We were lucky to catch up with SEJ recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi SEJ, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

How we measure success is very subjective although I have had times starting out in early 20s where success through materialism and solid outer structure was something I gave importance, I still see how common of a denominator it is around people who measure success of a person by it, as time has passed encompassing experiences, for me it’s become very crystal clear as to the times where I have truly felt successful and those times in particular date back to or towards any day where my days are filled and organized in a way where they are nurturing to all domains of my life, and the impact I have on others including my health, things like movement, creativity, having space, embracing discipline, putting effort into, learning something new followed by enough time to unwind and reflect and love and surround myself with those who I find have similar values that align with mine.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a contemporary realistic painter for the most part and dabble in different creative mediums, alongside making paintings, I also enjoy learning new things that have the capacity to enchant me. A recent proud moment for me was my work going to the moon through a project Lunar codex and Space X.
Everyone who follows my work knows that over the years I have followed the conventional ideology of how a painter should be ie do what I want to do with my creative inhibitions as to how I please. Consistency definitely has played a big role as to where I am today.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I personally always believed that consistency is the key, but what I have also learned over time that has worked for me personally is bringing in experimentation in my art as I continue being a painter and an artist dwelling in different mediums and always having a profound love for learning something new in the same domain, surrendering to the unknown and letting myself not be chained to the idea of letting my creativity out in a certain structural way my brain has conditioned myself to know me as an artist, alongside not being either tainted or fluffed by how the society perceives me as a painter in relation to myself has helped tremendously to keep going forward and bringing lightness and fun in the studio offering different style of works to be explored and a win win for me as a creative and to those who collect my work.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think one of the most difficult things itself is to unlearn, we are caught in between the structures of the future, which are still self-assembling, and the structures of the past, which are being disassembled.

To keep things moving, we have no choice but to unlearn. One of the most important lessons in hindsight I had to unlearn was to listen to my judgements and create my own beliefs over assuming and accepting that of others without thought or out of duty and I stick by this story even to this day. which will give you insight as to exactly what I mean to say.

A Monk was walking alongside a stream when he saw a Scorpion struggling in the water. Knowing that scorpions cannot swim, he quickly plunged into the water to rescue it.

Carefully, he picked the Scorpion up with his fingers and walked to the bank. Just when he was about to set the Scorpion down, it turned and stung his hand. The Monk being in pain drew his hand back and as a result the Scorpion was flung back into the stream.

When the Monk realized what happened, he went back into the water and picked up the Scorpion once again. But just as the Monk was about to set the Scorpion down, he was again stung on the hand by it. This scene repeated several times until the Monk finally saved the Scorpion.

A little boy was playing by the stream when he witnessed this whole incident. Being confused, he asked the Monk, “Excuse me. Why do you keep trying to save that Scorpion? It stings you every time you try to rescue it.”

The Monk replied, “Dear boy, just as it is the water’s nature to make me wet, so it is the nature of the Scorpion to sting. And just as it is the Scorpion’s nature to sting, it is my nature to save.”

A meaningful story that metaphorically taught me that we should not change our beliefs or thoughts based on the behaviors or thoughts of others without insight.
We implicitly will come across those who think they know what’s best for us and those who know nothing but demean us to gain shallow momentum, given the conditions of the modern and technologically induced reality we live in, we must never allow anyone’s actions to rob us of our duties and faith to what brings us joy and what demands our quenched souls with passions to creatively endure.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: sej.studio
• Youtube: Sej.studio
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Sej studio