The Esthitude Place

Hello fam, how are y’all doing?

Long time no Feature Friday post. We are definitely still intentional about all that we are doing this year. Trust you are too.

It’s another time for our talk on the Feature Friday section (anybody excited?).

Today, I’ll like to introduce someone to you: a young man making waves in the creative/digital world; a digital creative artist, graphic designer and an entrepreneur.

He’s a great creative and passionate young man. The man who left studying Mechanical Engineering for Fine Arts. I got to know him in the university and he is someone who definitely knows what he is about.

His name is Samuel Obadina, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, the Creative Lead at Feathers Consulting (you know when people are humble and they don’t want to put CEO at the back of their name, ***shhh, I didn’t say that***).

Feathers Consulting is a branding agency, a creative haven. It is a haven for idea junkies, creative designers, and brand experts. You’ll get to know more about Feathers Consulting as the interview unfolds.

Entrepreneurship was something I developed through conscious learning rather than envisioning. – Samuel Obadina

You will need to grab a seat, some popcorn and a bottle of chilled drink as you read.

N.B: TEP means The Esthitude Place and SO means Samuel Obadina

TEP: Hello dear, it’s a pleasure having you here. Can we meet you, please?

SO: My name is Samuel Obadina. I am a Creative Digital Artist with expertise in Brand Identity Development; I also founded Feathers’ Consulting, a brand agency.

TEP: Tell us more about yourself, how you got into the world of graphical design and all.

SO: My love for color, shapes, line, texture, text drove me to pursue my love and passion for graphic design. I would also like to thank my parents who provided a desktop Pentium II computer then, which was the greatest tool that plunged me into several experimentations with primitive software like window paint.

I can remember doing wonderful digital paintings with Microsoft paint. Later,  I moved to other Microsoft tools like Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, CorelDraw, and Corel paint.

With a passion for meeting up to world class designs and market standard, I searched job vacancies in the newspaper for the job I intend to one day be qualified for, I took note of every software and I sought ways to get access to them. I sought for pdf materials because video tutorials weren’t so easy to get by. Later I sought for video tutorials on them and spent hours sitting, learning and practicing. I got better all the way.

I can remember applying for a job on graphic design just immediately after my secondary school with no idea of some of the required skills. But I decided to get materials and start practicing from that day till the day I would be called for interview. Though unfortunately, I was never called, I learned through that push.

So, this was my journey from a self-taught graphic designer, improving my skills to handle more design tools to better express myself and be top-notch.

TEP: Wawuu. So, how did you come about Feathers Consulting? What is it all about, and what are your major achievements so far?

SO: Feathers’ consulting is a brand agency with three major arms: Strategy, Design, and Academy.

Strategy handles the strategic part of our branding line: corporate branding, personal branding, and event branding. This caters for ideas to build and develop brands through strategic thinking, social media, and creative communication.

The Design arm is categorized into Still, Motion and Interactive Design. This arm caters for every needed deliverable for a brand—it communicates the ideas from the strategy team in a way that it engages the idea of the brand to the targeted audience in the aim to get them respond—we believe design is about communicating not just beautifying. Aesthetic is just a tool.

TEP: Did you always dream of being an entrepreneur? And where do you see Feathers Consulting in three years’ time?

SO: Entrepreneurship was more of something I developed through conscious learning rather than envisioning. Along the line, dreams started unfolding; the pictures began to build more and more details to a clear path I could pave.

To be among the first to be reckoned in the creative industry nationwide.

TEP: Aside from graphical design and the digital world, what other things interest you? Is it just going to be graphical design for you, or do you plan to dive into other things?

SO: Design is a vast world that houses several planets in it.

With the aid of graphics, I can explore the growing world of technology: the likes of AI (artificial intelligence) the drones, self-driving cars; how they shape our lives and how we as designers can explore this as a tool to create a better world.

So my interest around design cannot be over-explored, but trust me it delves into any category be it politics, religion, education, sport and more. Been a graphic designer affords me to have a good hold on other aspects because our clients are from different walks of life.

How do you help solve a world problem if you don’t know what it’s in there?

Design is a tool to solve problems. So about me diving into other things, yes, several more things.

TEP: Many people still believe in studying just the ‘MAIN’ courses in the university such as Medicine, Engineering, Law, and Accounting. They say there is no prospect in courses like Fine Arts, Yoruba, History, Agriculture Sciences, etc. What do you have to say about this?

