My independent creative and digital practice. This is where I work with people on brands, products, data, and media systems, from early questions through to the things we put into the world.
Explore my practiceReflections
01 / 09Human.
Believer. African.
Husband. Builder.
Strategist.
I’m Tomi, a Nigerian with a curious mind and a faith that shapes how I live. I build things, follow questions, and write about what I’m learning along the way.
A little more about me
This is my personal corner of the internet.
The work lives at Tomi Abe Studio and Susbridge .
My story, so far.
My full name is Jesutomilayo Abe. I was born in Lagos, into a Yoruba family from Osun State. I grew up in a home filled with love and faith, with room to explore and become my own person.
That curiosity took me to Computer Science at Covenant University, and later to a postgraduate programme in Creative Technology at the University of the West of England. I was drawn to both the logic of computing and the possibilities of making something with it.
Living in the UK widened my perspective. I began to notice how differently people organise things: their cities, institutions, creative work, and everyday life. It changed the questions I brought back with me.
Today, I’m married to Toro, whose faith and brilliance continually inspire me. We live on the outskirts of Lagos, just far enough to breathe. Home, faith, and the people in my life shape the decisions I make about work and everything around it.
I still follow a lot of interests. Art, design, technology, media, sustainability, culture, faith, and history all find their way into my reading and conversations. I like understanding how something works, why it matters, and whether it could work better.
What grounds me.
I’m a Christian. Faith is the lens through which I see my life, including the ordinary choices about how I spend my time and how I treat people.
I believe creativity is a gift to take seriously. Doing something well is a way of being grateful for it. That belief carries into how I build, learn, and serve other people.
Curiosity makes me ask questions. Conviction helps me decide what to do with the answers. I want to keep both, and stay willing to learn from experiences that challenge what I think I know.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”
Colossians 3:23
What I’m building.
My work follows many of the same interests as my life. I work across design, technology, media, and research, helping people turn complicated ideas into things they can understand and use.
I co-lead Susbridge, a consulting practice bringing research, data, and communication to decisions. Through it, I also co-publish Susinsight, a media and research platform exploring sustainability through African stories and experiences.
Meet SusbridgeThinking, in writing.
Writing helps me work out what I think. Sometimes that becomes an essay about technology or culture. Sometimes it is a personal story that takes a few years to finish.
The Limen
On connection, meaning, and the patterns beneath contemporary life.
Undercurrent
An interest I’m developing: Nigeria’s past and present, and the historical and cultural forces shaping its future.
Marketplace Logic
With Alex Akinyeye. Looking at the systems and design decisions behind digital marketplaces.
Notes & reflections
Design, faith, technology, and life as I experience it. Find my writing on Medium and Substack.
A few places to start
Part 2: Three Years LaterMeeting Toro, distance, proposals, and marriage. How Culture Quietly Rewrites Sustainability in Our StoriesThe ways communities remember, teach, and belong. What Will It Take to See More Women in Public Leadership Across Africa?Representation, leadership, and what needs to change.Notes from here.
What has my attention
I’m spending time with Susinsight, practical AI tools, and the shape of a more intentional personal practice. I keep coming back to how culture carries knowledge across generations.
Culture is part of how change lasts.
I have been thinking about the stories communities remember, teach, and carry. They shape what sustainable change can look like in real life.
Read the essayKnowing when to rebuild.
Rebuilding Susinsight gave me a reason to think about the systems I had kept patching. I wrote about the decisions behind moving it from WordPress.
Read the reflectionThree years is a good moment to take stock.
Susinsight turned three. A chance to look at what we have built, who it has reached, and where we go from here.
Read the updateThrough my eyes.
Learning goes both ways.
Since 2020, I’ve shared what I’m learning through talks, training, and mentoring.
Those conversations have included AI and design with climate advocates at African Climate Stories, ethical AI in HR at FITC’s E3 Conference, generative workflows with Loblaw Digital’s AI Committee, and creative business strategy with Nairametrics.
On MentorCruise, I work with early-career designers on their craft, strategic thinking, and the practical decisions involved in building a career. I value honest feedback and the confidence that comes from doing the work.
Find me on MentorCruiseThere’s more to a person
than a page.
If something here connects with you, I’d be glad to hear from you. A conversation, a question, an invitation, or simply a hello.
Say hello