Biography by Impact Media, 28 Sept 2018. Abraham Greatman is one of the greatest and most talented artists the world has ever seen as confirmed by a lot of people. As a matter of fact, Mr. Greatman is not only talented in art, but in a vast discipline that relates to creativity and innovation. It suffices me to say that he is an enigma of talents. ​Mr. Greatman was Born on 7 October 1985 in Enugu State Nigeria. He grew up with nothing else in his heart and mind but great visions that was beyond him, his background and upbringing; having come from a poor polygamous family that had a whole lot of internal issues that can cripple any last-born child completely. ​At a very tender age, Mr. Greatman started believing somehow that he was meant to be something greater in life. Something that no other person ever saw, and something that his background and upbringing has never given him; having suffered many things that can kill any vision because of the poor circumstances surrounding his family. ​However, Abraham Greatman managed to go to primary and tertiary (High) school; which of course was a complete struggle. But, all along this hazy and difficult childhood, the little champ never lost sight of the vision and dream that he has kept within himself. ​ Dreams and Vision Funny as it might sound from this dreary circumstance surrounding the young leader, he dreamed of shutting the world up, he dreamed of rising from the ashes and he dreamed of changing the world. He dreamed of making so much a difference that he was willing to sacrifice his entire life; just to pursue his dreams against all odds. To him, this was the greatest cause to breath, knowing that one day, the world will hear about him and it doesn't matter how difficult it was. ​Somehow, the leadership spirit in him is believed to be God-given for there was nothing or anyone to inspire the young artist; but his determination and inept desire to make a difference. ​Abraham Greatman is the last born male and second to the last child of 25 children born by his late father (Who died when Mr. Greatman and his twin sister were just babies). It is believed that last born children are usually “spoilt brats”, but not Abraham Greatman. Somehow, he had the spirit of leadership, he thought differently, walked differently, believed differently. He dared things that no other of his contemporaries can ever imagine. ​He believed he could meet anybody, he believed he could enter anywhere, he even believed he could walk up to the president without any fear whatsoever. He believed that there are no limitations; other than that, which one has set up in their own mind. He believed anything was possible. He had “failed” several times in several things but will always try again; even a thousand times if possible. Of all the young people of his age-mates, there was none that thought like him. ​At a very tender age, he made his way into government houses, he met with senators, governors, ministers etc, to offer deals for his petty business. There was no stopping him; even though he was a “no-body”, coming from “nowhere”, he carried himself differently and would not accept the fists life threw at him. Even though he came from a poor family, he was not poor in his mind but was very tenacious and was a strong darer. ​At the age where young men are carried away with video games and girls, Mr. Greatman started dreaming and he started daring things and learning different things. If you wanted him to do something, just tell him it CANNOT be done. Abraham Greatman believed anything can be done; therefore, he makes use of the most single powerful tool that humanity has been equipped with; his mind and his imagination. ​Abraham Greatman has a mind that imagines many things; so much that his whole life is governed by his imagination. He believes that imagination is the door to the infinite or supernatural realm that crystalizes and translates intangibles into the natural realm. He believes that if you think, imagine and desire something long enough, it will one way or the other start manifesting around you. ​At about age 16, he could not contain the creativity that was flowing out of him, he had come to the place where his mind was so developed that almost anything was possible. He was taken by his brother to see a fine artist because of the outburst of the creative juice that was flowing out of him and that; marked the beginning of this beyond-the-horizon artistic-skill he now possesses. ​From the day Mr. Greatman saw that man draw a portrait artwork, he needed not to return; for he captured so much that he ran off practicing and from that very day; his life turned to another dimension. This has now marked as the turning point or the emergence of a great graphite portrait, still-life, wildlife and seascape fine artist in Nigeria, Africa and the world at large. ​Abraham Greatman has spent well over 30 thousand hours on his butt, making drawings and learning other skills with all his heart, even at the early stage where no-one believed in him. As a matter of fact, the more they believed not, the more he wanted to prove the world wrong. He practiced so much that if you are to convert the long