The Intersection of Science and Art: How Chijindu is Bridging the Gap

Chijindu: 0:00

When you are consistent in what you're doing, you should not give up, you achieve your goal. It also talks about and there are many difficult in times where we shouldn't allow.

Harsh Thakkar: 0:13

What's up everybody, this is harsh from qualtivate.com. And you're listening to the life sciences 360 podcast. On this show, I chat with industry experts and thought leaders to learn about their stories, ideas and insights, and how their role helps bring new therapies to patients. Thanks for joining us. Let's dive in. All right, welcome to another episode of Life Sciences 360. This is the first one in 2024. So to all the listeners who are joining in wish you a Happy New Year, and hope we can bring you a lot of more fun episodes this year. So the first episode here of 2024, we have to Chijindu, he is the founder and creative director of Ceco creations. And he's joining us from Nigeria. Welcome to the show Chijindu.

Chijindu: 0:55

thank you so much, and Happy New Year.

Harsh Thakkar: 0:58

Yeah, I think you're one of the first guest on this show that is at the intersection of science and art. I've never talked to somebody who is has a combined career in both those skill sets. So I want to start off by asking you, in what ways do you believe that the combination of science and art can benefit or either medical education or patient communication?

Chijindu: 1:22

Okay. So I mean, I think it can benefit a lot, because with visual visual, it has visual appeal. And when you talk about creativity, people are interested in knowing about something because I create cartoons, animations. And also, I initiate stories in my work. And when I'm talking about science and scientific knowledge, and incorporate all this stuff, you find out that if you make if you make the audience or the readers or the person looking at it, it will make it very interesting and enjoyable. And people will be interested to know more about that. So it's a gives, it makes it enjoyable. And also it gives information and it's educative.

Harsh Thakkar: 2:13

So how did you how did you get? How did you start in this field? What was like the first piece of art that you worked on in the scientific field? Do you remember when you first started?

Unknown: 2:25

Alright? Yes, yeah, I'm the kind of person that like inspiring people and I like writing new things. And I found out that if I tried to establish these, it will help people a lot. So I started creating some scientific field stories, I was using my animations to do that. And from there, I started getting people to read. And also to see the videos of some of the things I created a lot of them has impacted a lot of people, a lot of people were curious to see what I was doing and it was really amazing. It gets it educated a lot of people and it also gives the information on and it sends fit information that people need. So that's it.

Harsh Thakkar: 3:14

what what do you think? What do you think is one of the challenge being in this field, so you, you have the art side of things where you have all the creativity you're trying to, like you said, express maybe complex topics to your audience in a very simple visual way. But at the same time, the science is always complex, right? Every like, so how do you like balance that? How do you go about? Let's say, if somebody gave you a scientific paper or an abstract or topic, how do you break it down? Before you actually go into doing the art kind of thing? Can you walk us through an example.

Chijindu: 3:55

I tried to understand the key point because the main purpose is to give the scientific knowledge and to educate people, I tried to know the possible way to educate the audience or the person reading it. So I tried to know the key points. So from there I now try to use the animation and cartoons or initiate stories that will also help and to make or to make the content enjoyable at the same time gives the necessary information. So I tried to know the key points so that I can balance it.

Harsh Thakkar: 4:35

Okay. And so do you do you use? Do you use any software? Or do you like do art by hand or is a combination of both like walk us through maybe a day of how it looks when you're actually doing doing the art?

Chijindu: 4:51

I used a lot of when I started I was this will be a great initiative. So I watched it A lot of videos on YouTube. And because I was trying to inspire a lot of people, I was trying to educate a lot of people. So I browsed a lot of that I can use, I use different application. So I use my laptop, sometimes I go with my phone. The reason why I'm doing that is even when I'm outside or anywhere, once I see anything that I know that will inspire a lot of people out with my phone, I started, I started creating the content, I used it, some and some, I use different apps on my laptop. That's my system, I use Unmarker. And I use sometimes I use a photo lab different apps to do that. So you just inspire people and give the necessary information.

