) amount of research that needs to be done (niche, price range, best designs etc) but I think it is absolutely worth it. I actually found the facebook Merch pages pretty helpful as well. Other alternative sites are Society6, Printful, Custom dropshipping an Redbubble (I personally never tried this last one).

2. Carry it!

Look, I’m not sure when recyclable grocery bags became a fashion statement, but let me tell you, totes are a great canvas for your work! They are fun, look good and are super affordable! Not everyone is into the tote so for those I found backpacks to be a great alternative. The go to, to get these made, is once again Society6, if you know of another option please drop it in the comments.

3. Write in it!

Journals and notebooks are an awesome personalized book that with the extra touch of ones favorite art piece, can take on a whole new life. Okay that was a bit extra, but journals with art the buyer felt really connected to, lands pretty well! With these I go two route, one is…you guessed it Society6, the other is a bit more manual.

I really like Cork screw notebooks (Michael’s has my favorite ones thus far) so I started adding art to a selected few with a matte transfer technique (do you want to know more about this method?Ask here). It takes some time because each journal requires a resting time of 24hr but the results are awesome!

4. Call with it!

Phone cases! I have used both Custom Drop Shipping and Society6 .To be perfectly honest most of these type of cases aren’t ideal, mainly because they are made of hard plastic and if they fall they aren’t exactly protective. People seem to like them for the images, so my suggestion is to simply be transparent and let them know what to expect with these.

5. Dress your tech

Another awesome and affordable way to share your art is with Laptop or Ipad skins. and laptop sleeves. Think about all the coffee shop goers working on their laptops with your art in full view! You just know someone is going to ask where they got it from!

Obviously, whatever route you chose to go, if not all there is a cost: you will pay a commission on every sale you make. I find it to be well worth not having to worry about fulfilling orders, returns and inventory.

Are there other ways you share your artwork that are not mentioned here? I’d love it if you could let me and everyone else know too!

Ciao for now,

Aby

5 cool ways to share your artwork…that you might not have thought off! If you are anything like me and your art isn't crazy expensive, but is also not exactly cheap, you probably go through long period of art sales droughts.

Hi there,

today we are going to take a quick trip to Jamaica and meet the artist of the month Romaine McNeil! I virtually met Ro a few years ago, and been a fan of her art work ever since!

1. WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

I am an artist living and creating provocative works of art in Jamaica.

2. WHEN DID YOU START CREATING?

It’s very difficult to pinpoint when I started creating works of art. I believe the mental imagery came first; the desire to express what words could not. But if I were to think back to where the interest and drive to draw evolved I would say around age 8. And I started to play the piano that same year, so I had a deep sense of my innate creative energy since then.

3.SELF THOUGHT OR ART SCHOOL?

I think most artists are self taught until they are not. There’s always the exploration aspect to it that doesn’t always have a formal training and I think this leads to wanting to refine your craft. So during high school I applied to the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston Jamaica, and this is still to the days the only visual and performing Arts college in the Caribbean.

4.HOW WOULD YOU CLASSIFY YOUR WORK?

I’m predominantly a surreal painter. My style basically takes the part of our thoughts and reality and presents it in a more poetic sense where the stimulation isn’t just a visual pull but an intellectual, emotional and psychological pull into the pieces.

5. HAS YOUR STYLE CHANGED OVER TIME?

Over time I have fused some level of abstraction to my pieces. Exploring the use of texture and non-representational elements, symbols has helped to evolve my style and has pushed me to not become stagnant. The changes are often subtle, from surreal to expressionism to some level or realism to abstract and now back to a more surreal type scenario. It changes with maturity and what suits the expression best when the inspiration hits.

6. DO YOU HAVE AN ARTISTS YOU LOOK UP TO?

I can’t say I have an artist I look up. There are styles that I admire and that I adapt, from the surreal master himself, Dali. I also love the abstract works of American painter Michael Lang, and sculptures from my former lecturer in college, Basil Watson.

7. IF YOU COULD SHOW ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD YOU CHOSE?

If I had the chance to showcase my work anywhere in the world, I say all four corners! I’d shoot for Europe first. I think the art community in that part of the globe would appreciate my work.

8. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK TAKING YOU?

Well, my work so far has taken me to the US. I’ve had my second solo exhibition in St. Martin and this was because there was an interest taken up by a well known Caribbean painter, Mosera, whom I met while on vacation there. He provided me with the opportunity to showcase my talent at his art gallery back in 2014.

9. PROUDEST ART ACHIEVEMENT?

This was probably my most proudest achievement to date, as I’ve always dreamt of exhibiting outside of my Jamaica. So, I see my work taking me to Europe in the near future.

10. ANY ADVICE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS TRYING TO LEAVE THEIR MARK?

Advice for young artist trying to leave their mark…well, the world is a big place with billions of people.., and when one thinks about leaving their mark, it’s important to understand that the quality of the mark left, can be far great than the quantity. So, the impact you create will stir change, bring about a movement in the slightest form but the most significant of ways. We are voices for those without, and messengers for those who need it. Make an impact within yourself first, by always being honest with you work, then, the rest will follow.

If you’d like to see more of Romaine’s work go follow her Instagram page!

