Meet Styles Osunde | Illustrator & Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Styles Osunde and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Styles, why did you pursue a creative career?
I never felt like i had much of a choice when it came to pursuing an artistic career. My father was a filmmaker when i was growing up in nigeria and from a very young age, i knew clear as day that my life would revole around making art. There is something magical about it, bringing forth ideas that only you can conceive into the world for everyone else to see and interact with. Or using it as a way to escape from very difficult childhood. For me, writing, drawing, painting, filmmaking and music has all been a way to share my story and experience with the world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As an illustrator, i primarily focus on creating fantasy and sci-fi artwork based on African mythology. growing up I’ve always felt that African stories and fairytales were relatively obscure so i made it part of my mission to shed a light on obscure African characters and myths.
I also grew up with a love for fantasy and started my artistic career as a fantasy illustrator but quickly realised that black people did not have a space in speculative fiction. I got myself into a fair bit of trouble with clients, when I designed characters that look like me, they would always ask to change the designs, hideing behind euphemisms like “our world is a bit more tolkienesque” but we both knew what they were trying to say.
I eventually stopped doing freelance fantasy gigs and decide to start working on my on projects to create a space where black characters and stories can exist in fantasy and science fiction.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well that’s easy, i would like to dedicate my shoutout to my sisters; Vanessa, Melody and Melyvette. They have helped me over the years to find my voice and giving me the confidence to keep following my dreams.
No matter how difficult our upbringing was or how bad things got, we could always rely on each other for backup.
And they are very creative artists and designers in their own right, and while we live in different countries right now, i am very much looking forward to working with them in future projects.

Website: https://Stylesosunde.com

Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/stylesosunde