hours into years, it will span into several years of constant practice and mastering of his skills. He determined to become the best and the greatest; and he was not going to stop, until he achieved it. ​ The beautiful part is this; Mr. Greatman has gone to master several other creative skills in multi-faceted industries like: Design Industry, Business Industry, Movie Industry, Photography Industry etc. He has developed and mastered skills like: Graphic Design, Writing, Reading, Web Design, After Effects, Interior Design, Painting, Branding and many more. He is a Leadership Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Research Artist, Investor, Business Developer, Business man and a Philanthropist. He has made drawing for legends, icons, great leaders, corporate entities, individuals etc. Mr. Greatman believes that if you walk through life without making any impact or leaving foot prints, then, it would have been a waste of space, air and spermatozoa. He believes people should strive hard and not chicken-out in the face of difficulties, for they must surely come. ​Mr. Greatman believes that if you don't sacrifice your life for what you believe, or even die for what you believe, then you should be ashamed of your belief because we are nothing without believing in something and dying for it. In his own words:​ ”There is nothing greater in life than to believe in something so much that you are willing to burn all your bridges, including your very life if it comes to that, else life is just meaningless.”​ “For what makes us unique, if we are just like everyone else who does not believe in something they can die for?” In his own words: “This is life and its worth living, even if it's the last thing I do on earth. For any man who has not invested in people’s lives is as poor as the rat in the street, though he has $10 Billion stashed somewhere. All great men and women that has ever lived and changed the world did invest in human lives and they are remembered here and, in all eternity, because at the end; the only real wealth and value that never dies is human lives.”

Interview By Impact Media, 18 Sept 2018. QUESTION 1: TELL US ABOUT YOUR BEGINNING. My beginning was that of a little boy who draws with practically anything he can find on every part of the room, the kitchen, my primary school box, the floor, the desk etc. It was crazy. I know a lot of kids exhibits this sort of tendencies at such age but, mine was a little bit over the roof. My elders scolded and beat me up, but that did not change anything. I would tear my school books and draw on every inch of it. My school books don't survive by the end of the term, I was usually left with only the cover page; which of course was always littered with drawings. If you did not know I could draw, then you are obviously new in town. It was crazy, but little did I know that what I was exhibiting was going to set me apart for all ages to come. Even my siblings and care-takers had no clue. I could not read nor write, but I could draw. I was not intelligent academically, but hey, I was smart; at least I used my head. I almost always came last in class, but there was leadership within because, no-matter how I was beaten or discouraged to stop drawing, I did not stop. That was the only life I lived, and I was different, and I did not know why. I was very proactive and daring as a child; breaking every single rule they said not to break. Only now do I realize that what I was exhibiting was strength and leadership, but because I was a child; folly was often mingled with my exuberance. But I guess I turned out alright after all. QUESTION 2: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DRAWING? Well, if you mean how long, I believe I came out of the womb with a pencil in my hand. That's how long. But professionally, I have been drawing for 18-20 years now, give or take. QUESTION 3: WHAT ARE YOUR SPECIAL ART SKILLS; WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT? Every artist works with a set of intangibles; I call it THE IMAGINATION TOOL-SETS. Some artists have a higher IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and brain functionality, coupled with their imagination. For me, I think I am equipped with two of the most important characteristics of any great artist that has ever lived. It’s called Imagination and Discipline. With discipline, I can put my imagination to work. With imagination, discipline will make me have tenacity and perseverance, until I produce a masterpiece. People always have a misconception about talents, but talent that has not been burned on the table of perseverance and discipline will never be enough to yield anything worthwhile. For instance, I had to literally and practically sit down for thousands of hours to be able to master completely some of these skills, and that cannot come by talent alone. Talents are given free of charge, but it takes hard work, discipline and passion to activate and keep talent; no matter what it is. So, my two favourite and special skills are Discipline and Imagination (DI). With the former, I can achieve anything I set my mind on and guess what, this equation is a general equation; it