Ciao for now,

Abi

Meet the artist of the month! Hi there, today we are going to take a quick trip to Jamaica and meet the artist of the month…

#recap! Bombay Sapphire artisan series was a great evening ❤️! Loved catching people captured by my work. And glad to have this beautiful group of humans there to support me! Ok so...I didn’t win but there is one more chance to make it to the next final round, so please #KEEPVOTING using the link in my bio everyday until oct 13th for another chance at making it to #miamibasel oh and go the @houstonmaac to check out the full exhibition! It’s up for two weeks!there are some amazing pieces!! • • • #artbyabiola #italianartist #nigerianartist #houstonartist #blackrenaissainceseries #voteforme #artcollectors #artbuyers https://www.instagram.com/p/BoWs3QmAXHD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jv148y1fhwo7

#recap #keepvoting #miamibasel #artbyabiola #italianartist #nigerianartist #houstonartist #blackrenaissainceseries #voteforme #artcollectors #artbuyers

Have you ever had to spend a lot of time searching all over the internet for your next art show? If you are anything like me, and are not represented by a gallery you have to go through the hustle and bustle and find ways to show your work outside of social media.

Getting your work in front of people is not comparable to pictures. No matter how good the images are, they will always have a different effect in person. But how do you know where your work fits in and will be appreciated? You don’t until you try.

It sucks, but at times you will find yourself as part of a group show you wish you never participated in, or the crowd is completely unreceptive of your artistry, but over time you will be able to select the best options for you! To give you a jump start I want to share my favorite ways to find art shows, art contests and places to display my art work.

1. Restaurants

Most restaurants (and coffee shops) decorate their walls with art work, pay closer attention the next time you go out to eat. Are the pieces tagged with information about the artist? Is the work on the wall different from the last time you ate there? If the answer to either question is yes, ask for the manager an inquire about how they go about selecting the art work on display.

The Breskfast Klub – Houston TX

Piola – Houston TX

Cafeza – Houston TX

Restaurants might not be the traditional way to show art work, but think about how many people on a daily basis will be able to discover your work. On top of that most of the times you will be able to show for free, and keep 100% of your sales – I ran across a couple of location that asked for a percentage of any sales made while in their location, or asked to have an opening reception to get new clients in their location.

A few location in Houston that I can suggest you go and shoot your shot at are:

The Breakfast Klub

Piola

Cafeza

Max’s wine Dive

2. Facebook

If used the right way, Facebook is so much more than fake news, catfish and first day of school pictures. At the beginning of each month I venture to the event section and search for “art” events near me. In the mist of gallery openings, sip and paint parties and theater plays, you might find open calls from smaller galleries and art festivals looking for vendors. This is where you will have to decided how much are you willing to pay to be a part of a show without knowing too much of what type of crowd to expect.

When it comes to these, my approach is: if I can spare the entry fee money, I will check it out and remove any lingering “what if” feeling about it. I can’t think of nothing worst than passing on a show only to find out there were collectors buying art left and right, and you were at home living your best starving artist life ( ok there are a lot of things worst than that but let me be dramatic here!).

3. Listings for Artists

These are pure gold! When I first came across these websites I honestly thought they were yet another way to be spammed by million of emails – subscribing is the best way to stay up to date with events – and well, I was right about the emails, but they were truly useful. These websites will list art calls and art contest opportunities across the country, from a little art fair all the way to being contracted by a city and if that wasn’t enough they share a lot of paid opportunities. So go ahead and bookmark them:

CaFÉ

This is one of my favorite, ones you sign up and create your profile, you can manage your portfolio an have images ready for applications, which beats having to upload an image every time you apply for something new. As you grow and create more work, you can keep adding new images.

Public Artists Call

This is another great one for opportunities around the country, and applying is free.

Zapp

This is similar to CaFÉ , it’s your control center for managing the process of applying to shows. On this site you can review the status of each application as well as to your Portfolio and show applications.

4. Instagram

I haven’t used this one as much as the rest because is not as polished. I find it a bit harder to filter through the noise, and have a laser focused search, but with the right hashtag search you might be able to find the right open call for you. Try some of these and definitely come up with any combination that makes the most sense for you: #opencallforartists #artistopencall #artcall #artistsearch #artshowopencall

5. Museums

The ultimate goal for a lot of artists is to be able to showcase their craft at museums, or at least I know that is something I aim for. Regardless to representation and exposure galleries have open calls for all artists, and they are usually free. If you know what art gallery you would like to have your art displayed, go to their website and look for their open call season – it is usually on a once or twice a year basis – and apply. If you get in great, if you don’t go to the show, and check out the pieces that were accepted to gain some insight on what it is that the gallery looks for and to learn if your work would be a good fit, or if it’s time to search for the next place.

Obviously word of mouth is always an option and chances are you have a few artists friends. Ask them where they go, who they talk to what works for them ( if they don’t share you need better friends!)

