Erick Kirimi knew he wanted to pursue a career in the arts when he was 6 years old; he wanted to be a fashion designer. But Kirimi’s pursuit of his artistic passions has not been an easy one. “At the age of 7, I ended up on the streets, living with the street kids…I was homeless.”

In the first episode of Qatar in Quotes, Kirimi, a 26-year-old Kenyan who currently lives in Doha, relays his journey to becoming an artist. When Kirimi was a child, his uncle, who financially supported Eric’s education, strongly disapproved of a career in art. His uncle refused to pay Kirimi’s school fees if he insisted on becoming “a tailor” in the future. So, within a year, Kirimi ended up living on the streets.

In those times, Kirimi turned to drawing as an escape from his reality. He never thought that he would be able to seriously pursue art in the future. Today, Kirimi works as a security guard at Georgetown University in Qatar and is still painting and drawing. So far, he has successfully held two art exhibitions displaying his work in Doha.

Kirimi’s paintings are bright and bold, splashed over with color – they make you smile. According to Kirimi, he enjoys doing abstract art in specific because it is so different and separate from reality.

One of the most important things Kirimi said he is doing right now is a project called “D.R.E.A.M.” – The Doha Run Educational Art Mission. Under this project, Kirimi aims to find at least 20 artists, from 20 different companies and 20 different countries who are workers in Qatar and to work with them to get their art displayed in the country. He has already found 12 artists to support, helping them with supplies to pursue their art further. Kirimi’s goal is to ultimately be able to create 1000 jobs as a part of this project.

It is important to remember, Kirimi said, that migrant workers have private lives outside of the work that they do. That is why nurturing fellow workers’ talents is so important to Kirimi. “As much as I am a security guard, I still have a life after my uniform.”  

Kirimi continues to dream of becoming a fashion designer. Fashion, for Kirimi, is something that will never become obsolete. “Fashion and design, it’s one of those things that really moves me. People never stop wearing clothes.”

Learn more about Kirimi’s life from Kenya to Qatar by listening to Life in Abstract, episode 1 of Qatar in Quotes.