Unlocking Creativity: The How

When we think of creativity, our minds often jump to serious brainstorming sessions, vision boards, or long nights spent wrestling with ideas. What we rarely consider is that one of the most powerful keys to unlocking creativity is something we once did naturally as children — play. So let me ask you today, when was the last time you played — really played — without worrying about the outcome?

Play isn’t just about toys, games, or fun for the sake of fun. It’s an approach to life that encourages curiosity, exploration, and freedom from judgment. As kids, play was actually how we discovered the world. Do you remember you built castles out of sand, turned cardboard boxes into spaceships and aeroplanes, and scribbled on paper without worrying if the lines made sense? Somewhere along the way, adulthood taught us to prioritize productivity, perfection, and outcomes over imagination. And with that shift, many of us locked away one of the greatest sources of creativity we ever had.

So, what makes play so powerful?

a. Play frees the mind from pressure. Play creates a safe space where mistakes aren’t failures but stepping stones to fresh ideas. When you play, there’s no “wrong answer.” You’re simply experimenting. This sense of freedom removes the mental barriers that typically block creativity, such as fear of failure or self-doubt. By treating the creative process as play, you allow ideas to flow without overthinking. Science backs this up: playful activities reduce stress, increase brain flexibility, and encourage divergent thinking — the very skill needed to generate new ideas

b. Play encourages curiosity and exploration. Creativity thrives on asking “what if?” Play is filled with “what ifs.” What if I mix these colors? What if I approach this idea upside down? Playful thinking nudges us to explore possibilities we wouldn’t normally consider, and that’s often where innovation hides.

c. Play reduces stress and sparks joy. Research shows that play reduces stress hormones and boosts dopamine — the feel-good neurotransmitter. A relaxed mind is far more likely to stumble upon fresh, exciting ideas than a stressed one. Play literally rewires the brain for openness and flexibility.

d. Play strengthens creative muscles. Think of creativity like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Play is a workout for your imagination. Doodling, role-playing, building, or even daydreaming are small exercises that keep your creative mind active and ready for bigger challenges.

But here’s the secret: play doesn’t always have to look like play. It can mean taking a break from work to dance around your room, brainstorming wild and silly ideas just to laugh, or experimenting with something outside your field. A designer might find inspiration from baking; a writer might spark ideas from painting. The point isn’t what you do but how you do it — with curiosity, lightness, and openness.

The most brilliant ideas often come when we least expect them — in the shower, during a walk, or while joking with friends. That’s play at work: loosening the mind, letting connections form naturally, and giving inspiration space to breathe.

So, if you ever find yourself stuck in a creative process, don’t just sit at your desk forcing ideas. Step away. Play. Be silly. Explore without a goal. You might be surprised how quickly your imagination returns — refreshed, recharged, and ready to create magic. 

Here are some things you can do as play:

i. Doodle with no plan — grab a pen and paper, and let your hand wander. See what emerges.

ii. Word association game — pick a random word and write down everything it makes you think of. You’ll be surprised where it leads.

iii. Build something silly — use LEGO, blocks, or even kitchen items to “invent” something funny.

iv. Improvised storytelling — start a sentence and keep adding to it without editing. Better yet, do it with friends.

v. Change your medium — if you write, try painting; if you design, try cooking; if you sing, try sketching.

vi. Dance break — put on a song you love and move however you like. Instant refresh.

vii. Reverse thinking — instead of asking “How do I solve this?”, ask “How would I make this problem worse?” The answers often reveal fresh angles. 

Interesting right? Let me know which one you would like to try out or have tried in the comment section!

When Your Creativity Decides to Take a Nap; Don't Give Up!

You know that moment when you sit down, all pumped to create something amazing… and your brain just stares back at you like, “Nope, not today”? That, my friend, is the infamous creative block. It’s like your ideas packed their bags and went on vacation without telling you, looks like mine did for almost 5 years!

Creative block doesn’t care if you’re a painter, writer, designer, or baker of world-class cupcakes — it visits everyone. Sometimes it shows up because you’re tired, stressed, overthinking, or trying too hard to be perfect. Other times, it’s just… Tuesday.  It took me a while to overcome this so-called Creative block, as I wanted to be perfect at writing, of which I am not yet perfect anyway.

The good news, which I read and has pushed me out finally, is that: 'Creative block isn't permanent!. Sometimes your brain just needs a snack, a nap, or a change of scenery. Go for a walk, doodle nonsense, watch a movie you loved as a kid, or have a ridiculous conversation with a friend. Inspiration loves to sneak up when you’re not looking.' I have tried some, and I look forward to trying more, waiting for inspiration to sneak up on me! 

'And remember — you don’t have to create a masterpiece every time. Play. Experiment. Make something bad on purpose. The important thing is to keep moving, even if it’s in tiny baby steps.' This also stood out to me in my research, and I have decided to stand up and take the baby steps that I once started a few years ago. My posts may not be perfect, they may not be masterpieces, but I would love it if you follow me on this journey of growth.

