Considering Art Podcast – Rediscover your artistic passion with Ndzaba Mngomezulu.

Introduction to Art

0:00Why is it that so many people who have a talent for art give it up and never start again?

0:30And how can that enthusiasm be restored? These are the questions my guest today, artist and educator Njaba Ngomazulu, has made it his mission to address. And Njaba, who hails from the African country Eswatini, has founded the Artist Creators Academy. It's built on personal experience. His academy and an accompanying book entitled Draw Again, Dream Again, seeks to examine the many reasons people give up drawing, both practical and psychological, and offers structured methods to overcome them and rekindle the passion.

1:05It's based on personal experience. Njaba gave up art for a decade and began studying for the first time under a professional illustrator. He soon progressed from basic to intermediate skills. In his own words, that transformation revealed something powerful. The path back to creativity is shorter and easier than most artists think. He's been giving me more details about his ideas from Brazil, where he now lives.

Njaba's Background

1:33Njaba, welcome to the podcast. Now, you were born and brought up in Eswatini, which was formerly Swaziland. What was it like growing up there? Compared to where I live now, which is in Brazil, a different experience. Things were slower. And in the environment that I was brought up in, there was always looking to, you know, other countries abroad as places that we would desire to be or things that we would desire to achieve.

2:05And so it was a, it's a very small country. And so a lot of people know each other and the mindset is also a bit different and small in some sense for that reason as well. So looking back today, I can say those are, that's how I, I'd say my experience was growing up there. I read a rather disturbing statistic about Eswatini. It says that 28% of adults are HIV positive.

2:35That's rather alarming, isn't it? Yeah. When you look at the population ratio, it is, it definitely is. But it's true. I think a few, maybe about a decade, more than a decade, while time flies, there was a Guinness world record statistic about that. But I do believe it's not as bad as it was before at some point. So improvements are being made.

Importance of Art

3:01Anyway, how important was art and drawing in particular for you growing up?

3:09Oh, it was, it was my portal to dreaming and imagining, and imagination. It was something that I always went to, whether I was in class, and supposed to be paying attention, but this is what I'd rather be doing, or drawing between textbooks, my desks, and also any notebook that had free paper. I loved using it as a form of expressing myself or even just drawing my favorite cartoon characters, and eventually comic books, which then became a stronger influence.

3:43And did you take art classes, actually, in your school?

3:49I had very few, far and in between. So there was a time in high school that they did have an art kind of subject. And it was more than just drawing, it was also like handcrafted things. So I didn't necessarily find it as interesting as just learning to draw, but I've never had any formal art education where drawing is concerned.

Lapsing in Art

4:09Right, well, your whole shtick at the moment is persuading people who have lapsed in terms of doing their art to come back, so to speak. What's your own personal story about laps? Mine was a combination of many things, such as not only the environment I grew up in, which, by reason of it being a third world country, it's logical for parents to want their children to pursue viable careers.

4:45And I'll put that in quotes, because you can really make success out of anything. But I do understand from their perspective how art, especially in our country, is not something you can live off of, and not even sports or music and entertainment. It's really just the nine-to-five corporate jobs. And on top of that was the education system that I was under, which I believe is present in majority of the world. And you can correct me if I'm wrong, whereby they seem to want to create workers more than thinkers.

5:19And so all the mathematics subjects and physics and geography, that holds the grade to make you move on to the next class, whereas art is more optional. And even if you do really well, but you're not good at math, you can fail. And so subconsciously over the years, I was basically feeling as if art was not that important and not that viable. And so those are one of the influences that eventually led me to not pursuing art seriously.

5:56I dabbled in music a bit, but not a bit, a lot actually. But even so, when I'd want to come back and draw, I couldn't get back into it the same way that I used to. And it was due to a number of those reasons. Well, give us a few. One was the education system, as I mentioned. Another one was the opportunities or the feeling or the sense that it just wasn't a viable option.

6:27And number three, to be honest, was a lack of fundamental knowledge. And I wouldn't say that I couldn't have looked to find a book, but I just wasn't aware of the fact that I could do such a thing, because in my mind, at that age, all education that I receive is in the school that I'm in, right? And so my lack of knowing how to effectively get better at my skills was also a subconscious discouragement to eventually finding me putting it to the side and just saying that, you know what, it's something I like to do, but it's not something I have to take seriously.

