ARTIST INSIGHT | The Art of Creative Success

Naomi Abiola shares tips and insights on building a successful creative career as an artist. Naomi is a writer, educator and performer. In 2014, she was the finalist for our TELUS Newcomer Artist Award.

Featured Artist | Naomi Abiola

Writer, Educator and Performer  

TOP 5 TIPS | Art of Creative Success 

1.  Making time lines and sticking to them

Understanding the need to negotiate even with ones self when a time line cannot be met.  Many artists drop the ball and put things on back burners hoping to accomplish them later. Procrastination is deadly and detrimental to our success as artists. It plays on what people think about us when we miss time lines. It is imperative that our word is our bound.. People need to believe in us.

2.  Be realistic

As artists we dream and dream big, we have grand desires and holes of much accomplishment. It is important that we look at our dreams and figure out if working towards them is realistic at the time they come up, and understanding that sometimes we have to stack our dreams and return to them when the time is right.

3. Be clear about what you do as an artist. 

Who are you? What is your craft? Many times we operate as jack of all trades and master of none where the public just is never clear as to what we do. Less is more. It's about quality not quantity. Hence I am clear as to the type of artist I am and what I do. In order for people to get you, they must be able to attach your name to something 

4. Relationships

We must learn to maintain relationships, treat people like we desire to be treated, consistently giving back rather than receiving. I have found that the more I give the more I get.

5. Consistency

We have to be consistent, there must be continued integrity in what we do. Audiences and people working with us must come accustomed to excellence. We are only as good as our last performance is what guides me. An audience of two or two hundred deserves and will always get me at my best.

6. Get over yourself.

Understand that there are twenty people as talented or more talented than you are. Humility moves mountains. Nobody wants to work with an artist that is overly difficult.

BIO | Naomi is a mother, writer, teacher, and performer. She came to Canada in 2011 from Trinidad and Tobago. Abiola established rAiz'nSpeak, a monthly showcase of talents, as an initiative of bcurrent.  She has written and performed in more than ten spoken-word pieces, and performed with a variety of organizations such as the Dyke March, Toronto Aids Candle Light Vigil, Bring Our Girls Back, African Women Acting and COBA.