can work for anybody that applies it. But, it will take a strong and great determination to master oneself and subdue your Comfort Zone and Procrastination Syndrome (CZPS). QUESTION 4: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO MAKE AN ARTWORK? It can take me just 7 hours if I wanted; like in the drawing of Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, both drawing is 20x24 inches each and were made under 7 hours each. But, I did not apply the normal procedure of sketching the outline first before shading. I was trying to push myself to learn something new, so I took a plain paper and started shading right away without any prior sketch or guideline; much like a computer. Of course, this method is very draining mentally because; you would have to imagine the proportions and the sketch lines as you are shading, and all these will be happening simultaneously. That's the only way I can create such master piece in few hours. But on an average, it takes two days to finish a drawing, assuming it's a drawing with less complexity, if not, it will take 3 days max. QUESTION 5: WHAT SACRIFICES HAVE YOU MADE FOR YOUR ART AND YOUR DREAMS? Oh, don't even get me started. I will tell you a few though. I have made the sacrifices of drawing every single day for many years just to master my skill. I have made the sacrifices of refusing to quit in the face of multiple discouragements coming from all angles; especially from my own family. I have made the sacrifices of drawing while hungry. I have made the sacrifices of being under-paid or not paid at all for my long hard-work. I have made the sacrifices of drawing some high standing individuals in the society; who simply refused to support my dreams by doing nothing for me, five of which were men of God. I have made the sacrifices of doing it for years, perfecting it and determining to be the best of what I do. I have sat down most of my life drawing and learning other things that will further push the dreams of my heart. I can go on and on. I have made the sacrifices of growing up in a country with a completely failed system, mindset and governance; where people that have something to offer are pushed terribly to the side-lines and cowards with big pockets and big mouths are allowed to plunge the nation and the dreams in it into oblivion. A country where it is extremely difficult to succeed with a genuine intension. A country that kills and submerges great dreams, visions and purposes. I have made the sacrifices of believing in myself when no one else believed. These and many more are the sacrifices I have made for what I believe in and I am still making every day. QUESTION 6: WHAT OTHER SKILLS DO YOU HAVE? Well I could say “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me”, but hey that's not it. I cannot do all things, but I have learned a few skills that have taken long hours of hard work and mastery, like: Graphic Design, Writing, Speaking, Interior Design, After Effects, Cinematography, Branding, Photography, Web Design and other multi-disciplinary design fields. QUESTION 7: WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS AND YOUR VISION GENERALLY? My dreams and my vision is that one day, there will be a big bang, not like the one made by disruptive phenomenon like some scientists claims. But, will be a big bang that will rise in the minds and hearts of every human being in Africa (Nigeria precisely); where people will rise up and start taking responsibility for their lives. Having dreams, pursuing it and living for it, even dying for it. Fighting against poverty and sickness, fighting for what they believe. Living for a purpose, fighting hard and sacrificing for the future and not just the present. Defending the weak, speaking up and acting for a good change. I dream of a day where the whole Africa will possess a good mindset, value-sets and vision. I dream of the day where morals are imbibed, strength is recognized even in feeble things. A day where the common and the average man will no longer cry for corruption, wickedness in the system and lack of regard for human lives and the citizenry. I dream and envisage on an African nation where the mindset of the people will no longer be on self, thievery, laziness, self-pity, fear, criticism, lack of responsibilities, short cuts and bribery; but on hard work, devotion, passion, vision and tenacity, even in the face of a terrible economy and pain. My dream is that the youth and the young ones will rise up and do something about their condition, instead of abandoning oneself to vices that will only plunge us more and more into a despicable situation in the whole continent of Africa; mortgaging our future for instant gratification. I dream and believe a day will come where there will no longer be a mindset that looks like the aforementioned evils and ills in the society of Africa, but a mindset of great purpose for the remainder of our lives. This is my dream and vision and it starts with all of us and it starts now. QUESTION 8: DO YOU THINK YOU ARE ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST ARTISTS? I don't know, you tell me. It’s not about what I think, but one thing is sure; I push