Allow me to welcome you once again to Creatives' Corner! A place where my creative journey and lessons are documented. 

You can look through the previous posts we have; I will put their links below, from the most recent to the oldest.

1. What lesson do you see?

2. Who else never wants to run out of Creative ideas? Discover how here?

3. Spill You Over Your Content

4. The Dos and Don'ts of Storytelling

5. How to sell out using stories

6. Getting into your Customer's Mind

7. Word of Mouth Marketing 1

8. Overcoming Discouragement as a Creative 2

9. Overcoming Discouragement as a Creative

10. Meaning of Colours 3

11. Meaning of Colors 2

12. Meaning of Colours

13. What is Tracking, Kerning, Leading and White Space in Design?

14. HOW TO PRICE YOUR CLIENTS

15. From Designing to Delivery 2 – Tips for Logo Delivery

16. From Designing to Delivery 1

17. THE DESIGN BRIEF

18. The Process of Design

19, New Things I learnt recently about Design: Elements of an Iconic logo

20. Story time: The Idea behind the Movement

21. The Process called Recruitment

22. How to build a Successful Brand

23. Design: How should it be done for productivity?

24. LOGO

25. Creativity

26. Welcome

You should check out the amazing contents above!

What lesson do you see?

My lecturer stirred up trouble in class yesterday evening.

It was slowly becoming a boring lecture.

2hours of listening to academic talk is hell for some of us.

Until...

"As a young lecturer, my salary was suddenly increased from #3000 to #11000 and then to #40,000."

This was in the 1900's and my bachelor of a lecturer was even paid some arrears that made the money accumulate to about #200,000.

He had never seen that much money before.

Armed with the boldness that comes from a fat bank account, he approached the lady he was interested in.

They already had a fling going on, so he just had to be clear on his intentions for her.

The pitch was simple;

"This is money. Are you interested?"

Years after, and they are still married.

Now, before you come up with toxic reactions.

Note that this is not my story, and you will be wiser if you choose to see the lessons that relate to your business therein instead

There are tons of them, but let's do with;

✓ A good offer can be the difference between 2 and 10 sales a day.

✓ Having proof to back your claims is as important as making the claims.

✓ Sometimes, you just have to cut straight to the chase and make your intentions known.

What other lessons are there? Let me know in the comments...

Who else never wants to run out of creative ideas? Discover how here!

Hello friend,

I take it you have a habit that has served as an anchor from childhood.

I want to ask what it is, but before then? Please read this story.

One of the tipping points in terms of emotional rush for me was when as a child, my own father looked me in the eyes, straight faced and called me a bastard!

It wasn’t a joke. He meant it.

I have now gotten over it but trust me it took every ounce of strength I could ever find.

What made it worse was just before then, I was actually being exposed to some rumors that gave strength to this claim, so his statement was more like a confirmation.

But did you catch me saying ‘my own father?’

Yes. He is my father and he never doubted that. He only said that because I had made him angry concerning something…

But that was what made the trauma harder to get through with. Why would you want to hurt an ignorant child’s feelings with such heavy words?

That was more of a denial. We only deny what is not valuable to us, right? Well, that was what I felt. Worthless.

I went to my room and cried my eyes out. I don’t have to describe the pain. Life comes with a lot of woes so I believe you’ve had your own painful experiences too.

Now, don’t think of your childhood pains if you are not over them yet. However, I want you to know that this hole of painful experiences? It’s actually over-crowded and while we may have gone through different shades? We’ve all had our own fair share of it!

And in case it’s crossing your mind? Yes, I contemplated suicide.

But I didn’t because I wanted to write to Duuni.

She was my anchor. The lady I couldn’t bring myself to ask out because of fear but I wrote to every day. Okay, I didn’t write every day but I did write a lot.

Are you enjoying this writeup? It was Dunni who made me discover it, and writing to her made me get better at it.

But there were days I couldn’t write, not because there was nothing to write about but I didn’t just get the connection. It seemed as if my journal didn’t want me to write in it; I still have those days.

Until…

I found a journal I could own.

A journal that speaks my language; I mean it owns me as much as I own it.

Now, you are probably not a writer. So how does this matter to you?

I’d show you in a moment. But before then, I’d like you to ask yourself this question;

“What fuels my inspiration?”

Yeah, I mean what inspires your inspiration.

If you can relate with my story, then you are a Creative.

There is magic in your heart and you need to let it out.

But to be effective at that, you need to figure out where the magic stems off.

And I’d like to help you by showing you what worked for me.

See this?

That’s my smile in all its radiating glory and the word “bliss” speaks to me more than any other word in any earthly language.

Now, I guard my smile jealously but I do have days when smiling seems impossible.

On those days, my journal becomes the magician.

It fuels my passion and ignites a chord that sings through my fingers.

The sweet part is, my writings still serve as the reason some people keeps their smile.

In other words, my journal is making the world happy.

What word speaks to you?

What image defines you?