7:07It's a hobby, yeah.

Personal Story

7:08I read that you drew a portrait when you were eight years old, and that was the last one you drew for 22 years. What happened there? Oh, well, it's one of the things that I mentioned in my book as to why aspiring artists quit or even quit when they want to come back. And that's setting unrealistic expectations. So I looked at a picture of my siblings and I, which my father took, was framed.

7:41I'm just like, you know what, I want to draw a picture of myself. And in the worst way, looking back, I got a notebook, empty, empty page. I got a pen and not even a pencil and eraser to kind of correct the mistakes. And so every time I just wasn't getting it to look right and I took a look at it, I felt so ashamed. If I'm not mistaken, I may have even just like torn the paper and threw it away and never wanted to try again. So it was very discouraging.

8:14The ambition was good, but the skill wasn't there to bring it to life. OK, but when you grew up, have you had any teaching experience? Not in a professional sense, but in the sense of life where I have a younger brother, for example, who looks up to me and certain things that he needs guidance on, correction on, whether it's in how he's carrying himself or it's chores in the home. I would say that's where my first teaching career began, in the home.

8:45And I do have a natural, let's say, counseling nature. And I offer advice that they consider that's meaningful and intuitively. I wouldn't say that I studied and learned to do these things, but I'm often very curious about how things work, dynamics, relationships, why this isn't good, why this is bad. And I believe being that observant has allowed me to then help people become more aware of their problems and help them in any other way.

9:22And then, as I mentioned earlier, before we got started recording, I'm involved in the youth ministry in my church as part of the leadership. So continuing to do that has also been increasing my ability to teach more effectively to whoever I'm speaking to. And you do that in Brazil, where you are now. What brought you to Brazil?

9:47What brought me to Brazil was a funny story. So it all started with a pandemic.

9:55And in this pandemic, I decided to go online to pursue my partner. And the short of it is, I found her, and she lives in Brazil. And in a few months, by our conviction, we felt that we were meant for each other. And we took steps from there to then finally meet each other in person. So she came over the following year to see my parents. And then I went over in 2022 to live here.

Art Creators Academy

10:29How romantic.

Art Creators Academy

10:29So, Nzaba, what was the catalyst for your idea of setting up this Art Creators Academy? The catalyst for me was learning that whatever skill or ability that I have is also valuable to someone else other than me. And throughout this journey, though, short, because I came back to drawing just January of 2025.

11:04And by the end of it, I discovered all the ways to draw easily and without stress and with a lifestyle-based routine and still see progress. And the results of that become really enjoying what you do, right, and restoring that childlike joy. And someone, a mentor that I followed, is one person who helped me to reclaim and rediscover that. And I want that for someone else, too. And that became the catalyst for Art Creators Academy and just helping people reclaim their artistic identity and voice and continuing with that consistency and making art they'd be proud of.

11:48And what's the core method that the Academy uses? What we start with is I have what I call the drawing comeback framework. But what we do is we reconnect, we rebuild, and we reignite. And so reconnecting is basically the person coming back to why is it that I love drawing in the first place? Because that can often be forgotten in the midst of all the years that have passed and all the social media influences and pressures of what it means to be an artist, what it means to love drawing.

12:28Is it about how much you draw? Is it about how well you draw? You know, things like that, that we remove all the clutter and come back to the root of why we started doing this in the first place. And then we rebuild. We go back to the basics. That's exactly what I did. So I'm only teaching what I did to get to where I am. And once we've refreshed our minds on, you know, the fundamentals, which I believe everybody at any level in their art skills should come back and revisit because we tend to forget certain things and it only makes us better.

13:05And once we have that set, then we reignite, which is not only having them on fire again with what they love to do, but maintaining it. Because one thing is a five-day challenge, which I host, that then gets them back and it's an experience. But how do you maintain that experience in your normal daily life and in the midst of your responsibilities, routines, etc.? So I help them go through all of that. Okay, well, we'll talk a bit more about that in a minute. But why do people quit or pause?

