Artist paints new, big picture from 1,000 bead rings
African Jambo Arts proprietor Kelvin Otieno shows off some of the earrings he made. PHOEBE OKALL
What you need to know:
I was doing various kinds of artwork from home, but the idea of generating income from it had not yet struck me.
The turning point for artist Kelvin Otieno was when a happy customer, impressed by his bead work, ordered 1,000 pieces. It was a ring made of beads that had caught the tourist’s attention.
“Prior to this, I was doing various kinds of artwork from home, but the idea of generating income from it had not yet struck me,” says the 29-year-old proprietor of African Jambo Arts.
He used the money earned from that contract to set up shop at Buruburu where his artwork has expanded to include wall hangings, picture frames and batik printing. Nature, Mr Otieno says, is what inspires him on the choice of material he uses, including leather sandals, jewelry and animal carvings.
“Aside from deriving my raw materials such as banana fibres, bamboo, wood, soapstone and leather from nature, I also get inspiration from it.” Through referrals, he has won many contracts for making banners as well as printing T-shirts.
However, the nine-year journey has not been a walk in the park for this father of two. When starting out, his parents cast doubts that his artistic work would generate any reliable income since they deemed it as “too amateur”.
Undisturbed by the negative energy around him, the young Otieno who had set his mind to bigger things, pressed on with his business venture, especially given that his parents were not in a position to afford his college fees.
“When my clientele grew, my parents appreciated my talent and actually encouraged and motivated me to try other artwork,” he says. Interestingly, Mr Otieno’s starting capital was Sh200, which he used to buy beads from Kariakor and Maasai markets in Nairobi.
Ploughing back the profit is the one thing that has seen him expand to a point of not only generating more income but also being an employer. He has employed two workers who sell his artifacts in Mwiki and Mlolongo, areas where he says sales are booming.
Mr Otieno says he is indebted to friends who keep referring potential clients to his BuruBuru shop. These referrals, he told the Business Daily, have given him the energy to ride the crest of the cut-throat competition in the arts industry.
Love nature
The business has not been short of setbacks and has seen a number of burglary incidents that have forced Mr Otieno to start from scratch. He says patience, persistence and focus are some of the guiding principles that have seen him grow the business to where it is today.
Apart from the business, he has trained more than 20 youth whom he says have since opened their own shops and are doing well. When he is not at his work station putting together an artifact, Mr Otieno is either mentoring young people to be self-reliant or planting trees.
“I love nature and planting trees is my way of giving back to nature for all the positive things I have gained from it.”
