So it’s been Two Years

I should have written this post at the end of last year, but TIME wasn’t my friend!!!

Afroklectic had a big year last year!!! It shifted from being a one woman project into a collective as part of my final major project for my Visual Communications degree.

Prior to starting my final major, we were encouraged at Uni to do something which we would enjoy, something which we will be proud of and something which could go beyond the 10 minute final presentation. Something evolving around Afroklectic seemed best fit for my major project. However, I went into this project with fear. Fear that people wouldn’t receive it, fear that I would screw up what Afroklectic had become and fear that I would have put so much effort into this project, spent so much money and the marks wouldn’t reflect that!!! They said marks aren’t everything, but come on, this was the FINAL PROJECT of the degree!!! For me, the marks were important because it would be an indication of whether what I had created was a solid strategy and clear direction for Afroklectic.

Every waking and sleeping moment was spent on this major project titled ‘The Afroklectic Project’. Either making it, thinking about it, or dreaming about it. There were moments when my supervisor thought I wasn’t going to make it. There were times when I thought  that I wasn’t even going to make it either!!!

However, I enjoyed the process/experience even through the uncertainties and high pressure moments. Besides that, I learnt so much about myself, what creative Africa embodies and what Afroklectic needs to be!

There are so many people who I would like to thank for making the concept of Afroklectic the way it is now. With the utmost gratitude, I would like to thank all the people I interviewed. Thanks for taking the time to be apart of this project. Your ideas and input have sown a seed into Afroklectic!

A big thank you to my supervisor for my major project. I had escaped from another tutorial and was put into a tutorial with my supervisor along with other escapees. I was a bit skeptical at first because I used to either skip or sleep in the lectures for a subject he used to co-ordinate in my second year of Uni. That subject was my enemy, and since my tutor was an avid fan of that subject, he too was my enemy. For this project, my supervisor helped me define what I was trying to create when I couldn’t find the words, he opened me up to new avenues when I thought I had hit a brick wall, and he even doubted my capabilities which made me push even more to make the new Afroklectic work! For that I say THANK YOU!

I would also like to thank Afroklectic’s new contributors Jessica and Sefakor, along with my friends and family for their support and encouragement.

Thank you to all the readers/followers of Afroklectic for joining me (which is now us) on the Afroklectic journey. A big thank you also for  all your encouraging emails, comments, Facebook & Tumblr messages. They constantly inspire me to keep pushing the boundaries of Afroklectic.

Lastly, I would like to thank my high school art teacher. She is the one who introduced me to the idea of merging my Ghanaian culture and art together. This helped me find myself and accept my identity. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have studied Visual Communications either! She basically told me that it was the only degree for me. I trusted her word and I have never looked back. If you are an avid fan of Oprah, then you will know about her grade four teacher Mrs Duncan. Oprah once said that because of Mrs Duncan, she felt like she could take on the world and she credits her for what she is today. My high school art teacher was and is my Mrs Duncan!!!

So it’s been two years since Afroklectic graced the web. Last year was the year of transformation and this year will be the year where we reap the goodness of the transformation, bringing new voices, new projects and new ideas to the table. We will continue to feed off our vision of being a space which celebrates the creative culture within the African-Australian and the Diaspora. We hope you continue to stay tuned, be inspired, start a conversation with us and help us to build this initiative!!!

If you have ideas on projects or want to collaborate, drop us a line at info@afroklectic.com. We would love to hear from you!!

Peace.