13:40I believe it's, it comes from a number of reasons, but a few that I can think of in my mind is also the environment that you grow up in. So you could either be in an environment that encourages and nurtures the thing that you want to do or in one that like discourages it and presses it down, which is not easy to then want to pursue what you want to do. Another thing is believing, you know, the lies, I call them limiting beliefs, because ultimately, they don't serve you at the end of the day.

14:16And these lies that you tell yourself that you believe, even though they're not true, one of them being I'm not talented enough is something that then just causes people to not want to continue on that path and not want to really make something out of what they could possibly do. So maybe it's comparison to other people that may be drawing better at this stage of your life. But that's not to say that you'll never get better or discover your own style of drawing, right? Because imagine if every single piece of artwork was realistic, I think that would be boring.

14:50Or if every single bit of artwork were cartoony, then that wouldn't be interesting. The variation and being able to just discover how you draw and how you interpret art, all those things are hidden behind these lies, these walls of disbelief and comparison to others and environmental factors. Yeah, I mean, there are practical things, aren't there, why people give up? I've interviewed lots of artists, particularly women, who gave up for a number of years just to raise a family.

15:24Wow. Yeah, there's also that, right? Like the life responsibilities and the interesting thing, I'm glad you brought it up, is that like I had now a wife and a child at the time that I came back. I have two now, but just the one girl at the time. And a nine to five and my commitments, right? But I was able to figure out a way to continue doing what I love in spite of having all these things.

15:55And so sometimes we think, you know, we have to have all this time to ourselves to be able to do it. And yet it's amazing what even 20 minutes of showing up consistently can do to not only keep you progressing, but keep you enjoying your craft. Yeah, I can see that. So you're saying, really, you have to juggle with your time and create priorities and so on. But, I mean, the other thing is that some artists don't encourage their children to become artists because they just don't think they can make a living out of it.

16:35You won't pay the rent. And that's surely a factor, too, isn't it? Yeah, it is. And, you know, the more I think about it, I think it just comes from looking at it from the time that maybe they grew up in because the world is always changing. And the traditional way or let's say the way I was raised and believing how artists would make money off of their art is completely different to how things are being done now. And so I would absolutely encourage those artistic parents to look at the area, the current marketplace and how things are being done to still give that incentive to their children.

17:14Because I believe it's more possible than ever to have a sustainable living off of art and even more possible for the youth to do it now. You have your social media. There's one kid that I follow. I don't know if he's 18 now, but he looks like a really young kid who's very talented. He works with watercolors. He works with markers, pencils, you name it. And it's gone to such a huge following that I know it's bringing something to the table for either himself or his family.

17:47So it's having to be open to just possibilities different than what you're accustomed to to still make this thing work for you because you've worked with the art, but now it's time for your art to work for you. And I also think that being creative is just generally very good for your mental health. Oh, yeah. You've done this book, Draw Again, Dream Again, which is, I suppose, part of the whole academy thing.

18:17Who is it aimed at? It's aimed at the person who feels like it's too late to come back, who feels like it's not worth coming back, who feels like they're too busy to come back to drawing because that's who I thought I was, right? I thought this was something that was put to the side. And I know that I'm not the only one who's going through this. There are a number of people I've spoken to, for example, that have told me that, oh, yeah, yeah, I used to draw, too, when they'd see my drawings.

18:55And mention that, like, you know, but it's something I used to do back in the day, as if it's something that they couldn't realistically do now. And again, like you said, like, just even for your mental health, it doesn't have to be for monetary reasons. It can just be for the fact that it's a good extracurricular activity to do or to incorporate in your daily life. So it's for people like that, people who feel like their time has passed, but they can feel like there's still something missing.

19:25I had a conversation with one person who was telling me that we often have this void that needs to be fulfilled. And when we don't, it continues to bother us. So I know that they probably feel like there's something missing, though they can't put their finger on it. And if they were to come back to this that they used to do, then that would help a lot. And who is the book not aimed at? The book is not for people who are just starting to draw.

