We were lucky to catch up with Sekani Kobelt recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sekani, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I don’t think there was a moment. I was always creative and the more I tried to do anything else I was pulled back into the creative realm. It was more so I had to stop fighting against trying to have what was traditional and step into what felt right for me.
I became a business owner to try and create a structure that would support creative endeavors and create consistency. As a creative not knowing when your next job will be feels like you aren’t in control, so I still had to create the building blocks that would work for me everyday life.
Sekani, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
So I am originally from California, having lived a little bit of everywhere you gravitate towards certain energies and areas. I currently live in Jacksonville, Fl.
Here I opened up a creative co-working space and venue called Nexus Creative Hub with my partner Jordan Payne. We provide a space for community and creatives to get together, throw events, have photo shoots, and studio space.
Outside of that I also am a performer. I recently wrote a performance piece/ play that highlights the journey of finding yourself and importance of friendship. I also act, write and perform poetry, and model.
Essentially, I love finding ways to express myself and engage with others. In that process I sought to create a structure that was not only beneficial to myself but to others to engage with the arts whether it is hobby, career, or your just starting out.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
A lot of times creativity is seen as recreational, but creativity is essential. It helps open up your imaginations, has healing factors, and provides alternative ways to express yourself.
When doing creative work it is still a service a giving of not only time and energy but also your self.
Finding ways to budget for asking someone else to provide their talent is important. Because you are supporting them and their lifestyle. Making sure they can eat, pay bills, buy things they want and need, so they can continue to share their talents. And appreciation for making something beautiful or engaging, bringing you joy, inspiration, teaching you something, or any other facet of benefit received.
Coloring our lives is important and gives us reason. If society starting seeing creative as worth funding the money would be there for it and it would be know as a service. Even with other services you know you have to continue to build to increase the value of the service or product you provide, but with creative endeavors outside of community service if you are always seen doing the work for free there is no place for it to grow as a career.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
This feels like what I was put on this Earth to do. Doing anything else is going against what I am supposed to be doing. So I have to keep doing it and spend as much time doing it as possible.
I also been around some amazing artists and creatives since I was young, and knowing how hard it can be for the majority of creatives working to build a structure that can grow into a consistent financial means for myself and others is a major win.
Contact Info:
- Website: nexuscreativehub.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sekani_sasha/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skobelt/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sekani-kobelt
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coexist7243
Image Credits
Profile image: Ig @bluefranswa Party Image: Ig @issa_picture1804 Other images by @joridior & @sekani_sekani