Born out of Struggle

What is it aboutStruggleThat makes artAuthentic?About bleaknessThat makes a story moreVivid?Art and despairHave a strange relationship,As though certain treasuresCan only be hewnOut of the artist’sDistress.It is certainly possibleTo make things that areWonderfulIn the absence of disaster,Yet there is something aboutHeartbreakDevastationAnd depravityThat sweetens the penOf the ready writerAnd sharpens the mindOf the brooding creative.Perhaps it serves […]

Afro bubble gum

Art for art’s sake.Joy at just being joyful.Laughing with a friendAt a shared silent joke.Smiling at the smell of rainGyrating to the rhythmsOf transcendent sound.Living normal lifeWith the people you love.Frivolous pursuitsThat make the heart sing.Simple pleasures.Complex adventures.Happiness.These are thingsI wish to come to mindWhen I think of Africa. But they are not.We always seemTo […]

50

Posts in a row today.Fifty times facing a blank pageAnd populating itWith thoughts in the shapeOf wordsHoping that the blog postI’ve willed into existenceWill mean something toSomeone other than me.50 times dipping my feetIn the glassy lake of the writing processAnd being unsureIf this one will float,Looking over my shoulderTo see if inspirationWill join me […]

On making a ruckus

Be sure that it’s not about you. That you’re not just trying to prove a point. That it’s not coz you have a chip on your shoulder, A self-righteous narrative That eternally gives you a moral higher ground. Be sure that the story you’re telling yourself Is challenged regularly, That the righteous crusade you’re on […]

Not everything is a team sport

Sometimes the only way to developEnough of a backboneTo make meaningful assertionsIs to do the work that only you can do,Ship itAnd then repeat.There’s camaraderieWhen working with othersAnd ‘another set of eyes’Can often be useful,But there is also safety in numbers;Safety from ultimate responsibilitySafety from being on the hookSafety from the skinned kneesThat come from […]

Fear of writing trash

Is like an invisible arm Restraining my hand with an iron grip, Keeping my hand from Giving the words in my mind A chance to reach the page. It’s as though the mere sight Of unvarnished thoughts Are confirmation of my deepest doubts About my ability to write. And so rather than bear the pain […]

The One Stop Shop

Is a fable, A tale told by service providers and creatives alike About how they can be All things to all men And make something That everybody will like. It’s easy to rationalise this By imagining a customer or a consumer of content Looking through what you have to offer And not finding what their […]

Barbershop

He really wanted to be good.Someone who left an impressionThat would last longerThan the haircut he would give.Yet there was something elseInside himA festering corner in his mind,A place to hide from the discomfortOf progress,He found himself deeply fearfulOf artificially receding someone’s hairlineOr, God forbid, disfiguring a little boy’s headWith his clippers,Every morning as the […]

Creativity = Rebellion

There are things worth rebelling against:ApathyIgnoranceHalf-heartednessDespairPlagiarismDisadvantaging the vulnerablePerpetuating a poor track recordA culture of exclusionTardinessSuperficial unityUnequal scales.Finding ways to do things betterOften requires intentonal steps in unpopular directions-The thing about the status quoIs that no one feels responsible for itYet everyone not pushing against itMakes it possible.In civic life we celebrate people today who were […]

Fancy running shoes don’t make you a runner

Simple ones work just as well.Sure it would be great to have extra padding so your feet don’t hurt as much,And aerodynamic designs that make you feel like you are glidng rather than running would be nice-But running barefoot on the sand works too.It would be amazing if your shoes were custom made,But store bought […]

heartinscriber

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. -Proverbs 23:7

Creativity