20:00It's not for people who are drawing consistently and well. It's not going to really help you in any way that's significant because you're already where somebody desires to be. Right. So it's not for a person who's already established and is on fire and has a trajectory, maybe has some questions and doubts, but this is not for them. This is for the person who needs to be lifted back up and helps to believe that this that they love to do is waiting for them to come back and to flourish.

20:36And then the next step is everything else that I offer. And you mentioned that there are seven psychological reasons why artists quit. You mentioned some of them, but what is that based on scientifically? From my research, I didn't look too deep into the scientific reason, but the psychological reason of how environment shapes our behavior.

21:06And depending on our environment, whether the environment is social media, right, where there's a lot of reasons to feel like you are, you know, not far ahead of moving along in life, where you can feel like so many people are achieving a lot and you're not, where so many people are talented and you just don't have what it takes. All these things, all these things, as well as what you're not aware of. So there's one of the reasons, the psychological reasons, which is being quote unquote original.

21:40And this being original is within the context of thinking that looking at someone else's drawing or drawing from someone else's drawing is being a copycat or not being creative enough. And yet there's no other way to improve in your craft than learning from somebody else, right? And so some of the things aren't things that they necessarily were taught or heard, but just believe because of a lack of awareness to the right way to do things.

22:15You talk about fluency gap, don't you? What exactly is that? To summarize the fluency gap, it's my brain knows how to do one thing, but my hands are not able to execute. And as I've thought more about the fluency gap, I've realized and discovered that there are two fluency gaps. One comes from having drawn years ago and then coming back to it and not being able to draw the same way you used to.

22:47And another is the unrealistic expectation that I shared with you, where in your mind, you want to put something to a pace that you don't currently have the skill set or the capacity to do. You mentioned social media and another phrase you use is extrinsic motivation. And I think that's to do with social media algorithms. So are you suggesting that people are looking at social media, seeing things on it and thinking, I can't do that or I'll never be as good as that or whatever?

23:22Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, social media is one example now that, you know, I'm thinking about it and speaking with you. So there's so many other external reasons that people may want to pursue drawing that just won't sustain them because it doesn't come from within. It's like a passing tide, basically. And maybe it's family members, you know. Let's think of children who grew up in a home where everyone is an artist or your parents are artists.

23:53And then it's you who's just not really interested in that. I can understand someone who might feel like I need to be drawing now, but yet not uncovering the reason why I stopped drawing in the first place as the reason to get back. So the external motivation could come from so many different areas. But because we're most connected to social media, that's one place that I can easily put it on. And where you see much, much faster and much more frequently, because that's how the algorithm is designed.

24:24You keep looking at these things, it's going to keep showing it to you. And yet what it's doing to you is just discouraging you from the very thing that you want to do in the first place. Another thing that probably puts some people off is the idea that you've got to be perfect, perfectionism. Oh, yeah. On the other hand, a lot of artists actually revel in making mistakes and can exploit them. But does perfectionism put some people off? Yeah, I believe it does. One of the things that doesn't help with perfectionistic people, and I can admit that I do have perfectionist tendencies, is you basically overplan and overprepare until everything is right before you get started.

25:12And nothing will ever be right enough for you to get started. And what happens is time is passing while you're still waiting for that perfect moment that just won't arrive. And it's just slowly moving you way, way, way behind the very thing you want to do, which is the drawing, which is expressing yourself. So perfectionism is definitely a killer of taking action and I'd even say dreams at times.

Strategies for Artists

25:40So to those who sign up for your academy and Zaba, what are the strategies that you put in place? The strategies I put in place is getting clear on what it is that they want to pursue out of art and drawing so that it's not a mismatch. If for you this is more of an extra hobby that you'd like to pursue and doing extra time, that's fine. But if for you there's something that you want to do and taking it seriously and professionally, then we tailor it towards that.

26:14I've designed a lifestyle-based routine so it incorporates and considers the busyness or the free time that you have and also your skill level. Because I've noticed that when it comes to current art curriculums in schools, they may have resources that are tailored to your skill level, but not necessarily your lifestyle. And so we work together and through a mentorship, give you the clarity and the direction that you need so that you are drawing with confidence and seeing progress and making art that you'd be proud of.