myself to get better every day, not just in art, but in every other thing I do. I really don't know the answer to that question because there are many great artists in the world. But, there is one person am constantly in competition with and I always want to beat; “my Self”. I always try to subdue and conquer myself. Myself is the only person I am constantly at war or in competition with. So, to really answer your question, I believe that I am one of the greatest me that has ever existed, there is no one else that looks like me and that's a uniqueness that is peculiar to every living human being. So ya, I believe I am one of the world's greatest artists. I can draw anything from my imagination and it will look so real that you wouldn't tell if you were not told. I think it's a great part of my talent, but we all know that the greatest artists are yet to be born. We haven't seen anything yet. QUESTION 9: WHAT FUTURE DO YOU SEE FOR THE ART INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA? I remember when my late elder sister (God bless her soul) fought me about being an artist. She thought I wanted to waste my life by being a road-side-artist. That almost made me quit because I hated the fact that artists in Nigeria lives poor lives because; there is not much value for art in the continent. But somehow, I knew that I had to be more than just an artist; let alone being a road side artist. I had to go into competition with myself because I thought; its either I become the world greatest or I quit art for good. So, to really answer your question, I think the future of art and artists in Nigeria is in our hands. If we don't up our game, it will always be a despicable situation. I know and believe artists has the capacity to be anything at all. They just have to take that same intangible and channel it into other areas of their lives and create something great. I for one have sworn that I will do something about it. Perhaps the future of the art industry in Nigeria will be changed for good. I have no doubt that there are many that feels the same way and are willing to do something about it. So, yea, the future of the art industry in Nigeria will be great once again. It has to be. QUESTION 10: WHAT ADVICE DO YOU GIVE TO EVERY ONE OF YOUR CONTEMPORARIES OUT THERE; DESIGNERS AND ARTISTS ALIKE? Well. I would say this, and I am truly speaking from the dept of my heart. Live in the future, don't live in the present because, your present might look like nothing at the moment. Therefore, live your dreams and what you desire for your future now. Get up and do something great, stop settling for less and stop behaving as if you are poor. Walk like your dreams, think like it, charge like it, behave like it. As a matter of fact; live like it and owe no man any apology for it. What will it benefit you if you are only an average or below an average artist? Push yourself and say no to comfort zones and mediocrity, they will destroy you. The state where you are as an artist right now is your fault. Take responsibility and don't settle for less. What's the point of being anything, if you are not going to be the best of it? Try, even if you failed a thousand times, push life when it pushes you. Push back. Start setting daily goals. Take a piece of paper or a book and write down daily goals and pursue it daily. Stop procrastinating because more years will pass you by if you don’t work on that project, dream or vision daily, starting from today. “Success is equal to daily goal setting; every other thing is commentary” Brian Tracy. Your life as an artist will never change; not in this world, until you consciously start doing something about it daily. If you quit, it would have been a waste of time trying in the first place because you have just quit. “He who is on the ground fears no fall” African Adage. Therefore, the only place to go is upward, so get up and stand up. Set high daily goals and run with it. Don't just be an artist, upgrade. One thing I have found that can kill any dream or vision is lack of the right information, especially in this information age. We are where we are because we do not read. An average artist believes that its just hands on the canvas, but I have found out that the greatest treasure one can discover are hidden in books and the internet. Research and inquire to discover and know more than you possess. Read, if you want to grow. Your life is characterized or made up of the amount or type of information you have taken in. Your life as an artist will never amount to anything until you read and desire to know more, do more and explore other territories of human endeavour, not just art. Take it from me, it's not easy, but it has never been easy anywhere. We African artists have got to raise our bars, set higher standards or we die trying. It’s time to try harder and pursue our visions and seek not to settle for less. If we failed, not “quit”, at least; it will be said that we tried and failed while trying. Grab every skill, knowledge or information you come across, you will never know where you might need them. Have a little more ambition and live for other artists other than yourself, that way, you