SG: What course did you study at UAL and what is your practice?
OO: I studied BA Textiles Design at Central Saint Martins, specialising in print design and I am a textile designer.
SG: What inspired the piece you submitted for the Tell Us About It Project and why did you want to take part?
OO: When I saw the question, I had to think back because it was seven years ago and I was thinking ‘what did I do again?’. I took part mainly because I was asked to; if I remember correctly, I achieved a 2:1 and so I was given a grant towards creating the piece as part of a reward for achieving well and finishing.
So, the piece I ended up creating was…
I wanted to try and stick to a textiles output but I was restricted a bit by time and resources because when you leave university, you don’t have a print room anymore. Digital printing at that point was quite expensive and it is also something I did within the university. I wasn’t sure where to go, but I was like ‘okay, I have paint and I have paper and I can still create something that is still true to my self-expression.’ I ended making the theme ‘collaboration.’ I used paint, texture and colour to communicate the idea of collaboration in university and showing how just by using paint, the paintbrush and the colours, you can create something quite interesting. I wanted to relate this to different practices, people and backgrounds.
SG: How big was the piece?
OO: It was a bit bigger than A3 [between A3 and A2]. I created a bigger piece and I then cut it up and almost created a weave piece by cutting it into stripes and then reconfiguring it. It wasn’t just me painting it and then leaving it as it is, that’s one aspect to it – but I thought to myself ‘what can I do next to push it further?’ I think it would’ve been quite cool, as a scarf or on fabric, but you know, you do what you can.
SG: How has your practice developed since you graduated?
OO: Since graduating, I have been able to explore things outside of print. One of my first jobs was working in a textiles archive where we had fabrics from the 1890s-1980s, which we then repurposed for today. You may have a tiny swatch to be put into repeat and colour separated or artwork that may have been damaged where you would fix the artwork and finish off the design. This made me appreciate different forms of textiles, whether it be weaving or embroidery. I learned more about hand embroidery and ended up working quite a bit in the machine and digital embroidery.
From working in the industry, I thought this is nice and everything, but I actually kind of almost forgot what style of design I actually like. You’re always working towards briefs and seasons and you’re always adjusting your style to a client, and I was like ‘what is my style? What do I really like about textiles?’. As a result, I took the last two years to focus back on that. I originally went back to print because that’s what I knew and felt like the easiest method but then in the last few months I started to feel that I actually really love weaving; I really love beading and I really love embroidery – how can I get that into my work as well?
SG: How has UAL contributed to your professional journey?
OO: If I am being honest, one of the biggest ways UAL has contributed is probably the name. I think whether it’s jobs or just random people if they hear that you went to CSM they already have this image of ‘Oh you must be good!’ or they’re a little bit more interested in finding out about what you do. In terms of actually taking the degree, I think it’s more about the skills that helped me get into the industry and having time to explore.
If I was just going on the journey by myself, I would not have the opportunity to explore so many different sides to textiles. I would have never been able to do weaving, I would have not thought about knitting. I know things about print and different ways of printing but I would have just been restricted to what I could do quite easily. So, I think it’s definitely given me that kind of foundation and a kind of legacy, a powerful legacy that being UAL alumni hold.
SG: What advice can you give to students currently studying at UAL, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds?
OO: I think for me, and I don’t know if it’s because when I went to UAL, there weren’t as many obvious events or extracurricular things or if I just didn’t notice it. But now that I’ve come back to do my PGCert I’ve noticed lots of activities and workshops. A lot of the societies now put on really cool events such as The ACS which has film screenings or host talks. I wish we had these kinds of events when I was there as that’s the kind of things you look for at your university, outside of your course.
There are lots of other things going on outside of university at the moment, especially for under 30s, many are free or really reduced. There are opportunities such as if you want business skills and you feel like your course hasn’t given that to you; if you want mentorship; if you want more opportunities to talk about your work; if you want more opportunities to hear about other people’s work and journeys, there are so many talks going on.
For me, I found that the more you look for these things, the more you see. I guess it’s also probably the internet and algorithms as well. If they know you’re interested in those kinds of things, it would just keep showing you those things. There are lots of organisations out there that are offering help to people, especially young people when it comes to business. If you’re interested in the arts and business, a lot of universities or courses don’t really cater to that. I know a lot of young people, especially in fashion textiles that want to try to set up their own brand but they don’t have business programmes or workshops, on their courses. There are lots of resources outside of the university that are free or quite affordable. I would say don’t just rely on the university to give you everything that you need.
Also, in terms of internships, that’s quite difficult for disadvantaged students to take part in. If you are doing an unpaid internship, you may have to use your money because you have to get there (travel) and time is money. But I guess try to work in a way that works for you. Being a bit more flexible, being open to small businesses that maybe can allow you to come for one day a week or half a day here and there and knowing what you want out of it, as well, so you’re not wasting your time.
Knowing that you are benefitting from these experiences, even if you are not getting paid because you are a student or it might be a part of your program.
I think it’s about always keeping your options as open as possible – it also might not be in London, it might be in another place/city that you need to go to.
SG: What has been your most memorable project so far?
OO: I remember this time last year I started my business, I had few products and I went to Somerset House and I was in their gift shop and I was just looking at it and thought ‘do you know what? I would really love my stuff to be here’. I left thinking I’m going to go and actively do something about it, but I didn’t. I didn’t look for an email; I didn’t think about it because I was still questioning myself – I don’t know if I’m ready for retail and I don’t know how it’s going to work, so I left it at the back of my mind. Then randomly, a few months later I got an email from Somerset House asking me if I want to be in that gift shop.