Harsh Thakkar: 5:45

And for anyone who's listening, maybe they have some how should I put this? So let's say somebody who's listening to this show is in science field or in life sciences or healthcare, and they have some artistic skill set? How can they get into what you're doing? Like think back five years ago, 10 years ago, when you were you were starting out? What advice would you give to somebody today, who wants to be in this have a career with this art and science combined?

Chijindu: 6:15

Alright, I would like to say that there is a quote that says, Every mountaintop is within reach, if you keep climbing the first stage won't be an easy stage, it wasn't easy. When you start, but you have to keep your head up, focus on your dream, and keep pushing. And you will achieve that. And there are actually difficult times that you have to be up at night, or to learn different things. And just to keep up with your skills and inspire a lot of people, impact a lot of people. So you have to keep pushing no matter what even if there are difficult times even if when when the situation is difficult. You also keep wishing so that you achieve your goal.

Harsh Thakkar: 7:06

Yeah, that's that's really the you know, hard part when when you're trying to learn a new skill. It's not that this, the content is not accessible. Like you mentioned, when you started out, you are watching YouTube videos, you are probably googling or trying to go on Google and search how to do something, and then spending three, four or five times doing it until you found the right way to do it. But yeah, so that's the tough part when any skill. So yeah, that's a great point. For anyone starting out. So tell us tell us a little bit about your role at Ceco creations. Like, what does Ceco creations do? How did that be? How did that began?

Chijindu: 7:42

All right, I started or the Ceco creations to inspire people, like I've said before, and to educate people. I started by creating cartoons, creating a lot of unique cartoons from there I started creating animation. I'm the kind of person that likes learning new things. I started also by initiating stories, too. I was just doing that to inspire a lot of people I would like, okay, there is a book I wrote in 2017 when I was still in high school, I did the book. So I was seeing a lot of things on Unchanged destiny. So I was doing a lot of that, my main purpose is to inspire people to educate people and I feel like, if I can initiate creativity to all these, it will make the content that I'm writing, not only enjoyable, it will be educative and enjoyable and memorable.

Harsh Thakkar: 8:43

So what is that book about?

Chijindu: 8:45

Alright? Unchanged Destiny is a book that talks about hard work, perseverance, and consistency. when you are consistent in what you're doing, you should not give up or you won't achieve your goal. It also talks about and there are many difficult times where we shouldn't allow those times to pull us down that we should keep pushing, and is a very nice and interesting book.

Harsh Thakkar: 9:11

Okay, okay.

Chijindu: 9:11

Last year, last year, I also published a book on Amazon titled United by Passion it's also an amazing book.

Harsh Thakkar: 9:18

Which? say that again. What's the name of that?

Chijindu: 9:21

United by Passion. I published it on Amazon, and it's an amazing book I'm working towards publishing this on Amazon too but for now. I only have it in hard copy.

Harsh Thakkar: 9:34

Okay. Okay. Yeah, that's I'll have to check that out. And the next question I had for you is as so we talked about science and art and how you can have like phases of where you're trying to understand scientific knowledge and then drawing art or using animations but as an entrepreneur now there's another skill that you need to learn is which is of a business owner and running your business, finding clients working with them, pricing contracts, all of that stuff. So how do you juggle between like your role as a creative designer or animation person? Versus like running the business? So can you share some of the challenges that you faced and what you did to overcome them?

Chijindu: 10:24

Right, some of these challenging, I will say, time management or it's not, one of the challenges time management but you have to create time, and you have to manage time, create time for your creativity, and also your business. You have to manage that because it's one of the challenges and I also create time for my for my artwork and have a specific time for that so that it doesn't encroach with my time for business, or my studies.

Harsh Thakkar: 10:57

Alright, so do you do you have any daily routine or like any things that you do daily that help you be more creative, right, like, I know some people who are like, Oh, I like to take a walk in the park or like, go out. And I have one friend who, who writes online content for a lot of people and he likes when he goes out he sees on a train or in the car when he sees advertisements on the street, he takes a picture. And then he tries to learn what why that advertise catch his attention and how we can use that to write so is there anything things that you do to try to keep your game up and try to be more creative?

