Shaped by Design

I love good writing. I've read it, admired it, and even married a writer lol. Because I see writing as an art in its own right, I spent a long time telling myself that I shouldn't write. That if it wasn't good enough, then it shouldn't exist. But over time, I learned that writing doesn't have to be exceptional to be honest.

My first experience with design was in primary school. I noticed how easy it was for me to draw shapes and match colours, and I couldn't understand why some of my classmates struggled with it. It felt effortless to me. I didn't think there was anything special about it.

By secondary school, I realised not everyone could draw. That was when I started to monetise my skill, if you can even call it that. I wasn't collecting money. Payment came in the form of food and biscuits lol. I drew for my classmates, then for other classes. Eventually, my art teacher, Mr Alade, saw a piece of work in another classroom and said, This is Bolanle's work.

He called me in, gave me a very serious warning, and somehow, in the same breath, made me his assistant. My job was simple: carry his bag and other things back to his office after every class.

Looking back now, that was the first time my skill opened a door for me. It was small, but it mattered. It was the first time I felt seen. It was also the first time I understood that something that felt effortless to me could still be valuable to someone else.

As I enjoyed my status as the school's local art celebrity, I didn't yet understand how different the real world was. The real world, as I would later discover, didn't care much for art or design. It favoured mathematical minds and scientific thinking.

That reality settled in when I realised that Fine Art wasn't even an option in WAEC. That moment quietly shifted how I saw the world, and more importantly, how I saw design.

Design was the one thing I truly thrived in. I was very timid, and design became my language. It was how I expressed myself and how I found confidence. Knowing I was good at it mattered. It grounded me. So when design started to feel like it had no real value at a structural or decision making level, something changed. I lost confidence. My relationship with design shifted.

I didn't completely abandon it, but I trivialised it for a long time.

I got into university to study Mass Communication, which I didn't enjoy, by the way. To cope with school, I would go to Oju Elegba, a place in Lagos to buy art materials. I would make comic illustrations on cardboard paper and post them on the noticeboard very early in the morning before students arrived, then stand in a corner watching people laugh and enjoy the comics.

That became my routine until one day, someone saw my work and told me about an opening for a comic illustrator. I went for the interview and got the job. I remember receiving my first salary and suddenly everything became clearer lol. If I could get paid doing what I loved, then I was doing this forever. The fact that I got paid means it was valuable, that was all the confirmation I needed.

That was the beginning of my career, this was around 2013. I moved from being a comic illustrator to a graphic designer, then a video editor, then a marketing designer and animator, and eventually, a brand designer.

These days, when I look at how much I get paid for branding projects, my mind goes back to those sleepless nights years ago, designing on my second hand Lenovo laptop, with batteries I changed countless times at Computer Village lol.

We are shaped by our experiences. Sometimes they push us into greatness. Other times, they slowly take away the most valuable part of us. It's important to protect your core, your idea, your dream.

So here are a few things I've learned along the way.

Talents, gifts, skills, they exist inside you. And unless you express them, no one will know they are there. There is someone out there looking for someone with your exact skill set and talent.

Document your journey. Keep the pictures. There are moments when you won't realise how far you've come until you look back. Those memories will matter on the days when things feel foggy.

Not all opportunities are equal. Some will sustain you for a season. Others will change the entire trajectory of your life. Treat every opportunity with intention, because you never know which one is which.

And finally, remember this.

You are the most valuable part of your journey. Not the work. Not the recognition. Not the destination.