Keith on The Verve

I sat down to talk to Keith Mudakureva, otherwise known as 'Keith The Artist' about his work as a multi-dimensional artist. The 27 years old creator who is currently based in Canada, is know for his attention grabbing creativity which ranges from dance to design and film just to name a few. Keith shares with ZimVerve, some of his beliefs and experiences in the arts.

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Quick Questions With Keith

Congratulations on the work you’ve done so far like the poster you created for King Kandoro’s one man stand up comedy show. Can you tell us what else do you do as an artist?

I am a visual artist, a dancer (although I have taken a break from dancing for a while), a graphic designer, which I practice through creating adverts and marketing. In the corporate world I believe it makes me more of an asset as I can both come up with ideas and execute them as I have learnt to use the software. I am also a film maker (especially with my clips on Instagram). I’m just a creative guy. If I could, I’d take up singing too (laughs).

Everything you do is so diverse, where do you get your ideas from?

I started doing a lot of this, like the movie scene re-enactments, while I was at Africa University. I would watch a movie and if there was a really good scene, I would just play it over and over until I knew it well. Back then I didn’t even have the effects I do now but I just kept developing it.

What are you doing in Canada?

I am working in Sales and Marketing which is so different to what I do on Instagram.

It’s interesting that you can be both creative and work in such a structured '9-5' setting at the same time. How have you managed to balance that?

I got a lot of motivation from my friend, Soko Matemai, a rapper. He had a full-time job while I was still in university and he also managed to get an award for his music while working and it motivated me. You really have to have your heart into your craft. Being Zimbabwean, you learn to do what needs to be done and you have to put in the work to achieve your dreams.

Do you think being in Canada has helped you explore your creativity more? Given that it is a more economically conducive environment?

Yes, but in the creative world it’s different than in the corporate world in the sense that your ideas and execution matter more than external resources. There is so much creativity in Zimbabwe, just limited opportunities unfortunately. So many people back home are even more talented than some here.

It just requires a balance because all over the world, the arts industry is difficult and you have to work hard to monetize your creativity and make it lucrative. You cannot rely on being talented alone like we did in high school, because you have to look at your creativity from a business point of view if you want to lean on it.

"...you have to work hard to monetize your creativity and make it lucrative. You cannot rely on being talented alone"

Who else would you like to work with in Zimbabwe?

Similarly to you, I would also like to work with other young creatives that I can relate to. I’m attracted to people who are working towards a dream and who are serious about what they do. I’d like to work with anyone who takes the craft seriously and pushes their hustle. I love working with creatives who believe in themselves and whose work can be beneficial to many people. I don’t really have any targets at the moment but I’ve done some work with different people like Probeatz recently, for his album cover. Most times I work with people I meet through referrals too.

You mentioned that you learn a lot as you go. Are you self-taught?

Yes, everything I do is self-taught. I started dancing when I was 15 and back then I would learn to dance from what I saw on TV and imitate what I would see.

Do you see yourself coming back to Zimbabwe to push your art further?

Yes because it all begins at home. My target is to do something for Zimbabwe if I do well in this industry. I am hoping to come up with some projects with my friends from 'MadeInZwe'

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I really don’t know. I can’t predict because even looking at where I thought I’d be 6 months ago is totally different from where I am now. I do promise that I’ll be doing my best though (laughs).

Please check out Keith’s YouTube channel – Zim Review and follow him on Instagram and Twitter.