A Little About Odunayo
Nail portraits are created from thousands of nails hammered into a canvas to create beautiful images. A combination of patience, attention to technical detail and precision is required for this craft, which is why only a handful of them exist in the world. Luckily, and in fulfilment of the saying “Naija no dey carry last,” which translates to Nigeria never takes the backseat, Biografrica caught up with a Nigerian nail portrait artist who is redefining creativity with hammer and nails. Prior to our interview, BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and other international media had already reported on him. Odunayo Fapohunda has clients who are A-listers and a world leader. As a guest on our weekly African Spotlight Series, he shared an inspiring story about his journey, challenges, clientele and aspiration.
Odunayo is from Osun State, but was raised in Akure, Ondo State. He studied Animal Production from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA); has two siblings, mum is a civil servant while dad is a pastor. He started his journey as an artist in 2015 and commercialised it in 2019.
On Misconception as a Finger Nails Artist and His Journey So Far
Contrary to this popular thought, he has never been misconstrued as a finger nails artist. He, however, said that people quite often downplay his career until they actually see the product. Asked how he found himself in this profession, he revealed he never had any inkling for arts; he only met a nail artist, John, in his university days at FUTA, who gave him the foundation for the success he enjoys today. Before then, he had strong interest in football and envisaged it would be his life-long pursuit. Odunayo, having met John, spent five years learning and mastering the craft; by the time he was through with university, he was ready. The the first time he created a piece of art was during his NYSC days in Anambra State, and in his words, “I brought in my own ideas and started living the dream.”
The Creative Process
Asked if he uses nails from end to end without any other techniques, Odunayo reminded us that there is always an initial sketch to every artwork. So, he sketches what he needs to produce and follow through with nails and hammer. How long the creative process takes depends on the kind of project, but now that he has a friend who helps out, they have been working very hard towards creating a full portrait in one week. He was proud to announce that it is becoming a reality even though it is “really really difficult.” Exploring the relationship between the length of time, cost of producing a portrait and the eventual selling price, he hints that it is expensive, but agrees “expensive” in this context is a subjective argument. He further argued that everyone can afford arts if they understand the value. He lamented that not everyone understands the value of arts, unfortunately; so not many people see the need to invest in it. From Odunayo’s perspective, there are certain stories and values artists portray through arts, and a lot of intricacies involved in creating nail portraits. Biografrica was made to understand if he were to reflect those personal values on the cost of his work, they would be more expensive than they currently are. However, he is happy and contented people recognise his work.
On His Celebrity Clients; A-Listers and Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda
Odunayo was honest about how they managed to secure collaboration with top celebrities, including a Prime Minister. He said “one thing about these things is sacrifice,” meaning you have to sacrifice in order to break into certain markets. Odunayo and his team had identified celebrities who “do good things in the society” and decided to create portraits for them. On camera, he showed portraits of Don Jazzy and Tunde Ednut. Apparently, Don Jazzy’s portrait is the first they ever made of any celebrity and the biggest so far—5ft tall. He expressed delight in how he met AY (Ayo Makun) through Nosa Rex. What overwhelmed him the most was the fact that the Prime Minister of Antigua and Berbuda posted a photo with the portrait they made for him. He believes they started gaining media attention when these collaborations started, especially when Tunde Ednut posted their work on social media. Currently, Odunayo has a project on Davido that he will unveil pretty soon. He says it comes with a lot of messages, and hopes it will make great impact.
Being Interviewed by the BBC, Al Jazeera, Reuters and More
Odunayo thanks God for his moments with international media, because he could not have accomplished that by himself. He narrated how he didn’t believe it was the BBC the first time he got a message from the media giant. He had the interview and one month after, BBC posted him and it was “unbelievable.” He noted, however, that it was Reuters that had put him out there first, and the content has been reused by other media “uncountable” times. As if that was not enough, a German journalist who had interviewed him made sure it was aired on one of the German national televisions. The most overwhelming was Al Jazeera posting him and also following his business and backup accounts on social media. In his words, “all of these things just prove that I have started living the dream.”
