Teddy Nabisenke finds a goldmine in art

Her shop tells of Teddy Nabisenke’s craft. There is jewellery, hair accessories, necklaces bangles, earrings, hair clips, some interior design work like wall hangings, glasses decorative bottles, cushions, coasters, laptop bags, undergarments toilet bags and travel pillows.

How she started
You could rightly say that if Nabisenke were a bag, it would be a mixed one. She is a graduate of industrial fine art from Makerere University.
But even before joining the art school, she was an artist in her right, making small jewellery items, at home.
Nabisenke comes from a home of artists of different genres so from an early age, she was exposed to an environment of creativity, from musicians, to teachers of art, photographers and videographers.
When she joined St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School Naggalama, art was offered as a subject which gave students a platform to exhibit their artistic abilities and skills.
“My mother was very supportive because when I told her I had a dream of pursuing art at university, she was willing to pay the tuition which was Shs800, 000, minus functional fees,” she recounts.
At university, Nabisenke had time to learn and do craft work. She needed something to do after school and thankfully jewellery making as a course unit was offered.

Source of revenue
She gave it a lot of attention since she had done some simple jewellery such as bracelets that cost between Shs1,000 and Shs5,000.
“I wanted people to know me. I would strand necklaces and sell then between Shs10,000 and Shs15,000. I wore my necklaces as a way of marketing them. To this day, I make and wear. I first get interested in what I do before commercialising it,” she says. From her pocket money, she stocked materials. She bought from shops at Majestic Plaza and Kikuubo commercial area.
She blended different materials to make her art outstanding.

Real work
She combines offcuts from tailors’ fabric, beads, belts, buckles and buttons from St. Balikuddembe Market. Her works also compact discs. At university, she would sell her work door-to-door, to fellow university students.
“After university, I realised this would become my career and my source of livelihood. I attend art exhibitions, leadership skill conferences to better myself as a businesswoman. I started working from home and I would deliver items to their homes but clients insistent on seeing me in a professional space,” Nabisenke recollects.

Opens outlet
She now operates business in shop number one at London Chambers, along Johnstone Street.
“Before, I had a brother working within the chambers. I often visited him in the building so it was easy to opt for the chambers which favour my business because I can come in any time. Other commercial buildings close by 6pm,” she says.
She pays rent of Shs200,000 per month, income tax of Shs50,000 and Shs100,000 to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) for garbage collection.

Taps into social media
She gets clients from social media platforms like Facebook. She has also exhibited her works at the Doadoa festival. There, she met photographer James Wasswa who has done some of her photography work to promote her business online.
Whenever she is showcasing, she also gives an opportunity to fellow artists to exhibit.
In her shop, she also showcases paintings. To make business sense of her efforts, she is keen on financial management.
“When I makes sales, the first thing I do is to restock materials. In art, materials are in stock and sometimes out of stock. I then clear bills. When that is done, I can have a good meal. I do not have a specific salary for myself. I can make a necklace worth Shs100,000 and chose to wear it,” she explains.

Plans
At some point, she would like to grow her business to a level of self-sustenance. “I love gallery work and I dream of managing one. I love curating artwork. I have curated the East African Artists Connect exhibition at Nommo Gallery. I have organised an arts clinic mainly for artists on learning how to market and manage their work. Most artists think that sitting in the studio is enough. They need to let the public know about their work.”

The artistic entrepreneur says she goes out of the shop to look for clients in order cover the bills.
One of the avenues is the Tsenke Art Market which she started in March last year at Dancing Cup in Bugolobi, Kampala.
It takes place the last weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, of the month.
“I use it to get it closer to the client as I show them items that I make. I have learnt that it draws different people. I have been able to meet people that I interact with on social media platforms,” she explains.