By Setsabile Nkambule | 2019-09-21

It is believed that everyone comes into this world with  talent, but only a handful have been able to make a living from their talents.

….. How it all begun

Simephi Dlamini, a graphic designer and tattoo artist from Moneni, Manzini is counted amongst the few who make a living using their talents. According to him, he did not know that one could actually live by doing what they were passionate about until he met his now very good friend, who also is in the tattoo industry, Jojo Tembo.

He says   growing up he always knew he could draw as it was the one thing that came natural. From a very young age, he says he would spend most of his time drawing cars, people and anything he could imagine. It was with that passion that his skills were perfected.

 Dlamini did his primaryschool level and secondary at Salesian . He later went on and did his high school at Cefups Academy and graduated with his Associate Degree at Limkowing University in 2016.

 “It is from learning graphic designs that helped me iimprove my graphics. I learnt the dos and dont’s of sketching and with all the knowledge from that, I decided to use it later in my career.

 I’d say art has always been a calling. After my matric, I went on and did marketing only to later go back to doing something that is art related, which was graphic design. I was working part time and didn’t really like where I wasdoing at the time. It was until I met up with a high school friend, Jojo Tembo, who then introduced me  to this,” he said

According to him through practice, consistency and not giving up he has been able to perfect his skills. He says tattooing takes a lot of practice and paying attention to detail.

“I think that’s how I’ve mastered my skill also challenging myself,” he says

....to error is human

As tattoos are permanent, one would wonder if making mistakes is common in his trade. Dlamini says although the kind of work he doesn’t has much room for mistakes, he too has made his share of mistakes 

“Of course I have before done mistakes but that was back in my early years. I’ve tried covering up those tattoos. Now it’s just a matter of putting my best in every tattoo I do. Our industry is a very competitive one and full of critics, so there isn’t really much room for mistakes,” he said

 He says as a tattoo is something that one will have for the rest of their lives , he tries to make sure that he sketches it so that one would look back in 10 years and still fall in love with it over again.

… What he loves about tattoos

 Dlamini says besides the sketching of different items  with each tattoo, what he loves most when doing it is seeing people impressed on his work. He says he also loves seeing his imagination come alive.

“The best part is seeing a person walk out of the studio with a smile. Another is seeing my art around which is the most satisfying because we have walking and talking ‘billboards’ lol, who will always give feedback,” he says

 He says he loves telling people stories through sketches as a person’s body is a journal and tattoos are a representation of their story.

… What the future holds

 The future looks bright for the tattoo artist as he says he has a load of great things planned for the tattoo industry in the kingdom.

Dlamini says he will start with a festival slated for today, where he will have three of Eswatini’s finest tattoo artists, Jojo, Alistair and himself. He says they will be doing tattoos for the day while also entertaining their guests with the best artist including Swiss, Bandz, Carrency, Kuru and lots more.

On the day of the event, Dlamini says a lot of games and competitions will be available, where the winner will walk out with a tattoo worth E1 500.

“Thereafter, the festival I’m looking to expand @blkshptattoos, add a few artists under the studio so we have a bigger festival next year. You can definitely expect more cool designs and flexible payment methods since some people love the art but cannot actually afford it,” he says

 Dlamini believes that he is a creative trying to make a difference in today’s generation, the country more specifically.  He says he dreams of a generation which will depend entirely on their skills to survive because he believes the country has a lot to offer.

“I want to be improve the art industry, give financial freedom to the artists. Eswatini has a whole lot of talent, we could live off. That’s who I aspire to be. If people in the art sector would give as much attention and time to their talents and skills like they do on their daily five to eight jobs, there would be a great shift in the art industry,” he says

…. Words of advice

 According to Dlamini, to everyone who would want to venture into the tattoo business, love and passion should be the first thing they have as with love the skills are perfected. He says that one should also be neat.

“Neatness is one of the most important skills every human being should have. I mean, imagine having someone who is not neat doing something you will have for the rest of your life. Lastly, one should be business-minded. It is with no doubt that you can have all the skills in the world but one needs to be business minded in order to run any business successfully,” he says.

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