Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time and this is exactly what 19-year-old Simeon Campbell is doing with his masterpieces.
Campbell, who attended the Berbice High School, is currently a student at the University of Guyana where he is studying Civil Engineering.
His journey started when he was in primary school, just around six-years-old. He said, “I was sitting in class one day and I saw a friend drawing a male character in a very unique way and I thought to myself why not give it a try because I grew bored of drawing people in stick figures.”
He added when he attempted to draw the character, he never knew it would have turned out so good and also be fun. With the satisfaction of himself and others, it sparked a new flame and his art journey took off right through his primary and secondary school years.
“I was one of the best artists in my class almost every year,” Campbell added. In 2016, one of Campbell’s friend posted an animated character of himself in a group chat and he was super impressed seeing something as cool as that.
At the point, he began pursuing means in which he can accomplish the same. He then stumbled upon a YouTube video which explained how to animate someone and by following the instructions he was successful at his first stint.
“The thought of doing something like that makes me feel like I was the very best of the best.” This quickly changed after one day when he was scrolling down his newsfeed on Instagram and saw a guy that does animated art like his as well. The only thing was that the other guy’s art was better than his by a huge margin.
The guy’s post said that the first 100 people to inbox him will get free art. Hence, Campbell messaged and asked the guy to do art for him. He was given a timeframe when to collect the piece. About a week had passed and he asked the guy about the artwork and he was told that he has to pay cash.
He added, “I was confused since he said it was free at first. I then noticed that the first 50 people he posted on his page were females. It angered me in which I thought he was being unfair so I promised myself to do art better than his and not to be biased because of someone’s gender.”
Over the years, Campbell’s art has been successful but he does not think it has reached its true potential. In this regard, he wants his art to help people express feelings, ideas, concepts, and imagination.
“I want my art to become people’s voice. The thing I enjoy the most about my art is that it helps me to meet new people, you know new areas, and make people feel free to express one’s inner self.”
His biggest inspiration for his art is Akeem King and King Kasy because they are two amazing individuals and they give him the extra zest to do great. He added that one day he hopes to be talented as these two persons because they influence people in great ways with their skills and personality.”
His personal key to success is not giving up until he can be a better version of himself and perfect his art. In the future, he would like to become a professional animator and graphics designer. One of the challenges he faces as an artist is what his friend Akeem King calls a “creator block” where there may be a blockage of ideas and not knowing what he wants to draw to capture people’s attention.
In the next five years he sees his business prospering and inspiring others to not give up on their dreams. When he is not studying or working, this 6 feet 8 inches youth enjoys playing basketball, listening to music, and exploring places. He is also a freelance graphic designer. He sketches and animates people, places, things, or characters. He also does a little visual art here and there, in which he uses editing software like Photoshop or Coreldraw to create designs or art ideas.