WARNING:

Make sure to look out for vanity galleries. Those are galleries that simply prey on the desire of artists to share their work. All they want is your money and ones they got it, chances are that they won’t put any effort in selling your work. Same goes for vanity art magazines. How would you know? Well do your research, Google them and check reviews, but mainly you should be suspicious of any one that reaches out to you, saying they found your work online and would just love to showcase your work on their magazine at a awesome price of $299.99 oh and of course you will have to buy a copy of the publication for only $99.99

How do you find shows to apply for? Share anything you think I should have mentioned!

Ciao for now,

Abi

How do you find art shows? Have you ever had to spend a lot of time searching all over the internet for your next art show?

Last month I decided to take my very first solo trip and went to Cuba!!

If you google Cuba, the images that show up are paradise on earth like, go ahead google it, a series of enhanced images of the colorful buildings, colorful people and colorful cars is all you will see.

I have been infatuated with Cuba for a long time, partly because of their strong Nigerian cultural ties but mostly because for some odd reason, I was convinced that Cuba was THE place I would fit in, no questions asked. ( I was asked if I was Cuban quite a few times which made me very happy!)

Boy was I in for a big surprise! Before I start breaking down the many ways in which reality is not what I expected, let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVED my experience. 10 days, 4 cities, a lot of walked miles under my belt and I would do it all over again, but this time with a more realistic perspective. So here I present to you

10 things no one ever tells us about Cuba

1. It’s not love at first site

The moment I landed one thing was clear: 1st world problems were not going to be in sight for the rest of my stay. As I got of the plane and walked inside the airport – yup you read that right- for a second I thought I had actually landed in Lagos, Nigeria instead (can you guess which on these is NOT Cuba?)

2. Buildings do not come with a filter

While getting lost in Havana, I couldn’t help but ask myself if people purposely ignored the non colorful part of the city because they made them uncomfortable. The city – the real city not the perfectly trimmed and curated touristic part of it – was gray and decrepit, certain corners smelled from people urinating, the risk of being hit by dirty water thrown out of a window was as high as the risk of stepping in dog poop and yet I found it absolutely beautiful.

3. People aren’t happy go lucky all the time

One thing I had my mind set on doing while in Cuba, was to take pictures of people. Beautiful faces caught off guard as they went about their happy colorful lives. Once there I noticed that those faces were closer to stressed and tired than happy.

Did you know the average salary is between $12-20 a month. I found that in Havana ( the country side had a lighter feel to it) a lot of time, once it was established that you are a tourist, people would smile and speak if they had ulterior motives. On my first day I met a young lady that “casually” took me around the neighborhood, by the end of the tour I some how ended up buying her drinks, dinner and more drinks for her friend, that just so happened to show up at the same place at the same time. When time came for me to leave, she asked for money and when I couldn’t help the smiles were done for the evening. I ran into her again on my last day, the smiles were still not there nor was a “hello”.

4. Shovinism to the tenth power

Prequel: I like to live an healthy life style and work out pretty consistently, prior to my trip I posted on facebook that my current fitness goal was for me to “only respond to mami” once in Cuba…yea, so that took a very different turn and not for the best.

Men in Havana can’t even bother to call you mami or any other noun for that matter, they go straight for the teeth sucking, whistle dog calling method. It was annoying and somewhat very degrading, but manageable, until the day that one particular “man” decided to take it to the next level by cat (dog?!) calling me, to then proceeding to masturbate while still attempting to call me and some how, in his twisted mind trying to get me to join him. Yea well, that obviously was not the outcome, I went to the first police officer I could find and described the perv, who saw me go to the police, and made a very quick U- turn the opposite direction. Needless to say that completely changed my mood for the day, the next man that fixed his mouth to whistle at me was the one that caught the wrath that had been building up until that point: “Do I look like a dog? No?! Then STOP calling me as if I were one” I screamed at him, and went about my business – that actually felt pretty darn good!

5. Amazing art world

I knew Cuba and specifically Havana was known for the architecture, but I had no idea of how fantastic the visual art world in that country was. Between the street art

the many local artists

and the artists on display at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano, I could not get enough.

6. The “innenet”

If you are like me or like majority of the modern population WIFI runs a big part of your daily routine. Well, not it Cuba it will not. I was aware, or rather I had been warned that wifi was not as readily available as what I am used to, what I did not know, is how it actually worked. If I think of an area with wifi, I think of something like Starbucks or any coffee shop really, where I show up with my devices and tah-daaaa I am online for free.

ok so THAT, is not how it works in Cuba – there are WIFI areas through out the city, and you would know because that’s where you will find . bunch of people sitting on the sidewalk or standing around staring at their phones or on their laptops – think Pokemon game phase. To be able to actually get online, everyone has to buy an internet card. They were 1 CUC for 1 hr (unless you did not know any better and bought them at an hotel and got charged 8CUC – yes I am the dummy ). To buy a card your information (name, DOB, country of origin if you are a foreigner, etc) has to be written down, and your internet activity monitored by the government – let that synch in. What I actually realized in those 10 days was how much time I truly spend online on the daily basis and how much more time to just be and chase butterflies I was able to find without it.