Chijindu: 11:39

I studied medical physiology, and I graduated in 2023. And I like exercise and physical fitness. I talk a lot about physical fitness, so I like exercise. As in before I start creating some of my work, I do a little bit of exercise just on like, just to stay fit. And also to stay calm. Then when I'm creating like exercises gives me like the zeal to create content, and like when I'm doing that I feel more comfortable and relaxed. And after that we start creating some amazing artwork.

Harsh Thakkar: 12:22

And you also do writing or you just do like drawing or designing.

Chijindu: 12:27

Yeah, I do both writing and the artwork. Yes.

Harsh Thakkar: 12:33

Okay. And I want to talk about storytelling, right? So you did mention that you're trying to, when anytime you're working on a scientific article or piece of information, you're trying to extract the key points. But what other types of techniques like anything related to storytelling? Have you used to maybe help people understand that topic better, right? Because people storytelling is one of the important aspects of how people remember things. Because that's, that's why most designers use that. So do you have any ideas or process of how you use storytelling,

Chijindu: 13:14

Right, for me, I use storytelling to write some of the articles some of my articles, even the books, like I said before, United by passion, when I was writing that I wanted to inspire people and tell people about ovarian cancer, I also used it and I also added it and in associated with people will be interested to know what this is all about. And at the same time, if we give the information the required information that they need. And this will also help give them the knowledge that they need for, for it. It will give good knowledge about ovarian cancer and how to manage it and treat. Treat it.

Harsh Thakkar: 14:01

Okay. Yeah, that's, that's great. So when, like, when you're when you're done with your at the end of your career, however long you continue doing this? What do you hope people will remember about you through all the work that you're doing, like the art and everything? What do you want

Chijindu: 14:21

Thank you so much, I will say, I'm doing that mostly them to remember? not for myself, but for people. I want to inspire people. I want to make a positive impact in so many people's lives. That's why a lot of people, there's uncertain things that are complex, and a lot of people cannot read it on Facebook, I try as much as possible to bring out some creative work of using cartoons, animations, or initiating stories and to help these people and I'm doing that because I want to inspire people. I want to make a positive impact. I want to bridge the gap between unscientific content and public awareness. That's why I'm doing all of that so I feel like for me I feel like I'm just doing this just to inspire people and to make a positive impact. That's it.

Harsh Thakkar: 15:15

That's, that's great. Like I said again, I haven't I don't know many people who do this or I don't know many haven't had anyone on the podcast with this this area who works in this area so I was really excited to have you on learn about what you're doing. So for anybody, any person in the industry or any companies or anyone who wants to connect with you, what's the best place? How can they reach out to you?

Chijindu: 15:40

Okay, on LinkedIn Chijindu E. O. Author Ceco. Or you can see also see some of my creative work on Facebook at Author Ceco Creations on LinkedIn, Author Ceco Creations for my page, and also on Instagram at Author Ceco Creations.

Harsh Thakkar: 15:56

Okay. And before we conclude any final thoughts, or any words you want to share with the audience?

Chijindu: 16:02

Okay, what I would like to say is, that is one of my favourite life codes. It's being nice is contagious and spread it. And again, every mountain top is within reach if you keep climbing so the starting process might not be easy, or whatever you are doing, you should keep pushing. Keep going. It's not it will not be an easy one when you start but you should continue and you'll find out that very soon the storm will be over and you'll be happy that you didn't give up.

Harsh Thakkar: 16:37

Well, thank you so much Chijindu for your time and for coming on the show. Really enjoyed this conversation and wish you a ton of success in 2024.

Chijindu: 16:46

Thank you so much.

Harsh Thakkar: 16:48

Thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Check out the show notes in the description for a full episode summary with all the important links. Share this with a friend on social media and leave us a review on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.