Time Flies

- Lyk Lii

This past Saturday, I woke up intending to see the progress I’ve made over the past 10 years. I kept it as open as possible… Quite frankly, I didn’t know what exactly to expect, but the Universe is no shallow stone…

I’ve done countless drawings from childhood. Some were acquired by my parents and were kept as souvenirs. In Grade 5 I made a drawing that I consider to be a marker for when my career really took off.

I’ve done several sculptures… My favorite is the one I made out of sand. I made the Titanic in its sunken state under the sea - out of beach sand. There’s one I made that got strong public reactions - a remix of the Statue of David. I had to throw that one out, because my parents said that it was a promotion of nudity.

I designed a sewed up one or two fashion pieces. Although they were quite flimsy and the stitches came off - they were completed works nonetheless. My favorite was a purple kid’s glove that I turned into a very decorated hand ornament.

I have done quite a number of works as a product designer… especially in the cellphone industry. When I was in grade 7 one of my clients was Samsung - for which I redesigned their D5 smartphone model. I later went on to design an Arts & Crafts Movement-inspired lamp and a multi-functional wall clock.

I have countless works as an architect… the most notable being The Paper Mansion that I made in 2006. I eventually had to dismantle it, because there was no more space in the house.

I have a very long list of works as a poet and lyricist… Starting from around 2009, there are several books that you can catch up on. By the time I left high school, I had already recorded and released several singles.

Around the same time, I also started a T-shirt printing business. And by printing I mean, painting every order I got by hand with fabric paint. What a joy!

I also took my art to the streets for a short period. I had been writing graffiti since grade 9 in 2008, and later on in 2015, I decided to hit the big canvas. The first one I did was on the transformer that sits opposite my home… right outside where my parents can see it from their window every single morning. I’ll admit - that wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But, I did it scared, and I did it anyway!

I’ve done several paintings that have been exhibited in cities as far as Middelburg (the next city from where I lived). Some of the works were bought by family and other people. I’ve made some pretty impressive paintings… but none hold a special place in my heart as the very first painting I did. It was a monochrome painting on a piece of very jagged ceiling that I found lying around. Unfortunately - I gave that to the girl I had a crush on at the time. I don’t think she realized what she had been given.

How can I forget photography? I started taking photos with my phone that had a VGA camera - the word megapixels wasn’t in anyone’s vocabulary yet. From there, I went into various areas of the art - including street and portrait photography. It’s taken me to work at several events like weddings and such. My first portfolio is something you can find on Facebook somewhere…

I started practicing as a graphic designer before I knew how to use a computer. This is no joke! I once had a client who wanted a logo from me… which I painted with great care on a piece of wooden board, and hand-delivered myself. The company was called Quizick Entertainment (I believe their Facebook page is still up). I did several book covers, and my first illustration was done on a very fancy program called Microsoft Paint. And to top it off… I just remembered that I’ve also written and illustrated (by hand) a horror novel titled Beware.

These are just a glimpse into the fiercely creative world I live in. It’s taken me 30 years to finally own who I am, and what I do. Wow! The Universe is very patient. No more loitering around. I am going to earn my space in this life - by showing up for creativity. 

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I've Always Been A Successful Artist