will come up to the place where you will succeed and help others like you. Have a multiple source of income, don't be poor in your mind and thinking. Let not your art or design be your only source of income, so you don't mortgage your art worthlessly; just because you want to make a living. If we have our way, art should not be sold. It should have so much value that it will not be sold, but because we have to make a living; let all artists and designers not rely on their art alone to make a living. Don’t be a petty artist any longer and don’t be beggarly too. Look for ways to advance your personality and self-esteem. You are the only sales man you will ever have for your art, therefore if you are perceived as worthless, guess what; your works will be perceived as worthless too because; “as the artist, so also is the artwork”. Think, think like an entrepreneur, psychologist, designer, engineer, physiologist, banker, economist, inventor, scientist; because contained in your imagination is the ability to become whomever you desire. You just don’t know it yet. Every creative person has this ability deposited inside of them, but we have not tapped into it because we have been lied to that we are limited as artists or designers. This creative intangible as I have found out can be channelled into any field or industry and it will yield the same result with minimal effort. Leonardo DaVinci was not limited, and he was not a mystery too. He only tapped and diversified his potentials into many fields; pushing his mind beyond just being an artist and he yielded results that were beyond him. Every creative person with an imagination can be the same. It’s not enough that you should be just an artist or a designer; anybody can draw, paint or design, even without a talent because skills can be developed by learning and obeying certain sets of principles. But, that intangible called talent is what will make all the difference when harnessed properly. Imagine you are a Trump, a Zuckerberg, a Dangote, a Mandela, a C-Ronaldo, a Gates and then, an artist or a designer. How wonderful your art career will be! We are not poor because we are artists or designers, we are poor because we have been thinking and behaving poor. Change your thoughts, change your actions and change your life. QUESTION 11: APART FROM ART, HOW ELSE DO YOU EARN A LIVING? I have always believed that one should have a multiple stream of income. As an artist, I have made money from my art, but I have not desired to make money from it alone. As a matter of fact, I am not in it because of the money. If that was the case, I would have stopped when there was no money coming from it. But. I have opened lots of companies, some succeeded and some failed; reason being that I could not find the desired master mind and passionate team. It seems everybody does anything these days only because of money. I started a company called CSA (Car Sales Agency) Nigeria. It's an Online Automobile Dealership and Sales Agency Company with headquarters located in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria. www.csanigeria.com. I also started a Branding and Graphic Design company called Wi-brand, and TRM, and others I can't mention here. Apart from that, I have developed several skills that can pay me, but I still don't want to lean on my skills to make money, even though they are a tool. I like for my money to work for me to make more money. So, I do more of investing now. QUESTION 12: WHO ARE YOUR ROLE MODELS IN THE ART WORLD? There are many in the art world that inspire me, from Leonardo DaVinci to Michael Angelo and Pablo Picasso. These individuals have made history; not because they are so much better than anyone, but because they made quite an impact. They left an indelible mark in the sand of time and history. I love Leonardo DaVinci more. Somehow, I think he is more like me ha-ha-ah. Don’t mind me, I am more like him. Do you know what I love about these guys? They were different, they paid the price for their art and made sacrifices that impacted humanity with their art and believes. Some of them were thought to be crazy. People disassociated themselves with them at one time; called them psycho and weird, just because they were different, and they believed so much in their art and would not let their ideas go. But today; they are being celebrated and cherished across the world for all ages to come and their artworks are sold at freaking high prizes. They paid their due price and the world almost worships their works now. That's why people make them role models because they believed in themselves and their works, as crazy as that sounds. And if you check, it’s not because their works are the finest, but because what they sold to the masses was beyond art. They sold a belief, an idea and a passion for their work; look what it has done centuries after they are dead and gone. QUESTION 13: APART FROM GRAPHITE (PENCIL) ART, WHAT OTHER AREAS OF ART DO YOU DO? As you can see, I do mostly black and white drawings (Pencil work). It has a sense of warmth and peace associated with it. I also don't focus only on portraits, I like drawing wildlife, still life and a little bit