That, for me, is my most memorable project because it’s something that I wanted to happen. It was one of my biggest retail opportunities and it also came as a part of the ‘Get Up, Stand Up Now’ exhibition at Somerset House which focused on the past 50 years of Black designers, particularly in the UK, so it was nice to be a part of that. Of course, with exhibition shops it is temporary but it’s something that I wanted and it was manifested.
SG: How do you keep yourself motivated?
OO: I think it is difficult and sometimes you just need to take a break. It gets overwhelming and I think what helps is that it’s not my full-time job – even though I would love for it to be. This means that there’s less pressure on it in terms of having to make money. It means that I can enjoy just playing around with the opportunities that come up and I know at least my bills are settled, even if I can’t live the most flamboyant lifestyle, I am okay.
Having good people around you helps.
If you have other people who are in the industry and when you’re not feeling motivated or when you are feeling down about a situation, you have people around you that understand what you’re going through. Having friends who are also small business owners or artists or working in this industry, they just kind of get it a bit more than maybe your family will.
So, for me, it’s definitely taking a break sometimes and having days where you kind of do nothing or you just do the one thing you really want to do and you can talk to people around you when you’re not feeling as motivated.
I always make sure I do things that I want to do for myself, whether it’s just a film I really want to watch or a holiday I want to save towards; just having small achievable goals keeps you motivated.
This could be self-care goals or something for enjoyment or work goals.
I also think that it’s normal to have this big picture of success, but it never really happens overnight. So you just need to think how to get to there; what are all the little things that I need to be doing every day, every month or every few months and also looking back to what you have done because it’s so easy – especially if you’re in a bad place – to feel like I haven’t done anything. I haven’t done enough. It’s been two years; it’s been five years and I’m not where I want to be.
Then you look back and see that, actually, if I didn’t do this, if I didn’t do that although I’m not exactly where I want to be, I still wouldn’t be here. So, it’s just kind of having that realisation – when you look at other people’s success – you think it happens just like that, but most people have been grinding for 10 years, 15 years, 5 years or 2 years. That’s their journey and even to them that might not be a ‘success’.
Decide what success is for you and why you see that as being a ‘success’ and then also just having manageable, achievable goals – you can break down your year. For example, I want to achieve this in 12 months’ time, for this to happen I would have to do X at this and that time. It’s just kind of like breaking down your goals into smaller goals, this way you know that it is achievable.
This keeps me motivated because even if it doesn’t happen in these 12 months. I know I’ve been working towards it. I believe as long as you put in the work, then it will happen.
SG: Is there a message you are trying to convey in your creative expression?
OO: People would be like ‘oh you’re a designer’ and I think it’s that being a black woman as well as being African, they assume that I must make ‘this’ kind of work. ‘You probably do create wax fabric,’ or this or that – but actually no. Understanding what you do is important so that people don’t try and tell you what you should be doing.
In my work, I’ve noticed that I’m influenced a lot by my culture, but not necessarily in a typical way. I’m influenced by how Nigerians use colour, in how they dress and how they mix and wear pattern. The environment, when you go to Nigeria, the colours that are there and how patterns fit naturally in the environment; those are the things that I really like and influence my work. This might not always be obvious because in the way that I have been trained to textile design.
Working in the archive, there were are a lot of European patterns, so there is definitely that influence in there as well and that is something I can’t help because it’s something I did for almost five years.
I think for me it’s just kind of thinking about ‘what is African design and what makes it African, or not African, even?’ ‘Does it have to be done in certain ways or in certain kinds of media?’ ‘Is it a certain type of print process that makes it African?’ ‘Is it more about the person who creates, or is it just about the influences?’
So, that’s what I am exploring and putting in my work.
I also have a podcast that I started this year with a friend who is a curator.
The podcast is called Displaced Ppl and it’s a podcast about finding your place in the creative industry and the worlds which surround it.
We talk about our experiences and we’ll have our friends and other industry professionals, to come on and talk about how it’s been for them and how they got to where they are. We’re trying to find people who are from different jobs in the creative industry. I think the obvious ones are fashion designers, graphic designers, but then within those genres, there are so many different creative jobs and opportunities which people aren’t necessarily going for because they don’t know they exist.
It took me a while to find out you could be a textile designer.
It wasn’t my childhood dream and I thought I had to be a fashion designer.
SG: How do you reflect on your work?
OO: I think internally I am always self-reflecting. I’m always thinking about my work, what I’ve done, why I’m doing it and what I want to do next. Is it really what I wanted to do? Did it really land exactly like how I expected?
Also talking to friends about it as well is useful.
I have a few friends where we aim to meet up monthly and have a ‘co-work’ day. It’s good because we reflect on our work and you can be really honest as you don’t necessarily see them as your competition even if you’re doing something that’s quite similar. We can just give each other kind of organic advice and I think that’s how I can reflect on my work because sometimes I feel like something’s working and they might give me another perspective. But then at the same time, it’s just an opinion.
I have said this before but sometimes taking a break from your practice and coming back to it will also help you to reflect on your work.
Is this really what I want?
Am I still happy with it?
If I was a customer and I didn’t know me (as the designer) when I bought this, would I be thinking, ‘oh is this actually cool’?
So, it is just about having that time away from what you are doing so you can have space to truly think about your work.
