Kambere Kevin is a 23-year-old visual artist who is now living his new dream. Kambere started his artistry journey after high school. While speaking to Mazima, Kambere revealed that he did not initially intend to be a visual artist or do art even after studying it.
“I studied art to pass exams and go through the education system, I didn’t intend to be an artist, I always wanted to be an architect,” Kambere said.
Throughout his course of study in high school, Kambere always wanted to be an architect, though, after finishing his final year of high school and receiving his results, he perceived that he wouldn’t be able to accomplish his childhood dream. By this time, Kambere was in vacation waiting to join university. This is when he started practicing drawing and whatever he learnt in high school.
“I wouldn’t say I was born with the talent of drawing. I have acquired the skill through school right from the day I joined. I started practicing to make it perfect in my vacation.” Kambere explained.
Kambere then joined Uganda Christian University where he enrolled in a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial and Fine Art. To him, this was a step towards achieving close to what he always wanted to be. Kambere finally graduated from Uganda Christian University with a Second Class Upper (Hons). To him, this was something that would benefit him to build a career and be a professional artist.
“Previously in my S.6 vacation, I started realizing that art was something that I would do and build something out of. This is why I enrolled to study it at University,” Kambere said this recalling what made him enroll to study Art at University.
“I have been doing art for three years now and one of the things I realized is that once you invest the time and effort, you realize results, you also need to love it. Art is not something you just start doing and become good at it in a blink of an eye,” Kambere believes that one has to invest time and effort in order to be good at art.
Kambere is now on his journey of building a career out of his hobby for art, specifically visual art. He has realized that visual art is a huge enterprise if one intentionally explores it. This is something he wants to take on professionally both in Uganda and in the diaspora.
Several people around the world appreciate art and crafts because of their beauty though they may not always be easy to interpret nevertheless being therapeutic. Kambere says one of the encounters artists face is that they are not well appreciated for their work. He says most people don’t want to pay for worth the work they are taking.
“I personally work on commissions and make my works which I put up for sale, that’s how I make a dollar to my name,” Kambere said.
Kambere advises creative artists to keep grinding and ignore the pigeon-holes associated with the kind of work. He says that confidence in doing art can be boosted by acquiring the skill through learning.
Kambere says that the most important thing an artist should keep in mind is teamwork. According to him, without a network, there is barely any support, making it hard for one to grow their work. He similarly says artists should be supported.