As you know, The DIY Collective is for ALL creatives. The ones who are still figuring it out. The ones blooming quietly. The ones unsure about several things, but still show up anyway. The ones who don’t have everything, but still bring something to the table.
With BUDDING, we’re shining a light on emerging talents who are blooming in their craft, making waves, and doing it on their own terms. It’s more than just a spotlight; it’s a celebration of growth, grit, and the raw, unfiltered beauty of the creative journey.
Because let’s be real, not everyone’s taking the elevator. Most of us are taking the stairs. One drawing, one pitch, one DM, one “let me try again” at a time.
BUDDING is for the ones still on that climb. Still refining, still unsure, still figuring it out, but doing it anyway. It’s not about perfection, it’s about motion. Small wins, missed deadlines, personal bests, showing up tired, but showing up still.
In this first edition, we spotlight five artists and illustrators who embody that exact energy. Creatives who are not just making beautiful things, but living through them. From textured portraits to string art, 3D art, comic strips to digital nostalgia; these are creators shaping something honest, one piece at a time.
Let’s meet them.
Sore Adebisi: Art that Vibrates with Color and Direction
When you step into Sore Adebisi’s world, expect a colorful and playful touch to his art. Based in Lagos, Sore is a multi-talented visual artist whose work spans digital illustrations, paintings, NFT projects, limited-edition books, and captivating string art.
But it’s not just about visuals, it’s about vision. As the creative director for Afrobeats star Bnxn, Sore lends his imagination to projects that stretch beyond canvas and screen. His work isn’t surface-level pretty; it’s layered. Conceptual. Almost spiritual. Like he’s not just creating for now but archiving feelings for the future.
And while many try to niche down, Sore expands effortlessly. Each piece, each format, each collaboration adds another thread to his ever-growing tapestry. One that says: “I’m here, and I’m not just an artist. I’m a storyteller in full color.”
Chiamaka Ndebueze: Between the Digital and the Dreamlike
For Chiamaka Ndebueze, design is more than aesthetics; it’s identity. The 24-year-old digital designer based in Lagos uses her craft to explore youth culture, selfhood, and the playful chaos of existing in today’s world.
Her style is a fusion of conceptual art, illustrations, and 3D visuals. Each piece feels like a snapshot from a dream you had once but can’t fully explain. Vibrant, intricate, and emotionally charged, her work pulls you in without asking permission. It’s raw, but it’s also considered.
In an industry where speed often overrides substance, Chiamaka takes her time — thinking deeply, designing deliberately. She’s not just riding the wave of digital art; she’s shaping it. And with every new piece, she adds another layer to the ongoing conversation around youth, art, and what it means to take up space.
Tife Sonaike: Culture Rewritten in Bold Strokes
Tife Sonaike doesn’t just make art. He builds worlds. A multidisciplinary visual artist and illustrator, Tife’s work moves between the music, fashion, and art scenes. His medium is digital painting, type design, and art direction, all marked by a dynamic and forward-thinking approach to visual storytelling.
You’ve probably seen his fingerprints without knowing it, from collaborations with brands like Ashluxe, Severe Nature, and High Fashion to working with music giants like Show Dem Camp and Afrobeat sensation Rema (HEIS).
His style is instantly recognizable: nostalgic, yet futuristic. Rooted in culture, but reimagined for a new generation.
What sets Tife apart is his ability to blend traditional motifs with a bold, modern lens. He’s not just documenting culture; he’s reframing it. And while his portfolio is already heavy, there’s still the feeling that he’s just getting started.
Nengi Uranta: Threading the Past into the Future
Some artists paint. Others illustrate. Nengi Uranta threads. Literally. Her medium of choice is string — nails, and thread woven into intricate, three-dimensional images that hold both structure and softness. Based in Lagos, Nengi’s practice bridges the old and the new, with string art and surreal digital work existing side by side in her growing body of work.
She’s been at it since she was four, and she’s nurtured that passion ever since. Though she studied Art and Design at the GCSE and A-Level stages, she eventually pursued an undergraduate degree in Law. While that academic path led her to explore Intellectual Property, her love for art never took a backseat. In fact, her understanding of artists’ rights now complements her practice. She isn’t just making anymore, she’s protecting.
Over the years, Nengi has exhibited in Lagos, Bristol, and New York.
From +234ArtFair by SotoGallery (2025, Lagos), the NFT.NYC convention (2023 and 2024, New York), Anthony Azekwoh’s Homecoming: The Pop-Up (2021, Lagos), and Gallery du 808’s Flourish in the Spring (2019, Bristol, UK). She’s shown up in both traditional and Web3 spaces, and her presence is always unmistakable. Her unique blend of mediums, introspective approach, and deep connection to her cultural influences position her as a fresh and exciting voice in contemporary art.
Kori: For the Love of Lines, Comics, and Cornflakes
Kori doesn’t like labels, especially not the ones people try to pin on her art. A 2D illustrator and budding animator, her work often gets called “retro” or “old American comic-inspired,” and while she doesn’t disagree, she’s not exactly sold on being boxed in. She loves experimenting with her work, so she prefers not to refer to it as one thing.
She draws portraits. She loves her work, ink-heavy. She likes to play around with texture. She draws out her influence from the media she consumes and inspiration from Archie comics and Hirohiko Araki’s work (creator of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure).
Her dream within the art world may seem a little funny, but she wants a subreddit created about something she made. For now, that feels like the ultimate goal. But looking at the bigger picture, she wants fame not for herself but for her work. The kind of fame that outlives the artist. Her Webtoon, UMBRA(ONE SHOT), hints at that future.
These days, she’s leaning into animation, sharpening her skills and plotting her next move. Because while people love a good comic, they love a great show even more. Oh, and one last thing: she loves cornflakes. Not in passing, like, it’s a full-blown personality trait.
To Those Still Becoming
BUDDING isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress. These five aren’t waiting to have it all figured out; they’re building as they go, figuring it out in public, and letting their art speak volumes in the process.
So here’s to the ones still in bloom; messy, honest, and brave. We see you. And if you’re reading this, maybe it’s time to bloom too.
If you’d like to feature on the next edition of BUDDING, shoot us a pitch here: diycollective@gmail.com
The DIY Collective 
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