Love yourself. Be yourself.
Creativity – made by Africans and inspired by Africa. Spanning various arts and design disciplines: fashion, literature, illustration, dance, music and more
In the past year or so, I’ve had the opportunity to do graphic recording at some really interesting events.
I came across the concept several years back, when my friend and former graphic design colleague, started doing this kind of work. This was back in the UK where the practice is a bit more established than it is here in Kenya and Africa. Continue reading “Graphic recording/graphic facilitation: why your event needs it”
9 years ago tomorrow, I published my first post on a new blog I named Afri-love. I had thoughts and theories I wanted to explore; discoveries I wanted to share; inspiration I wanted to pass on; and community I wanted to find.
I didn’t know it at the time but, my humble blog was about to be the most powerful vehicle for me to find my voice, to realise my purpose and to build some incredible relationships along the way.
If you’ve been reading for a while, you know I love creating lists of 9. Therefore, it’s thus fitting to share one with you, celebrating this 9th anniversary of what has become so much more than just a blog! Continue reading “9 years of Afri-love + so much more than a blog”
The first ever Afri-love Fest was held in Nairobi on Sunday 18th November, 2018.
I am still overwhelmed – in the most joyful way ever – by the turnout of almost 700 people who came and contributed to the magic of the day!
[Photos by Imeldah Kondo]
I’d dreamed about putting on an event like this for years. Ever since I started this blog, in 2010, I wanted to create real-life spaces to share its discussions, questions, discoveries, experiments and ideas. Continue reading “Afri-love Fest: reporting back from the first edition”
I’ve created a new series of illustrated portraits for the occasion, inspired by vintage photographs of women around the world.
The women featured include:
Continue reading “International Women’s Day portraits and colouring sheets”
African goddesses were an obvious choice of subject for me, given how I love to create African feminist work.
In addition, for a long time, I’ve been interested in religions and belief systems. Years ago, I started a blog dedicated to this exploration which, I used to create some art for.
My recently launched collection, Orisha Alchemy, picks up where that now inactive blog left off. In this post I share my inspiration, my process and the final creations. Continue reading “African goddesses: Orisha Alchemy – a project story”
With International Women’s Day this week, I wanted to celebrate all the women that I have had the honour to collaborate with, illustrate and exchange with, in the course of my professional life. The majority of my clients have been women’s organisations and women-led businesses and I have loved exploring and experiencing the world from this feminist lens.
It’s been such a joy to illustrate a diversity of interesting and inspiring women.
December is here and I’m getting all reflective and starting to take stock of this year. One of the most exciting things that happened is my collaboration with luxury bag brand, Sandstorm Kenya.
Today, I thought I’d share a little bit about how the featured designs came to life. Continue reading “Project stories: our collaboration with Sandstorm Kenya”
Happy new year! I hope you had some time to rest and rejuvenate as the year turned. A good chunk of my holiday was spent in Moshi, Tanzania. I stayed at my late grandparents’ home – resting, reading and spending time with family. I came back to Nairobi with renewed enthusiasm and clarity! There are several big (and slightly scary) adventures – design and otherwise – on the horizon this year, for me and for the Studio. I look forward to sharing them with you.
The first one starts next week, when 3 creative friends and I set off for a 15,000km+ road trip through southern Africa (see below).
As we prepare to set off, I wanted to share some highlights from 2016. Many of you have been a part of these projects and endeavours and I thank you deeply for your different contributions. Continue reading “Lulu Kitololo Studio design and illustration highlights from 2016”
Regular readers may have noticed my blogging hiatus, as I reconfigured my life and business. However, Afri-love subscribers have been less neglected, thanks to A week of Afri-love: a weekly email I started a few months ago, where I share 5 Afri-love-worthy things. Each edition includes:
For those who don’t receive these nuggets weekly, I thought I’d do a round-up of “expand” posts, every 2 months, selecting just 5 of my favourite items.
Here’s edition number one! Continue reading “Expand in creativity, business and life – September round-up”
