Ghanaian female pencil artist Aewura Adjoa, nicknamed Aewura Arts, has recounted some of the challenges she faced when she started her career as an artist.

In an interview on The Career Trail program aired on Joy Learning TV and Joy News, she said one of her biggest difficulties was dealing with clients who failed to pay for or return for artworks she had already completed.

According to Aewura Adjoa, she did not initially require clients to make deposits before she started working on their pieces.

“I faced a lot of challenges when I began my journey as an artist. Especially with regards to payments once again. At that time, I didn't use to take any deposits or any down payments or anything. So, people would just come and say, I want to draw this. They'll send the picture, I'll finish and they'll never appear. I would call them, but they never answered,” she explained.

She said the experience was frustrating, especially after putting in time and money to complete and frame the artworks.

Beyond payment issues, Aewura Arts said getting quality art supplies was another challenge in the early stages of her career.

She explained that the materials readily available locally were often basic and did not always produce the quality she wanted, forcing her to look to international platforms for better supplies.

“And then also getting the art supplies too at that time wasn't easiest. The quality ones that will give you beautiful results. Yes. It wasn't easy to come by unless you purchased from Amazon, and the other sites. You know, the ones here were just the basic drawing ones. It doesn't give you the quality you want. So, that was also a challenge for me when I started,” she revealed.

Drawing from her experience, Aewura Arts advised upcoming artists to protect themselves from similar situations by asking clients to at least make half payment upfront before starting an artwork, so they do not end up bearing the full cost when a client fails to return for the finished piece.

She also encouraged them not to be discouraged by the challenges that come with starting out, stressing that artists must be willing to learn, adapt and find practical ways to make their work sustainable.