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Gaya

Artists aren’t all born. Some are made by dedication and a deep desire to become excellent at a particular craft. Gift Ogar-Okune, popularly known as Kyauta, is one of them.

Today, she is a content creator and performer with prowess in dance and costume makeup. And if there is one thing Kyauta has consistently believed that has brought her to where she is today, it is that anyone can do anything they put their mind to.

“I actually believe that anyone can do anything. Just put your mind to it. There are so many things I didn’t know how to do, but as the years have gone by, I have become better just by not giving up on them. I guess at the end of the day, determination is the determining factor.”

An interesting fact about Kyauta is that she couldn’t always dance. In fact, she recalls times when she would dance, and people would laugh at her.

“There was a competition I was practising for, and they went for the competition without me because they thought I could not dance. I have had really interesting moments around dance, but one thing was that I refused to give up. So, whenever there was a new dance step, I wanted to be ahead of others.”

Rather than quitting her dreams of ever becoming a ‘big stepper’ far back when she was just a teenager, she took it as motivation. So, whenever she encountered a new dance step, she wanted to master it before everyone else.

“I’d spend hours in front of my mirror practising until I perfected the steps. Until eventually, it became, ‘Gift can dance.’ I went ahead to become the president of the dance club in my secondary school and subsequently joined a dance crew in university.”

She is also a self-taught makeup artist. Like dance, an unpleasant situation was her motivation to perfect this skill.

“I actually had a fallout with a friend who used to do my makeup at the time, which sort of challenged me to learn makeup within a short period of time.”

And true to her determination, she succeeded. By the time she was graduating, she had become skilled enough to do her own makeup for special events like her final-year dinner and her photoshoot.

From childhood, Kyauta has always desired to be an artist.

“As far back as childhood, on career day, when everyone would be dressing up as engineers and all, I would come as myself because I believed that’s what artists do; they are just themselves. Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to do something arts-related.”

So, although her decision to study performing arts was a shock to so many—considering how underrated the course is by our society—Kyauta never doubted her decision.

“I have had so many offensive moments from people who felt I should have studied a more lucrative course. I still remember excitedly telling people that I studied performing arts and watching the smiles on their faces disappear...even during NYSC camp.”

Thankfully, her parents’ support of her craft and passion helped her become grounded in her choices early enough.

Over time, her art has only evolved for the better. From performing a skill she once sucked at on stage to getting scouted into bigger dance crews that brought her good pay, Kyauta also ventured into costume makeup art and video content that opened doors for even more collaborations and much more recognition across her platforms.

Regardless of how far she has come, Kyauta is not interested in choosing just one box to live in. She is a go-getter who lives to explore new things.

“If my closest friends were asked to describe me, I think they’d call me a busy bee full of surprises…because they never know what is coming, literally,” she says.

Kyauta is constantly learning, experimenting, and looking for her next challenge. Little surprise, one of her current obsessions is Building Worlds Without Borders, a podcast that has enlarged her view on money and inspired her to keep going after new opportunities.

She lives to take risks and good challenges, which sometimes look like swimming against the tide.

“Although people tried to dissuade me from moving back to Jos from Abuja and many have attempted to convince me to move to Lagos, I believe I am right where I am meant to be and look forward to maximising my time here.”

And she will do anything—no matter how small or big—to fight obstacles that could hinder her progress. For instance, when she moved back to Jos, she put her house on Google Maps so that she could receive PR packages right at her doorstep.

Kyauta also holds fast to excellence and honesty above the consistency that the algorithm rewards. Let’s just say Kyauta is living this creator life strictly on her own terms, and we absolutely love to see it!

And perhaps her parting words are the perfect philosophy for the life she is building:

“At the end of the day, content is the tool. Money is the means. Freedom is the goal.”

From being laughed at for dancing to becoming an excellent performer, makeup artist, and content creator, Kyauta is building her dream life through sheer determination.

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