More often than not, when we look at people who have made it in one way or another, we often see the success and not the journey to get there. Truth be told, it is very rare to find a person who has achieved overnight success because it takes hard work and discipline to get ahead in life.
This is the story of Catherine Jepkemboi aka Minicheps a visual artist who shared her story as part of the Guinness Black Shines Bright series stories. The series uncovers how Kenyan creatives in music, fashion, food and arts explore their passion for what they do and their aspirations as young creatives.
What many people don’t know is that before she came to the limelight last year, she had been producing her art for more than two years prior. Just like any other artist, when Catherine produced her first pictures, she thought that people would like them immediately. However, this did not happen and she had to ask her friends and relatives to like and share her work in order to create awareness.
One year down the line, she suffered a setback because the camera that she and her husband were using to shoot was borrowed and suddenly they didn’t have access to it anymore. This forced them back to the drawing board and they decided to take a one year break so that they could save enough money to buy their own camera.
They were finally able to buy the camera and started shooting again and luckily for them, this time around people loved her art and she went viral. This meant that brands started noticing her and some of them approached her for partnerships and this is when she finally started making money from her art.
To say that her life has changed for the better since she started making money is an understatement. Having come from a humble background, this is a dream come true for her and her family.
According to Catherine, she is inspired to keep doing what she does because of her desire to impact young girls. This is by showing them that even though they might be coming from humble backgrounds, they can be able to change their lives for the better.
Catherine’s says that the future is bright courtesy of the many corporates who are interested in working with her. She has also launched a clothing line ‘Minicheps Collections’ which she is trying to promote.
Check out her story and those of other creatives who were part of the Guinness Black Shines Brightest stories.