Broken pencils can still write
Chukwu Adaeze Victoria
Creative African brand designer, strategist and brand surrogate for bold brands.
"Who goes there?!"
Like a seasoned agbero, this is how I challenge certain thoughts that pop into my head.
"Ehen? Can I help you?"
"Wetin you dey find gan gan?"
Any one of these is my go-to.
I have decided to challenge random depressing thoughts and imposter syndrome like this. To be completely honest with you Nkem (you are Nkem by the way), sometimes no matter how much I scream at them, they win the fight.
As I lay defeated on the floor with my figurative busted lips and swollen eyes, I still hear the faraway voices of my clients saying sweet words like "where is the flyer Ada?", "Can you make the logo bigger?", "I'm not feeling this banner, can you do another one? And I want it today please".
Don't they know? Can't they see that I'm weak right now.
No they can't, and they shouldn't. I don't think they should ever be put in a tight corner because I am currently selling creative ice block.
In cases where I still need to drag myself to my laptop and fulfil the needs of the clients counting on me, I have learnt to bandage my wounds, lift up my head, plaster a Barbie smile on my face and deliver the work.
I start by creating a music playlist on YouTube. With the volume of my laptop at the highest, I blast sweet gbedu like Agoro by Adekunle Gold (AG Baby!!!), Sere by DJ Spinall, Ginger me slowly by Somi, and so on.
Another thing I might do is clean up my room while dancing to these songs. I've found that there is something therapeutic about having a clean and tidy working space. Dancing is also a great way of releasing happy hormones in your body and quieting your thoughts.
Lastly, I may just go to bed with a fu*k this sh*t attitude.
Ma pa mi.
In a nutshell, there are days where I win the fight against depression, creative block and imposter syndrome. There are also days when it presses hot konk on my head, beats me up and leaves me weak.
This year, I hope to have more wins in that boxing ring, but regardless I will push forward.
You should too.
Peace and plantain,
Brand Strategist and Creative Designer
2 周Thanks for this
Graphic Designer | Brand Identity Design | Creating irresistible identities for brands that resolves brand communication problems and goals
1 年Wow. I never knew you write too. This is classic with the expressions too. My first time reading and I'm definitely following up on future ones. I also identify with this struggle. We keep winning nonetheless. Peace and plantain (this cracked me up... Lol????)
Illustrator and Visual Designer | Host, The Unschooled Podcast | Lead, GDG on Campus, University of Uyo
1 年Thanks for sharing ??
Designing solutions for businesses Creative Director at Clevarland Design Agency
1 年This is so me o...lol... May I win more this year! Thank you for sharing CAV!