CREATIVE FOOTPRINTS THROUGH TIME — Inside The Mind Of The Itty Okim.

Art is a memory, made immortal. A continuum that keeps history connected to the present, while making its stretch towards the unknown future. It is indeed a realization that became impossible to put away while speaking with the creative intellect, Itty Okim. 

The Lagos-based creative director is known for his personalization embedded in his work. Through the reflections and experiences that shaped him, from a very young age, he helped us see that art is more than just expression. It is preservation. A way of capturing moments and suspending them in time. 

Let us step into the creative mind of Itty Okim, a creative director, storyteller, and thinker whose relationship stretches far beyond his colorful visuals. Through these conversations, we dive into the streets and art culture, philosophies and perspectives that continue to shape his approach towards creativity. 

THE ART OF BECOMING —- DRAWN TO CREATION

For many creatives, there is something called the “definition” moment. For Itty, he confessed straight away that he had never been face to face with the click, instead they intertwined.

“It is hard to distinguish myself from what I do,” he reflected. “I feel I always create, it is something that has stuck since elementary.”

“I know that people have the click, but up until now, I’ve never really had it. I remember being a creator as far back as secondary school. We had this camping event and I wrote a poem that made me perform in front of parents. I realized then, but I’ve never really had a eureka moment.”

From reading poetry in front of a couple hundreds, and realizing that it was not a farce talent, to filmmaking, and creative direction, artistic expression has followed him through different stages of life. Even while pursuing pharmacy out of fascination with drugs and how they work? Creativity has frankly never left his side.

“I’ve always been inclined to sciences and arts,” he explained. “I did have a struggle flying with both wings till I realized, what bird flies with one wing?”

“I’ve been on the other side of this call before,” he laughed. “I believe we fit up the boxes and we connect ourselves to everything we want to be.” His refusal to be confined by labels is matched by his view of philosophy rooted in grace and freedom.

“People say that I’m fun. Some other people say they meet me and learn grace because I can be very graceful to people. Life is not always kind to people.”

“I believe I wasn’t even confused or making a jump. I just knew that I could handle it, both science or art. Why would a bird fly with one wing?”

THE MAN WHO SEES THROUGH MUSIC

A famous quote exists in the life of the creative director as someone capable of bringing ideas to life at midnight, without explanation. The description felt fitting, especially considering the body of work attached to his name. Yet when asked whether his words or his work should speak louder, he offered a simple answer.

“I think I have to speak as loudly as the work,” he said. “To give more value to the work.”

For Itty, creativity does not begin when the cameras start rolling or when the final visuals are delivered. It begins much earlier, with vision.

That ability became especially evident while discussing his role in Limoblaze’s Solid Ground. What started as a creative partnership eventually evolved into one of the most demanding and rewarding projects in his career. Having known the artist since the pandemic and worked with him professionally for years, Itty had a front-row seat to the project’s earliest stages. During a video shoot, Limo played him unfinished demos from the album.

“From God Did It, it already blew my mind,” he recalled.

“When I heard the first song, it blew my mind. I had never heard this kind of song in my life. It had a fusion of rap, gospel and even Afrobeats. I was like, bro, this is so insane. I was being very dramatic about it because it was that good.”

The songs were unfinished, but that hardly mattered. Long before the final versions existed, Itty could already see the worlds they carried.

Unlike previous projects with the gospel artist, this time was different. The responsibility sat entirely on his shoulders. Months stretched into creative planning, collaborations crossed cities, and different artistic influences found themselves woven into a single vision.

“Anytime Limo has music, he just plays it for the team,” he explained. “When he said he’d like me to work on this, I was glad that he trusted me to do that.”

Trust became one of the foundations of the project. So did ownership.

“I told myself, take this project as yours because I basically owned it,” he said with a laugh. “I wanted to beat my chest at the end and say I did this. Shout out to the team too.”

The pride in that statement was not rooted in ego, but in responsibility. For all its moving parts, Solid Ground became proof of something he has always believed: ideas become powerful when matched with commitment. Yet even after carrying a project of that scale, he still believes there is more ground to cover and more room to grow.

THE BEAUTY OF TRUE MEANING

It is quite normal to choose between beauty and meaning when it comes to expressing art and most creatives find themselves caught between the two pursuits. For Itty Okim, the two were never meant to exist apart.

“I think beauty is in the meaning. When I create I think art is for the generations to come.”

It was a simple statement, but one that quietly revealed the philosophy behind his work. For Itty, art is more than visual appeal or technical excellence.

As stated earlier, it is preservation. A way of capturing a moment, an emotion, a culture, or even an entire generation before time carries it away.

“Art is a way to freeze moments in time,” he explained. “To freeze time forever.”

The statement lingered for a while during our conversation. Perhaps because it reflected something larger than creativity itself. In a world where trends move quickly and moments disappear almost as soon as they arrive, Itty’s relationship with art feels rooted in remembrance.

“Old is always gold,” he said with a laugh.

During our conversation, he referenced a philosophy often associated with Fela Kuti: the idea that creative work should reflect where it comes from and the period in which it was created.

To Itty, art should act as a timestamp. Someone should be able to encounter a piece years later and understand what life felt like when it was made. Not just the aesthetics of an era, but the emotions, conversations and experiences that shaped it.

Perhaps that is why movement and exposure continue to matter to him.

“It’s better to show your work through arts of different cities and places,” he explained. “When I went to Accra and saw the life there, the culture and the art of it all, it was different.”

Having recently returned from Accra, Ghana, he reflected on the similarities and contrasts between African creative spaces. Though different cities move at different speeds, he sees the same spirit of innovation and storytelling running through them.

For Itty, African creativity is not simply about producing beautiful work. It is about preserving identity, documenting experience and leaving behind something that continues to speak long after its creator has moved on.

Beauty may capture attention, but meaning is what survives.

“ITTY MADE IT!”

Itty made it.

Itty, who had already given us a beautiful interview experience, started laughing, clearly familiar with the question before it was even completed.

Do you want people to see your work and immediately recognize you behind it? Your creative style?

“It feels really good, can’t lie,” he admitted. “There was a time my sister in the UK called me and said she had seen one of my works on screen, and she suspected I made it.”

The answer came with the kind of honesty that needed no decoration. For every creative, there is a certain satisfaction in knowing that your work carries a fingerprint. Not just recognition, but identity.

“It makes me feel good for my work to be recognized from people,” he continued. “So yeah, of course it makes me feel good.”

Everyone loves to be represented strongly through their work and our creative genius is no different. Yet beyond recognition, what mattered most was what people felt when they encountered it.

“I want people to recognize me as freedom,” he said. “With no boundaries and just creating.”

Perhaps that is the greatest takeaway from a conversation with Itty Okim. Not the projects, the campaigns, or even the impressive list of disciplines he has explored throughout his life. Rather, it is the realization that creativity was never something he chose; it was something he became.

Through every visual, film, story and idea, he continues to leave fragments of himself behind. And if art truly is memory made immortal, then perhaps years from now, someone will encounter a piece of work, pause for a moment, and smile before saying:

“Itty made it.”

HOLD ON

I don’t think it’s over yet..

How does Itty make his noodles though?

He begged us not to judge him while releasing a hearty chuckle. Itty simply believes in the art of a “one pot recipe.” 

Another phrase for, “Dump it all in and see the magic.”