Many young people are increasingly using their talents to earn a living especially in art and with some financial support, such talents can blossom. At 24 years of age, Bruce Sakindi Tuyishime, also known as “Blue” is enjoying the fruits of his hard work through art. Blue is a designer by profession with a background in fine art. He mastered his artistic skills from Nyundo School of Art and Music last year, he completed his studies at University of Rwanda in Creative Design. According to him, every child is an artist because the primary language they speak at a young age is drawing, that is, colours and lines but as they grow up, society uses different means to forge different personalities out of their original shape. “Growing up and keeping up with drawing is a journey of surviving. I remember in my primary school, I wasn’t good at math and it was normal because our minds are strong in different fields. However, my field wasn’t welcomed by people around me,” he said. He added that there was a saying back in school that “dull students are sharp at drawing”, and he recalls being scoffed, trashed and insulted because of doing what made his life beautiful. However, he is happy that the insults and negativity didn’t mess with his mental health, at least not much. After getting through with his primary studies, he joined ordinary level hoping it would be a little different, but instead, the situation was the same because ‘people had the same mentality of not valuing or understanding how a visual artist could benefit society. “I remember helping out in classes as we drew diagrams of the anatomy,” he said. His relief came when he finally got through ordinary level and went to Nyundo School of Art and Music. It was like a dream come true as he was surrounded by other ‘survivors’. Their rules and standards were made according to their nature. Blue’s first exhibition was in front of his class, but eventually he was called to assist teachers in drawing diagrams. He then knew what drawing can do to help society in terms of management, because by having a concept, one can understand what it takes to do something. “I can add value to the existing structures by designing outdoor or indoor appearances known as interior and exterior designs through the beauty of fine art,” he stated. Blue now owns an art studio known as “Kwanda studio” located in Gikondo that deals in concept design, 3d animation, landscape design and fine art. Apart from art, he is also a poet because he believes that through both art and poetry, he can express himself better and probably speak for those who can’t speak for themselves. Blue calls upon society to support all talents because many students have given up on their talents as they are known for not being so powerful in society, which he thinks is not fair.
