I’M A PRODUCT OF EXPOSURE JALANG’O SUPPORTS ARTCAFFE

Popular coffee and bakery joint Artcaffe is in trouble after they offered to pay winners of their art competition with free coffee and exposure of their artistic work.

In a campaign dubbed #ARTofthecity the company stated, “Announcing our #ARTofthecity competition! Calling all creatives of the city…help us jazz up our take-away coffee cup and WIN BIG with Artcaffé! Read the competition details below, and ENTER! Tag your artistic friends and spread the word!”

Kenyans on social media were pleased with the competition. But popular comedian and radio personality Jalang’o supports the competition, “Today we had a very interesting argument with Kamene after everyone went ham on artcaffe offer to artists!

I once or twice asked creatives to design my logos at 10k for the best, 10k is not even worth what they created for me but by posting their work even many who did not win come back to me saying from your posts I got jobs! The people who won even have more jobs!

Many people in the creatives sometimes just need platforms to showcase their work and that’s why if you were to organise a talent or creative search millions of creatives will come out just to have that platform.

I remember when starting at the theatre when our pay was just a packet of chips and salamu and that exposure got me to be seen now I get paid for what I exposed! In 2010 @chriskirwa gambled with me to Mc the trophy tour at Nyayo stadium, that exposure got me a chance to Mc at the World cup in South Africa! In short, I am a product of exposure!

I had to create the Jalango Xtra on my YouTube channel just to try and contain the number of artists flocking Miale on my shoot days asking for a chance to expose their talent!

Exposure pays when you know what to do with the exposure you get from a platform! If I was an arts artist struggling to have my work out there, I would be at Artcaffe now!

The traffic at Artcaffe branches is high than at any art gallery! Can you imagine having your work displayed in all their branches? No art gallery will give you that traffic in Kenya! I know of art galleries that open up everyday and not even a single person walks in!

I know of artists who have their work stacked at home wishing to have them out there! If you are already an established artist you don’t have to go to Artcaffe let the budding artist go for it to have their work showcased! Did you know that artists sometimes have to pay to have their work exposed in Galleries!

The question is what will you do with the exposure you get from a platform, the onus to monetize the exposure rests on the individual, artists or the entrepreneur! I know I struggled to be where I am and not everyone has to struggle, you can as well keep your creative work and push them the way you always but you can always try!” he said.