7. Cubans ARE for Cubans

I have never been in a country where people were so strongly and genuinely for each other and their country. People lived life with their doors open to the outside, neighbors stopping by to simply talk through the window, children running around freely with not a worry in sight. Random people knowing the entire history of their country – granted I know they were trying to hustle me into a paying tour, and as far as I know they could have been making up all those facts, but they sounded pretty accurate nonetheless. Cubans have a different currency that tourists are not allowed to use, to ensure the cost of things are a lot lower and more affordable to them. There are Cuban only services but my favorite part is that there aren’t “white-cubans” “black-cubans” “asian- cuban” and so forth, but simply cubans all treated equally, all making the best of what they have.

8. Old Havana

Like most people that have visited Cuba I had to make my expected rounds in Old Havana and take the classic pictures…

The city is beautiful, decadent and everything ever described online, but that as it turned out was such a small part of the whole story. the colorful buildings aren’t as vibrant as I thought ( damn you filters – insert fist shaking) and the rest of the city is far from the average google search result. It’s like tourist conveniently forgot to capture the reality around them….or they simply decided to focus on what didn’t make them uncomfortable.

9. The cars are old..like REALLY old

The same false advertisement I felt for the city scapes, goes for the cars. These old classics are beautiful and perfect for photo ops, I mean it is like jumping back to the ’70…once you get in and sit in one, you realize that the cars actually did come and stayed in the 70s. the inside of the cars are old and definitely went through a lot of lives and butts. I thought that was actually cool and an indication that somebody out there is a master car repair guy, because those cars were OLD!

10. There is so much more than Old Habana

In the 10 days I spent roaming Cuba I was able to visit Viñales, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. I honeslty ended up liking these country towns a lot more than La Habana.

I found people to be a lot more genuine and open. Prices were also a lot lower which never hurts, but mainly the views and the nature scapes I was able to explore were absolutely breath taking.

Viñales:

Viñales

Horse ride in Viñales

Viñales

Tobacco factory in Viñales

Trinidad:

Tobacco factory in Viñales

Cienfuegos:

If you go to Cuba, go with an open mind, explore get lost and meet Cubans, you can have a beach photoshoot ready vacation just as well in Miami – Veradero is the main beach resort (that i was told about) where everyone goes. After finding out that locals are not even allowed to enter the premises and the beach that is part of the resort, I decided to skip that destination all together, but what I found was so much better. Honestly i could write about this trip forever, but I wont don’t worry!

I cannot wait to go on my next solo trip!If you have any suggestion on destinations drop them in a comment!

Ciao for now,

Aby

In case you have not heard me speak about it enough....I went to Cuba I loved it, and now I wrote about it!:) Last month I decided to take my very first solo trip and went to Cuba!! If you…

Last month I decided to take my very first solo trip and went to Cuba!!

If you google Cuba, the images that show up are paradise on earth like, go ahead google it, a series of enhanced images of the colorful buildings, colorful people and colorful cars is all you will see.

I have been infatuated with Cuba for a long time, partly because of their strong Nigerian cultural ties but mostly because for some odd reason, I was convinced that Cuba was THE place I would fit in, no questions asked. ( I was asked if I was Cuban quite a few times which made me very happy!)

Boy was I in for a big surprise! Before I start breaking down the many ways in which reality is not what I expected, let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVED my experience. 10 days, 4 cities, a lot of walked miles under my belt and I would do it all over again, but this time with a more realistic perspective. So here I present to you

10 things no one ever tells us about Cuba

1. It’s not love at first site

The moment I landed one thing was clear: 1st world problems were not going to be in sight for the rest of my stay. As I got of the plane and walked inside the airport – yup you read that right- for a second I thought I had actually landed in Lagos, Nigeria instead (can you guess which on these is NOT Cuba?)

2. Buildings do not come with a filter

While getting lost in Havana, I couldn’t help but ask myself if people purposely ignored the non colorful part of the city because they made them uncomfortable. The city – the real city not the perfectly trimmed and curated touristic part of it – was gray and decrepit, certain corners smelled from people urinating, the risk of being hit by dirty water thrown out of a window was as high as the risk of stepping in dog poop and yet I found it absolutely beautiful.

3. People aren’t happy go lucky all the time

One thing I had my mind set on doing while in Cuba, was to take pictures of people. Beautiful faces caught off guard as they went about their happy colorful lives. Once there I noticed that those faces were closer to stressed and tired than happy.

Did you know the average salary is between $12-20 a month. I found that in Havana ( the country side had a lighter feel to it) a lot of time, once it was established that you are a tourist, people would smile and speak if they had ulterior motives. On my first day I met a young lady that “casually” took me around the neighborhood, by the end of the tour I some how ended up buying her drinks, dinner and more drinks for her friend, that just so happened to show up at the same place at the same time. When time came for me to leave, she asked for money and when I couldn’t help the smiles were done for the evening. I ran into her again on my last day, the smiles were still not there nor was a “hello”.

4. Shovinism to the tenth power

Prequel: I like to live an healthy life style and work out pretty consistently, prior to my trip I posted on facebook that my current fitness goal was for me to “only respond to mami” once in Cuba…yea, so that took a very different turn and not for the best.

