The Self-Aspired Artist
Celebrity World reached out to the talented Baboloki Somolekae who was born and raised in Molepolole, to share his artistic skills and journey in the arts industry.
Initially, Baboloki started developing passion for art at a tender age when he was at primary school up to senior school, still out doing the most in the arts field. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design from University of Botswana. He loved art and had a motive that it is possible to draw something the way it appears. Currently, Baboloki is an assistant teacher at a junior school, helping students with drawing techniques and wish to have an academy in the near future where he can aspire artists that it’s possible to make a living out of fine or visual art.
Mostly, the medium that he uses in his profession comprises of pen and coloured pencils as his strongest field. He said in the business sense, people would request him to draw them for a fee, but it ranges from A4 to A0 being the largest size.
When asked how long he has been in this profession, Baboloki said when he started drawing as a profession in 2012. His art work was part of some exhibition in 2010 and someone had loved and bought it after seeing it. At that moment, it didn’t come to his mind that one can actually draw somebody and people can pay for it. He was just drawing for fun. In 2012, somebody from the museum told him that he can make money from drawing people, then that’s where it all started.
Baboloki also said that he didn’t choose his profession and it’s what he always tell people although others get shocked. “I say it’s like a curse because when you are doing visual art, especially when you are drawing, painting or sculpturing with love and passion, you can never go a long period of doing it. You will just wake up, it will tell you in your spirit or soul and you will eventually find yourself doing it,” added Baboloki. Moreover, he said when you are doing art you will never understand as it comes naturally and the motive behind is not to make money but at the end someone will come and pay for the final product.
For him, in order to make a living through drawing, with strategies in place, and since we live in the modern days, you have to manage yourself and resources because out of the drawing you had made, you have used materials to reach to that end product. Therefore you have to replace and market your work. In that way, he said if more people know about you, and having an idea of what you deal with and the importance of it, it’s possible to make a living out of art works.
According to Baboloki, the Art market in Botswana is there and if we are to scale it on percentages, he would say it’s at 80%. Currently you cannot go to school and make a life out of drawing except if you have good marketing strategies. It is not every day that people buy art works but on a daily basis you need basic needs of life. He said in Botswana, the profession is still growing although we are not yet there but we will eventually prevail
Currently, limitations that he has falls under material wise because the materials that he requires are not available in Botswana. The only materials you will find in Botswana Art shops were used back in 2009 but we are in 2021. The challenge he has now is to opt for buying outside through online. Now it’s even hard for him because the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a stroll and online buying takes time more than it normally takes thus leaving him with lack of material as the limiting factor. Another thing is that, since this pandemic has erupted presidential competitions have stopped but the government is their biggest buyer so everything is actually on hold.
He said his biggest achievement hasn’t arrived yet but he has so far done postage stamps for Botswana Post and there were three of them, having done a commemorative stamp for Sir Ketumile Masire. That is one of the pillar goals in his profession and its currently circulating, the second and third are for the Kalahari invertebrates. Another one is that he was the first student to receive an award for the very first time when Excellence Awards were introduced.
In his art works, his great master piece is an art work, where a white lady was holding a black child. He describes himself as someone who condemns racism and discrimination and believes children see colour and love from the people that are taking care of them.
Duncan Sebeso 
Celebrity World