The Motivation Behind this Expensive and Extensive Projects
Odunayo’s motivation isn’t just money. He said, “money does make people do things, but passion comes first.” He maintained that if not for passion, he wouldn’t be able to continue what he does because the profession comes with a lot of challenges, adding that money would not have been able to keep him going. He stated money is part of the motivation; however, “passion is the real deal.”
How Animal Production Degree Helps In Accomplishing His Goals As An Artist
Two take-aways while studying Animal Production that are integral to his success as an artist are patience and the drawing skills. He picked up the drawing skills from a drawing module, and this built the foundation for his sketches. About patience, “you cannot work with animals without being patient. Even though they do not speak and you do not understand them, you have to work with them,” he said. He revealed he treats his tools—hammer and nails—as animals that he can’t talk to, but can make them do what he wants. Because he uses the patient mindset while treating the tools as animals, he is able to meticulously produce a masterpiece each time. Being a patient person has also helped him minimise injuries, which are inevitable in this line of business.
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges is injury. “You cannot nail thousands of nails without hitting your hand with the hammer,” he stressed. He also said there are times when nails stab their fingers and he has a photo of such injury for memory sake. Another challenge is finance because creating a project is really expensive. Odunayo says he does not work, so does not earn money from any other source, such that if BBC, Reuters and Al Jazeera had not reached out to him, he would not have been able to afford them. The third obstacle is location, which is a challenge because most of his clients do not reside in his State (Ondo). Anytime he thinks about relocation, Lagos or Abuja comes to mind, but those places are not cheap. As a result, it is difficult to meet the “great and prominent” people where they live. And to succeed in this business, “you need connections and links to be able to make things happen.”
The Nail Arts Community, and Plans of Expansion
Odunayo has a mentor, more like a boss that he looks up to. He also personally knows two other people, including John who introduced him to the craft during university days, one other that he is yet to meet, another in the United Kingdom that he is constantly in touch with. He says it is quite challenging to expand the community in Nigeria because people do not have the patience and resilience to continue. “There are so many challenges involved, including a lot of concentration, which is why the best time to work is at night.” In terms of mentorship, he has had more than 10 people approach him but nobody has demonstrated any strong will to come back the next day.
Message Behind the Arts
The core message Odunayo tries to portray through his arts are hard work and patience. He advised you have to be hardworking and patient before you can be a successful nail artist, stressing that you will make a lot of mistakes if you take the fast lane. However, he said most of these mistakes are rarely noticed purely because nail artistry is fairly new. Odunayo, sometimes, spends up to an hour thinking about how to achieve a particular project before jumping on the actual implementation. This is because it takes a lot to put things in perspective; for example, you have to interpret colours and represent them on the canvas using nails.
Aspiration
Odunayo aspires to be recognised to by Aso Rock (Nigerian Presidential Villa). He feels recognition from Nigeria as a country would go a long way for his career. “Nothing bad in looking for some records to break, like the Guinness Book Of Records” because he knows it will bring a lot of attention. He also looks forward to a time when many people will be able to achieve their dreams as nail artists across Africa. He would like to collaborate with Messi, Ronaldo and many more, and also break or create world record for the largest nail portrait.
Parents and Siblings
Odunayo’s parents and siblings are very proud and supportive of what he does. “Honestly, they are 100% proud,” he said. He also gave shout-out to his extended family for the support, calling them “great people”. Even though some of his friends discourage him, he has decided to always pull strength from the discouragements and work harder.
About International Clients
Odunayo is able to do business with international clients. He has, in the past, sent portraits to the United States multiple times. He recently received a business call from Malaysia and had been contacted by a professor from one of the prominent universities in the US too.
Message for Aspiring Artists and Young People in General
Odunayo is a big believer in God. The advice is to believe in God, be patient and hardworking because you can’t have aspirations and not work towards it. Be respectful as well so that you can learn and get ideas from people. Do not give up because as long as you are alive, nothing is impossible, “at the perfect time, aspirations come true.” Odunayo draws strength from the journeys of some of the biggest afrobeats stars in Nigeria. He also advises not to rush to achieve anything as you will miss out on the process and fail, eventually. “Process is key to sustainable success,” he advised.
You can reach Odunayo – @fojaartz on both Instagram and Twitter.