Men in Havana can’t even bother to call you mami or any other noun for that matter, they go straight for the teeth sucking, whistle dog calling method. It was annoying and somewhat very degrading, but manageable, until the day that one particular “man” decided to take it to the next level by cat (dog?!) calling me, to then proceeding to masturbate while still attempting to call me and some how, in his twisted mind trying to get me to join him. Yea well, that obviously was not the outcome, I went to the first police officer I could find and described the perv, who saw me go to the police, and made a very quick U- turn the opposite direction. Needless to say that completely changed my mood for the day, the next man that fixed his mouth to whistle at me was the one that caught the wrath that had been building up until that point: “Do I look like a dog? No?! Then STOP calling me as if I were one” I screamed at him, and went about my business – that actually felt pretty darn good!

5. Amazing art world

I knew Cuba and specifically Havana was known for the architecture, but I had no idea of how fantastic the visual art world in that country was. Between the street art

the many local artists

and the artists on display at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano, I could not get enough.

6. The “innenet”

If you are like me or like majority of the modern population WIFI runs a big part of your daily routine. Well, not it Cuba it will not. I was aware, or rather I had been warned that wifi was not as readily available as what I am used to, what I did not know, is how it actually worked. If I think of an area with wifi, I think of something like Starbucks or any coffee shop really, where I show up with my devices and tah-daaaa I am online for free.

ok so THAT, is not how it works in Cuba – there are WIFI areas through out the city, and you would know because that’s where you will find . bunch of people sitting on the sidewalk or standing around staring at their phones or on their laptops – think Pokemon game phase. To be able to actually get online, everyone has to buy an internet card. They were 1 CUC for 1 hr (unless you did not know any better and bought them at an hotel and got charged 8CUC – yes I am the dummy ). To buy a card your information (name, DOB, country of origin if you are a foreigner, etc) has to be written down, and your internet activity monitored by the government – let that synch in. What I actually realized in those 10 days was how much time I truly spend online on the daily basis and how much more time to just be and chase butterflies I was able to find without it.

7. Cubans ARE for Cubans

I have never been in a country where people were so strongly and genuinely for each other and their country. People lived life with their doors open to the outside, neighbors stopping by to simply talk through the window, children running around freely with not a worry in sight. Random people knowing the entire history of their country – granted I know they were trying to hustle me into a paying tour, and as far as I know they could have been making up all those facts, but they sounded pretty accurate nonetheless. Cubans have a different currency that tourists are not allowed to use, to ensure the cost of things are a lot lower and more affordable to them. There are Cuban only services but my favorite part is that there aren’t “white-cubans” “black-cubans” “asian- cuban” and so forth, but simply cubans all treated equally, all making the best of what they have.

8. Old Havana

Like most people that have visited Cuba I had to make my expected rounds in Old Havana and take the classic pictures…

The city is beautiful, decadent and everything ever described online, but that as it turned out was such a small part of the whole story. the colorful buildings aren’t as vibrant as I thought ( damn you filters – insert fist shaking) and the rest of the city is far from the average google search result. It’s like tourist conveniently forgot to capture the reality around them….or they simply decided to focus on what didn’t make them uncomfortable.

9. The cars are old..like REALLY old

The same false advertisement I felt for the city scapes, goes for the cars. These old classics are beautiful and perfect for photo ops, I mean it is like jumping back to the ’70…once you get in and sit in one, you realize that the cars actually did come and stayed in the 70s. the inside of the cars are old and definitely went through a lot of lives and butts. I thought that was actually cool and an indication that somebody out there is a master car repair guy, because those cars were OLD!

10. There is so much more than Old Habana

In the 10 days I spent roaming Cuba I was able to visit Viñales, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. I honeslty ended up liking these country towns a lot more than La Habana.

I found people to be a lot more genuine and open. Prices were also a lot lower which never hurts, but mainly the views and the nature scapes I was able to explore were absolutely breath taking.

Viñales:

Viñales

Horse ride in Viñales

Viñales

Tobacco factory in Viñales

Trinidad:

Tobacco factory in Viñales

Cienfuegos:

If you go to Cuba, go with an open mind, explore get lost and meet Cubans, you can have a beach photoshoot ready vacation just as well in Miami – Veradero is the main beach resort (that i was told about) where everyone goes. After finding out that locals are not even allowed to enter the premises and the beach that is part of the resort, I decided to skip that destination all together, but what I found was so much better. Honestly i could write about this trip forever, but I wont don’t worry!

I cannot wait to go on my next solo trip!If you have any suggestion on destinations drop them in a comment!

Ciao for now,

Aby

10 things they don’t tell you about Cuba (they’re not all bad!) Last month I decided to take my very first solo trip and went to Cuba!! If you…

Living as an artist

Hey guys,

hope your week was a good one, and that you had a fun relaxing Labor Day weekend.

My week was nothing short of perfect! I spent it getting lost in Cuba, but that’s for another post (coming soon!).

Sneak Peak!

Today I am trying to pin point what living as an artist even mean. Do other professions live as a teacher, a doctor, a cook or whatever the occupation is? Is it just something that…

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“When not used as meat canon, child soldiers are deminers spies, porters, sex slaves, custodians holdings of oil or diamonds, financing rebellions in Africa. According to United Nations estimates, the world has nearly 300 000 child soldiers under 18 years used in over 30 conflicts around the globe, civil wars marked by the proliferation weapons cheap and extraordinarily easy”

Hi everyone,

today’s culture moment it’s a topic I really care to share. Not too long ago I read a book, that got my attention because the author is a Nigerian woman, and I have never read anything by a Nigerian author before ( I have a few other my belt now!)

