Truthfully speaking, art was not the first thing I fell in love with. It was Football, or Soccer.
I just really loved the idea of kicking a ball around with several people, you know? From different cultures and perspectives and all, working together for a single goal, no pun intended.
And then, my breathing/chest issues sort of ended that dream for me, in a way. Oh well. It is in the past. I don't like to think about it too much as a regret.
I found art not so long after. Early on, books, especially story books, were an escape, a whole new world of imagination, like an alternate reality, you know? I could live inside the heads of the narrators, and of characters. I read Enid Blyton a lot. Even English lesson books were fun, I loved reading the passages of even book for classes I had gone past as a pupil or student.
Poetry captured my heart in secondary school. My Literature and I think English teacher as well was Miss Victoria. Smart woman, intelligent and had a really lovely accent. Don't get me wrong, I love my Nigerianness and all, even pidgin English as well, English was just the subject I excelled at the most. I hated math, because it got too complicated in senior secondary school. And my math teachers definitely didn't help that.
As an artist, I am into many things. I am a musician, a writer, an illustrator and painter, a photographer, and I am always pretty much finding a new form to express myself in. I really do see myself doing all of these things. Hopefully, I don't stress and stretch myself out too much. I will eventually employ help to let me work my best.
I'm signed to Management now, and I am pretty excited about that. I will admit that I am not a person who has had it easy managing the business side of art. And even where I live back in Nigeria, for someone like me who is fairly introverted and into several different forms of art, especially art that isn't necessarily popular in the Nigerian market, that is a kind of hell. I have several years to prove it.
With my art, I hope to inspire change. I hope to make things move in a positive direction not just for me and my family and friends and circle, but the entire world, the entire universe, you see.
I often pray and wish the whole world can be good. You may call it wanting an utopia. But I think it's possible. Maybe it's being raised heavily Catholic and Christian and wanting good in the world.
My name is Frederick Phoenix, and I am a bold representation of art. I want people to boldly choose art as a career, wherever they are, however old or young they may be. The world will always need art, as well as artists. Without art, I think life would really just suck.