SO: Smiles, that has been an age long rule, though we wouldn’t be surprised if it still holds now. As for me, I broke that rule.

In my secondary school days at a program held in a school outside ours, I saw a placard posted gracefully on the wall held by staggering pins, but the words still stand firm as a billboard in my mind “No Course is Inferior!”.

I got admitted to Obafemi Awolowo University to study Mechanical Engineering. Within my first year, I had to search for something in line with what cried for expression within me. The day I learned graphic design was a course under Fine Art, the man within leaped for joy, that day I knew I just found what my heart longed for.

 

I was beginning to lose interest in a course that gave me untold prestige among friend during gatherings, I was ready to take the journey, though the path seemed unknown, the end seemed like a destination I would love to arrive at.

Fear of passersby in the journey would bewilder me, I know. Still, I was willing to ride on.

Several ideologies of why not have this achievement and then the other was asked. I replied, “how many years will I on earth spend and not choose to focus (Follow One Course Until Successful)?

I figured out great men and their story; I saw they kept at one thing that they wanted the world to know them for. A blacksmith achieves the desired result when he strikes at a point severally not giving up until the metal gives way.

 

 

Success is not about how many things we do, but how many things we achieve doing things of worthwhile value, and I believe everyone was born with that core potential for it to be developed.  You can’t beat the man who is at his best all the days of his life.

So I will say: Know You, Develop You, and Keep at You till you become the you that you are meant to be — YOU!

The world isn’t looking for your course, they’re looking for your solution, and the solution is buried within you. Education is to develop you through learning around your potential.

So finally, I will say I wasn’t a failure by leaving a so-called high course for another. Instead, I was successful by knowing what I was to give the world and making the right choice early enough to seek for necessary tools through education to develop this.

TEP: What are the major challenges you have faced so far? And have you been able to overcome them?

SO: The major challenge has been taking action despite great ideas within.

What I learned is to start with nothing more than a step (no matter the distance of that step) and keep it consistent in the right direction with a plan—make a blueprint.
You know what I discovered? God positions people, circumstances, ideas, events and all in line with that desire within.

This was how feathers’ was birthed. I had an idea, found it hard to start, and was challenged by a friend to start. I took the first step, along the way I met several people interested in the journey, and saw interesting view, sights, event along the journey that aided it.

The world isn’t looking for your course, they’re looking for your solution, and the solution is buried within you – Samuel Obadina

TEP: What drives you?

SO: What drives a car is not just the outward aesthetic. Though it aids other dynamics, the drive is from within. So likewise, the drive of a man is more than outward intellectualism or prowess.

It’s the man within that drives the outward man.

The Spirit of God born out His Word drives me. It creates an atmosphere where I function creatively. Funny enough, most of my ideas were gotten during church service and devotion. God does not just drive me, he controls the stirring too. Smiles

God does not just drive me, he controls the stirring too. Smiles

TEP: What is your advice to people out there trying to discover purpose or trying to go into the graphics design /digital world.

SO: Purpose is key, it sets one’s life in proportion. The full purpose of an invention can only be gotten from the inventor. So, seek your Maker, He will guide you as you discover your innate ability in pursuit of your destiny.

And if it’s the graphic world you have a passion, do these:

— Learn the tools
— Acquire the skill to work on needed software through practice and learning
— Learn from several materials
— Understand and develop the principles guiding designs.

This way you build your capacity to understand the underlying concept that makes up a great design.

TEP: Thank you so much for your time and great words of advice. How can we connect with you?

SO: You can connect with me if you’re FIT: Facebook, Instagram & Twitter at @soobadina. The official social media handle for Feathers Consulting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is @feathersng.

Wawwu, who else was overwhelmed with this interview? I’m sure you don’t need any more motivation on who to give your next branding job to, Feathers Consulting for the win.

Give yourself a very big clap if you read through to this point.

Samuel Obadina was full of words of wisdom throughout this interview, I’m glad I interviewed him.

I’m sure you learned more than a few things from this interview, don’t forget to follow Samuel Obadina and Feathers Consulting via the various social media platforms.

You’ve got any observation, question or comment? Let’s get talking in the comment section below.

P.S: If you are not following The Esthitude Place on our social media handles, you are missing a lot o. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram  @theesthitudeplace, and Twitter @esthitudeplace

See you in the next post, Cheers!!!

 Yaass, I shall be expecting your comments and feedback, and if you enjoyed reading this post, kindly share it with your friends and family. Thank you.