Get yourself a copy!

Well aren’t I glad I finally did. I’m not goin to spoil it in case you decide to read it, but the story was set in post independence Nigeria, circa 1960, on the eve of a cilvil war, that would turn out to be vicious.

As a child my dad used to tell me a lot of bed time stories and the majority of them were all Nigerian folklore. One story I remember him telling me about was about him being a soldier. I always thought those were make believe stories, he would tell my brother and me to try and teach some history about Nigeria and our culture. It wasn’t until many years later and not until I read this book that if finally dawned on me: he really was a soldier, in fact he was a CHILD SOLDIER.

My father was taken from his family at the age of 13 to go and fight for a very stupid war, that made no sense whats so ever, not that any war does ever make sense, but at the time, part of the Nigerians wanted the Igbos ( one of the many Nigerian ethnicities/tribes) to disappear, to be eliminated. The dumbest thing about it is that the only main differentiating factor was the language, so, for those igbo that spoke more than one Nigerian language, there was a way out.

Anyways…after reading this book…I decided to interview my dad about that experience, because I still could not believe that the guy whom I call “ciccione” (fat guy in Italian) a very outgoing, smart, funny and annoying (hey is my dad so I can say that) man…was once a 13 year old little boy that had to fight for his life. I definitely gained a whole other level of respect for him.

baby “ciccione”

Interview with my father – a child soldier survivor.

ME: How old were you when u had to leave home?

DAD: 13

ME: What were you most scared off?

DAD: No I was not scared, to me it was like an adventure, and they kept telling us they wanted to kill us, so it was the adventure of saving my life.

ME: How your parents reacted?

DAD: My father was more scared than my mom, he didn’t like the idea of me going, my mother just knew I would come back alive.

ME: Could they have helped you avoid going?

DAD: It was compulsory for me to go because I was tall and fit for my age and looked older than just 13 and they couldn’t even fake my age to make them think I was younger,

ME: Did u ever have to kill anyone?

DAD: I don’t know if I did, we were just shooting to save our lives, so the gun went off every time I was in danger, but I never stopped to look at what was left behind.

ME: Who thought you how to use weapons and fight?

DAD: They sent us to military camp and trained us for 6 weeks.

ME: How were you treated?

ME: They treated us like we were grown soldier, and part of the army, they fed us maybe once a day and sometimes twice.

ME: How did you survive?

DAD: Ha ha ha!! Your dad is a smart guy!! The fact that I speak the 3 main Nigerian languages (Yoruba, Igbo & Hausa) every where I went I was a “local” and it was to my advantage. They used me to help the people in charge talk to the locals in different villages and to translate for them, there for I was needed a lot.

ME: How long did u have to be gone for?

DAD: I was in the war front from 1968 till the end of the war in 1970

ME: How did that experience changed you?

DAD: I became very aggressive, I was prone to get vary mad and ready to physically fight someone for any kind of provocation.

ME: How others reacted to you?

DAD: When I resumed school my uncle went to talk to the principle to explain my aggressive behavior. With time and the support of the people that loved me I learned to manage my anger.

The day after the interview I was talking to my cousin, and she had a few other interesting things her mom (my dad younger sister) told her about that time, and how hard it was to make it back then. Turns out we have some what of a dysfunctional family and we talk about NOTHING, EVER, lol but when we do…whooo wheeee the crazy thing we learned about our past.

ok so…

Family history lesson pt2. as told by Amaka (the cousin)

“Our family was in the east when the war started, they had to hide and added to that was the fact that grampa was already sick so it was tough.

My mom and uncle Bidoun (my dads younger sister and brother) used to go around searching for food, they kept on moving around, I can’t remember where they settled, but grandmas side of the family finally came to the east to look for them and brought them all to Lagos.

NOTE: our grandma was Yoruba therefor safe from the senseless killings.

The Wabara matron herself- grandma

Being able to speak Yoruba helped them survive. When they were in a situation where Nigerian soldiers came and questioned them, they told them they were yorubas. That was one of the advantages of coming from a culturally mixed family.

While they were roaming around trying to survive, my mom said she saw some soldiers that had killed a woman in the bush; on top of that they were eating the parts and when other soldiers caught them they put the parts in a basket told them to carry it and paraded them in the city. My mom also said your dad was hyper for a while after he came back.”

Of course I had to ask my mom what she thought since she married the guy.

What is like to be the wife of a child soldier survivor?

ME: When did u meet him?

MOM: I met him when he was 24

ME: How was he?

MOM: He was nice, you know how a guy is when he tries to get the girl.

ME: Have u ever seen him very angry?

MOM: Yes many times, never towards me, but I had to try and help him calm down and realize he couldn’t react to things that way anymore. He was a good guy that just needed some help and patience in dealing with is anger.

Between the book, and anecdotes from family I have learned a lot about my father. All I can say is I would have never guessed my dad went through something so dramatic and life altering at such a young impressionable time in is life.