26:50And if you want to sell. And you mentioned earlier about challenges. You set challenges, do you? Oh, yes, yes. I host a five-day challenge called the Drawing Comeback Challenge. And so it basically meant to help a person rediscover their why and show them the practical way of drawing, just demystifying art myths and showing them how easy and actually possible it is for them to start drawing. And I share with them my Drawing Comeback Framework.

27:23I show them how to keep the fire going and then help them to forge their path moving forward. And for those who might have given up because they got artist block, how do you prevent them getting the block again? One of the things that we do is showing them what actually matters when it comes to drawing and even such things as embracing the plateau. I was reading a book by George Howard called Mastery, which was recommended by Marshall Vandruff as well.

28:00He was a talented art instructor. And it speaks about the plateau that everyone experiences in every area of their lives where you see somewhat of an uptick in your improvement in whatever you're doing, be it sports and in this case, let's say drawing. But then there's a moment where you're not seeing much progress. And it's in this place where most people might say they're experiencing art block or even the fact that or the belief that inspiration needs to come before you start drawing, not realizing that in choosing to draw and in choosing to show up, then inspiration comes.

28:41And so the principles in that book speak about the process, which is what I believe drawing and everything in life should be about, never the end result or the end goal, never coming up with a brand new idea, but just exploring. The fact that I don't have something I can clearly think of right now should be part of the fun because in still coming and drawing and in still being consistent, we are making a breakthrough.

29:15And so it should be something that's embraced, but understood as to why it happens. And when you realize that it's a normal part of progress and that the key to that is enjoying the process, then that no longer makes art block a threat anymore in their progress. And I guess the more you enjoy it, the better you become. Exactly. And inspiration can come from almost anywhere, can't it? Yeah, yeah, which is why I also encourage those said artists to look to other activities, you know, it's not just about always locking yourself up and drawing and drawing endlessly.

29:54Like it's good to have other recreational activities and you'll be surprised what inspires you to come back to the page and draw what you might decide you want to do. Sometimes I go out of my practice and I want to draw my children or I want to draw my wife. And it's not like I have to, but it's a nice way to just enjoy what you're doing, because sometimes we practice too much, but they never get to actually enjoy the fruits of our labor.

30:25As a teacher, you will try and get people to fulfill their potential as much as possible. Is it fun determining what their potential is? It is. Yes, it is. And, you know, it's so amazing when you focus like the feedback that I've been giving my students recently, like on my live streams, when you can see what they were able to actually accomplish more than what they clearly didn't.

30:58Because I'm pretty sure that they can see for themselves that maybe this isn't as good of a drawing as I can possibly make it. And we are our own worst critics, so I don't need to be an extra critic in that sense. So I approach it first from a place of acknowledging and looking at what they were capable of doing and really, really admiring that and then encouraging them on what they need to fix. And I found that it's really motivated them to go beyond what they even think their potential is.

31:34Because, I mean, there's really no end to how much better we can become in our craft. But to also help somebody acknowledge where they currently are and what to improve on and work on so that they see the results that they desire. I work with them based on where they are, honestly. But I love to just acknowledge and see, like, what they were able to execute and pull off that. I'm even like, wow, you could do that?

32:04Like, from a genuine place. And it's been beautiful doing it that way. It sounds, Anjaba, like it's really benefited you personally doing this. Yeah. I'm glad you brought that up. It's true. And I was even thinking about that, like, I was with the mindset of, you know, pursuing music for some years and I felt convicted to come back to art and I didn't understand why. And now I'm grateful because I get to interact with and engage with people in ways that I couldn't before that make a meaningful difference in their life as opposed to putting a song out, which I know is meaningful to people.

32:48But it's not the same. It's not as engaging and interactive. And seeing somebody grow and you being a part of their journey has been something that I'm so grateful I experienced today. Well, I'm grateful for you telling us all about it. Thanks so much, Anjaba. No, thank you so much for having me, Bob. It's been an honor talking to you. Anjaba Mgamazulu. And I've put a link to his academy on the Considering Art website. Do leave any comments if you have some. And join me, Bob Chawndy, again next week.

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