Turning artistic passion into profitable hustle

Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Sunday January 29, 2023 06:00

 

Raised by a single mother with three siblings, the Tsamaya native did not let his Form 3 performance be a hindrance to attain his lifetime goals.

Though he under-performed in most of his subjects for Junior Certificate Examination (JCE) in 2021, Kabelo managed to attain an A in Art and Design and Technology respectively.

Kabelo said due to financial problems they faced at home, he had no choice but to start hustling by selling some of his artworks. “When I started my business, I understood that money doesn't come flooding overnight, therefore I had to put in more effort in order to see financial rewards. With the little that I had, I managed to help out at home,” he added.

At some point, he indicated that he came across obstacles and wanted to quit because he did not have financial support but in the end the situation at home pushed him to work hard. Kabelo has always dreamed of being a professional visual artist or an Art teacher which became a far-fetched option considering his JCE poor results.

The talented artist said when he was about to quit, a good Samaritan came to his rescue by giving him monetary donations time and again. He said through his financial donor’s help he was able to service some of his customers more especially in the accommodation industry including hotels, guest houses, motels to mention but a few. He said he realised the best way for him to make more money was by creating authentic and creative work. “I have also started art merchandising by printing clothing items such as t-shirts.

Art merchandising is doing well in the market as it is the new trend,” he added. When speaking about his work, the creative teenager said he enjoys doing abstract art mostly featuring portraits of landscape and wildlife from different tourism destinations. He spoke about his favourite artistic work which is titled ‘The broken pot’ which he elaborated that it symbolises the globe and all the living and non-thing within it. Kabelo also pleaded with the government to consider introducing vocational training for the students at a tender age.

“Some of us are not gifted in core subjects like Mathematics and Science but brilliant in Art related ones. A lot of us go to the street whereas our colleagues proceed with their education,” said the 19-year-old artist. He also encouraged his colleagues, especially those who did not perform well in their studies but were very skilled in vocational subjects to up their game and make use of the skills in order to sustain their livelihoods.