Not all child soldiers are fortunate enough to get out of it and create a life or to get out of it alive at all. and that is something to really think about. There are a lot of ways we can help stop this senseless exploitation of young lives, one of them is HERE.

Until next time,

Aby

KID SOLDIERS…a closer look than expected "When not used as meat canon, child soldiers are deminers spies, porters, sex slaves, custodians holdings of oil or diamonds, financing rebellions in Africa.

How do you respond to “where are you from”? seems like a simple enough question to answer right?

Well, wish I felt the same way about it. “Where are you from?” has always been the one question I’ve always dreaded answering the most. So what about that question I find so dreadful? Well, I was born and raised in Italy, by Nigerian parents who blessed me with lots and lots of melanin – which I love – but that does not match my “italianness”.

Needless to say, I was asked where I was REALLY from countless time…sigh… annoying but eh…I’m sure it will be better when I visit my family in Nigeria right?Wrong. “Oyinbo” is a yoruba slang word for white, talk about irony. I was not Nigerian enough because growing up abroad apparently gave me a privileged look that had to be pointed out at site, and took away how Nigerian I should have been.

I think I look as Nigerian as everyone else in this picture (insert arms in the air emoji)

Well, just to add a little more flavor to the cultural clashes I decided to move to Texas. I am not going to lie, until I open my mouth this has been the one place where my provenience was not questioned at site, however, my accent never really let me be great, cue the” oh where is your accent from?!”. Like honestly can a girl just find a place where she can belong without having to give a whole life history dissertation to simply answering “where are you from?”.

Well for a very long time I thought I was alone in this feeling of frustration and longing, not literally, but non the less I didn’t have a definition for what I had been feeling. That was until I found out about Third Culture Kids (TCK) – BEST – FINDING – EVER.

TCK are people that are raised in a culture that is different from their parents. You know that awesome feeling when you find a random article and it’s totally talking about you? That is how I felt about this write up explaining what are the top 10 struggles of TCK. I was able to truly relate and see in plain english what I have been feeling all these years! Well now that I have some validation here is the list and how I related to it!- I strongly urge you to read the original article.

1. Answering the question “where are you from?”

We already went over this: it’s an anxiety inducing question and I pledge to find a place on this planet where that question will not be required – going to Cuba next week I am low key hoping that will be it!

2. Explaining your “international” accent

I have been told multiple times that my accent does not sound Italian, maybe a hint of Nigerian, but almost sound like you could be from the islands – which one people, which one – I usually simply respond I have my own trade marked accent and when my parents, my brother and I speak, we all have completely different sounding accents from one another, so there’s that I guess.

3. Mixing up your languages

I count in Italian- honestly do not know why, but I lose count after 5 in English. I randomly replied in Spanish to a non Spanish speaking co worker, simply because I over heard someone speaking Spanish in the hallway. My autocorrect is the absolute worst – ok, I am a REALLY bad text proofreader to begin with- but my keyboard is often on something other than English which does not help at all.

My actual keyboard

4. Planning holidays

Let’s just say I wish my Nigerian family would get on a plane rather than me planning to go over there, but then again is one of me and a lot of them…

Dad’s side (incomplete)

Mom’s side (incomplete)

5. Long-distance friends and relationships

Can you say never booking an hotel EVER? I absolutely love having friends all over this globe I have a good time, a tour guide and accommodation all in one and of course so do they when they come to visit me!

Rome

Tel Aviv

London (with the fraternal unit)

Rome

Tel Aviv

Eilat, Israel

London (with the fraternal unit)

6. Dealing with ridiculous questions

Yes I speak Italian- I’m italian. No there are no tigers in my backyard in Nigeria. No I have not ridden an horse on the highway in Houston.

7. A constant need to travel

One of my closest friends loves to tell me : “You just don’t know how to sit down somewhere and be still, do you?” Well, no I don’t! Cue my next solo trip to Cuba after a quick New York pitstop (one week to go!!!! Yes I am quite excited lol)

Petra, Jordan

Vegas

London Bridge

Athens, Geece

Eilat, Israel

8. Passports and immigration

Well, on the bright side I have two citizenships (American pending further consideration!) which means two passports. Even tho the Nigerian passport does not have that much visa power around the world, it will get the job done for those African countries I am itching to visit ( Ivory coast, South Africa, Egypt, Madagascar, Ghana, Mauritius are on the short list) for the rest of the world, the Italian passport is like the magic key of travel!

9. Explaining your lifestyle

It sounds weird when I say out loud that I don’t actually miss my family, but is not that I don’t love them, I am just used to being on different time zones, different countries and continents.

The parental unit

10. Different currencies and costs of living

Let’s just say when I was in London everything was so freaking expensive, the simple act of buying bread pissed me off! But also, did you know that when you have foreign exchange left over most places will not change coins? Well I put all my foreigner change to good use and turn it into a part of my art work – It’s all on her jacket.

“Unbothered”

While it does feel good knowing that I am not alone in feeling “lost”, at times I still do hope to randomly stumble across a place where I just am, no questions asked and I finally fully belong!

