|Lateasha Colquhoun

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas.

MANDEVILLE, ncu- Third Year Social Work student, Abigayle Samuels shares her business: Touche Creative d’Abigale, which focuses primarily on Home Decorative Art pieces. The twenty-one-year-old artist mentioned that her journey to discovering her talent was through studying Art at the Northern Caribbean University (NCU).

Samuels stated that “I fell in love with art, but I never had any intentions to start a business centered around it. However, I began sharing my pieces all over social media and persons commended them for being well composed. I felt appreciated and even more excited when I got a message from one of my mother’s colleagues that she wished to purchase one of the pieces I shared. That’s when I decided to take it seriously.”

She mentioned that as an Entrepreneur and University student, it can become exhausting to manage both, but her passion for the arts propels her. “It’s been good and hard at the same time. On average, I will get two orders every week which is really good because it’s art. However, I have to execute them with a certain standard. I also have to work that out with completing my schoolwork. So, I have to do proper scheduling and operate my time properly to make sure that I don’t miss out on my other responsibilities.”

The young artist expressed that “in starting my business, I was fearful that no one would actually support me. I quickly learnt that fear can be used to motivate us. So, I want to encourage anyone who has plans of starting a business, that there is nothing wrong with being afraid. What is important is how we use that fear. Don’t let it consume you but use it to motivate you and push you further to push your business to the best of your ability and put your passion into it.”

Samuels also encouraged having a good support system in whatever tasks that are being undertaken. The small business owner has big dreams for her business, as she hopes to become a beacon of inspiration to others who pursue art.