of seascape. I also paint, but I don't put it out there for the world to see. I love to be known with black and white; which to me is way harder and time consuming than painting, that's why there are not many artists doing it. QUESTION 14: WHICH UNIVERSITY DID YOU ATTEND? If you really want to know the answer to that question, I would say non. I wanted to go to the University of Port Harcourt to study art. Actually, I went to study art and I was already at the preliminary stage of it; called certificate level. But I left. I could not stay because it was a complete and total waste of the precious time I did not have; that was how I saw it. The educational system was a complete joke, students were being churned out to become mediocre. Lecturers were busy having fun. So, when I thought about the next four years of my life; just wasting away without having any real value for it, I simply left. So, if you ask me if I have gone to brick-and-mortar university, the answer is no. If you ask me if I am educated, I would say I am more educated than most graduates I know. I say this because, I believe in the practicality of things, not theories. But to really answer your question, I have gone to the university of Google. You ask me, is there anything like that? Oh yes, there is. You see, I am opportune to be born in the age of the internet; the most fruitful and most relevant time anybody could be born in; the age of information. Almost everything I know today; 70% of it is as a result of going to the university that exists on the internet; the university of Google. I have access to the world's largest greatest library. I have access to information that no university walls can contain, just at the click of a query. I even have access to a whole horizon of practical departments; called U tube. I believe as long as I keep reading, researching, learning, upgrading and advancing my knowledge base as a result of this God-given-opportunity called the internet, I am good. It will be an insult for anybody to ever think I have not attended any university, when in reality; I have attended the greatest of it. In this part of the world, people usually love this deception called “certificate”, but in my world; in the real world, it's nothing and I don't believe in it. 80% of the world’s billionaires are undergraduates. I believe if you have no result to show, no tangible result to show for your life because you went to the brick and mortar university, then you are not properly schooled, and you are almost not educated. Now don't get me wrong, it’s wonderful to go to school, but if you went to school and there is no result of it; you have no inventions, no solution, no impact, and no result, then your schooling profits you and no one anything because, it's a waste of time and money. But, if you went to school and you have things to show for it, then in my world, I would say you are educated because knowledge acquisition is supposed to be channelled to a definite end of solving a problem; especially problems of humanity. My friend Napoleon Hill said in his book “think and grow rich”, “An educated man is not necessarily one who has acquired general or specialised knowledge but, an educated man is one who have so much developed the faculties of their mind that they can achieve whatever they set their mind on, without having to trample on the on the rights of others.” An educated man keeps learning. So, to rephrase your question, I am not a graduate because; I have not stopped learning, or reading, or researching and advancing my knowledge base. QUESTION 15: WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? My hobbies are few: Reading, Researching, learning new things, playing basketball and eating hahaha. QUESTION 16: WHAT PROBLEMS CAN YOU SOLVE WITH YOUR ART? My art is my life. I can solve a problem with it indirectly, not directly. I have had ideas of how to solve the problem of my nation when I am drawing. I usually drift away in my imagination when I am drawing, and I sometimes stumble across ideas in my imagination and these ideas usually works. Now, these are not feeble ideas, but strong problem-solving ideas that can have an impact. I think as long as I am in the place where I make my art in solitude, I will always come up with actionable solutions to problems in Nigeria and in my life.. QUESTION 17: DO YOU THINK YOU CAN COMPETE WITH THE WORLD BESTS IN YOUR FIELD? Every world best has an area of expertise and strength. Some people have the strength of details and perfection in their drawing; being what they have practiced and mastered over time. People like my brother Kelvin Okafor. But for me, I have a strength in the area of imagination. I can draw something that is not there from my imagination, just by thinking it; I can do it so well that I can draw anything at all. This is my strength area and I can definitely compete with any other world best that have that strength area, QUESTION 18: HOW MANY PORTRAITS CAN YOU SAY YOU HAVE DRAWN? I think I have made up to 500 drawings and portraits since I started drawing. I don't know the number precisely, but it should be around that figure in over my 18 or 20 years of drawing.