Are you a TCK? do you know anyone that could relate? I would love to hear your experience!

Until next time,

Aby

I am a Third Culture Kid- who knew....but what does it mean? How do you respond to "where are you from"? seems like a simple enough question to answer right?

#blogging #Culture #international #TCK #third culture kid #travel

Hi all,

as a self taught artist I know I missed out on a lot of valuable lessons and knowledge that I could have gained in a traditional educational setting. Am I the only one? I sure hope not!

Not too long ago I was on youtube trying to learn how to make water drops, that was fun, and I am sure I’ll be back for other things; but techniques aside, there is so much more to art, that can be learned and I had to start making some research on my own. The further I try to go with my art career the more things I do not know come to light.

Luckily, I have built a nice artist network and I have been able to always ask around about anything I might not know, but wanted to learn.

This particular time, I really wanted to learn more about the business, and the behind the scenes of what it takes to build an art career. One of my fellow artists suggested I read “Art/Work”, and I did.

Boy was I pleasantly surprised by the content (see below):

I honestly think this is a good read to lay the foundation on certain steps every artists, trying to make it to the next level should know about.

From submitting material, to showing your work, to representation agreements this book touched on subjects I was completely ignorant about. It is quite an easy read and worth the purchase.

I bought my copy on Amazon and as I went back to get you the link, I noticed that an updated version has since been published( the new cover is yellow). In the revised and updated edition, the authors show artists how to tackle a host of new challenges. With the advent of social media, the way art is shared and often even purchased as changed drastically. In the new edition ( which I am now also buying) they touch on the digital aspect as well.

Some of the topics that you will find are the following:

How do you diversify income streams to sustain a healthy art practice?

How can you find an alternative to the gallery system?

How do you review a license agreement?

What are digital marketing best practices?

New quotes from over thirty arts professionals

Updated commission legal templates

Organizational tips, tax information

Advice for artists who don’t make objects

I hope you will find this read useful as much as I did, and will do again after I read it the revised edition as well!

Let me know if there is any topic you wold like for me to touch up on

Stay creative,

Be Art,

Aby

Whats on your shelf? Hi all, as a self taught artist I know I missed out on a lot of valuable lessons and knowledge that I could have gained in a traditional educational setting.

#art business #art career #artist #artist blog

Hi all,

as a self taught artist I know I missed out on a lot of valuable lessons and knowledge that I could have gained in a traditional educational setting. Am I the only one? I sure hope not!

Not too long ago I was on youtube trying to learn how to make water drops, that was fun, and I am sure I’ll be back for other things; but techniques aside, there is so much more to art, that can be learned and I had to start making some research on my own. The further I try to go with my art career the more things I do not know come to light.

Luckily, I have built a nice artist network and I have been able to always ask around about anything I might not know, but wanted to learn.

This particular time, I really wanted to learn more about the business, and the behind the scenes of what it takes to build an art career. One of my fellow artists suggested I read “Art/Work”, and I did.

Boy was I pleasantly surprised by the content (see below):

I honestly think this is a good read to lay the foundation on certain steps every artists, trying to make it to the next level should know about.

From submitting material, to showing your work, to representation agreements this book touched on subjects I was completely ignorant about. It is quite an easy read and worth the purchase.

I bought my copy on Amazon and as I went back to get you the link, I noticed that an updated version has since been published( the new cover is yellow). In the revised and updated edition, the authors show artists how to tackle a host of new challenges. With the advent of social media, the way art is shared and often even purchased as changed drastically. In the new edition ( which I am now also buying) they touch on the digital aspect as well.

Some of the topics that you will find are the following:

How do you diversify income streams to sustain a healthy art practice?

How can you find an alternative to the gallery system?

How do you review a license agreement?

What are digital marketing best practices?

New quotes from over thirty arts professionals

Updated commission legal templates

Organizational tips, tax information

Advice for artists who don’t make objects

I hope you will find this read useful as much as I did, and will do again after I read it the revised edition as well!

Let me know if there is any topic you wold like for me to touch up on

Stay creative,

Be Art,

Aby

Whats on your shelf? Hi all, as a self taught artist I know I missed out on a lot of valuable lessons and knowledge that I could have gained in a traditional educational setting.

#art business #art career #artist #artist blog

How to set up for an art festival

Do you know what I really enjoy about summer time?

The myriad of outdoor activities that are available, taking trips or just sipping on a drink by the side of a pool. But there is one activity I have a love/ hate relationship with: outdoor art festivals.

Love Love Love…

Meeting new art enthusiasts, sharing my work with a crowd, listening to live music, discovering new artists and eating food…

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#Art #art business #art festivals #art set up #tent setup

How do you find collectors?

How do you find collectors?Here are a few initial helpful steps.

A couple of months ago I sold a painting I hadn’t shown all that much, matter of fact it was sold at a show where it was not even on display!

My now new collector saw “graceful strength” hanging on the wall of a restaurant a year ago, could not decide on it at the time, but just so happened to run into me at an art show. Was it faith? Most definitely, but not without a fair dash of preparation.

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#art by abiola #blogging #how to be a successful artist #How to get art collectors #how to sell art #how to start a newsletter

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