Is there a reality that transcends you into eternal peace?

A memory you’d like to immortalize so it can serve as the source of the magic your heart has been made to create?

I’d like to help you with that. Help you with what has helped me.

…introducing the Light Journal!

You can have your picture and a name on your journal just like these ones have.

The implication is that; a supernatural bond comes up between you and your journal such that,

It is able to fuel all the magic you seek to create. It is able to be inspire your inspiration.

It is fully customizable to suit your needs and taste.

Now, this journal is so precious, one of it would justifiably go for #5,000

But the idea behind this is for you to be able to create more magic.

So, we won’t make it so hard for you to find your magic

You can get a copy now for #2,000 only.

That is literally a steal but this is from our heart to your heart.

If owning your smile, name, memory or whatever inspires you is something you’d like to keep,

Click this link now here

It leads to the private WhatsApp chat space of our Creative Director.

You fill the details of how you want this magic to come in with her and voila!

Your personal journal will be ready within one month.

The price might increase based on market prices but if the economy is stable? We promise we will never make this harder for you to get.

But you should hurry because, Nigeria’s economy is Amaka. It can disappoint you anytime.

Own your journal by clicking here

Bliss for your desires.

Spill You Over Your Content

Today's topic in brevity we brew;

It will be lyrical and musical. You may even call it a poem.

Just a favor you do us as you read?

Read as if you read a nursery rhyme!

Remember Two birds on a tree stand!

For question marks please read with a pitch that goes high?

For exclamation marks please read with pitch comes low!

***

The lessons we aim to teach in this?

All over it we make sure it shows!

It is that as you create what you create?

Don't do anything to tamper with your voice!

***

The writer behind this text?

A poet has been from birth!

Words and talks his fortress has been?

And here he is showing you!

That for your content to resonate with your audience?

You must lay a hold of things in two!

—That is two things. Don't mind us please—

Deliver the value they truly need to hear, is first?

Deliver it in the voice you find natural, is second!

Because even though this is not all about you?

Your audience, they want to hear what is true!

And how they hear it matters just as much as what they hear!

***

So give your voice and then put your profession in it?

Don't do your profession and then look for your voice in it.

This statement has to be understood in context!

In case all we've said you've heard in nonsense?

What we mean is spill you over your content! Your audience will resonate with it better that way!

Thank you Creative!

The Dos and Don'ts of Storytelling

 

It’s a lovely Friday again! A day to take stock of the week and to start preparation for the next. I am grateful for you, what are you thankful for?

In my last post, we talked about using stories to sell out. As you know already, we are learning together, so tell me, I would love to know how much my blog post helped you. For me, I got two new clients, isn’t that awesome?

Do you know that storytelling is like your cloth? Each style, each colour, each combination is for different occasions. Just as the black colour is used to mourn in Africa, the white colour is used in eastern Asia. You wouldn’t wear a flowing dress to do farm or factory work, neither will you wear a wedding dress if you are not the bride. Each cloth has its own relevance. And you have to follow the silent rules guiding the use of each. Likewise, your story, you have to follow its guiding rules. So, let’s jump right into it.

The first do is that your story have got to matter.

It shouldn’t happen that after your audience finished reading that story you have written, then they are more confused than they were before reading. They try to think back about the story but still can’t get a connect of what you are trying to say or calling their attention to. Your story needs to have a point, a clear point at that. With that, even if you are trying to sell a product or service which I believe most of us are, your audience will be able to relate your story with your product or service.

Let your story be in the right detail!

If my post is getting unnecessarily long, I bet you will get tired of it and move on without completing it, that’s just what a reader will do to a story that is too long. What if your story is too short, just straight to the point, it really wouldn’t be interesting enough to catch your reader’s attention you know? Therefore, there is a need to have your story in the right proportion, with just enough details to catch and keep a reader’s attention.

You can weave your stories into the beginning and end of your presentation

Be it a written or spoken presentation, you can catch your audience’s attention with this. Starting with your story, linking it with your product in the middle, and finishing with the story.

Avoid losing focus!

As much as you are trying to tell a story, to catch your audience’s attention, you shouldn’t lose yourself in the story, thereby overlooking or totally forgetting the main reason for that presentation. It must not happen. No matter how much you enjoy relieving that moment, no matter how much you enjoy talking about that experience, you have to time yourself, so you don’t shoot yourself in the leg.

With these dos and don’ts, I know storytelling will become a lot easier for you to do to make your sales. Don’t forget that storytelling in making sales is as important as your salt when cooking.

See ya!

 

How to sell out using stories

You know, getting people's attention can be a lot of work. Everybody is busy with one thing or the other and if whatever you are bringing to the table is not exciting or inviting enough, they air you.

Sometime last year, during my stay in a camp, we used to have hours of lectures everyday. And since our facilitators were not storytellers, but bores, almost everybody got tired easily and ignored them, well I did too at some points.

We had one particular facilitator though who would always engage us with songs, or stories, it was actually hard to ignore her because she didn't let us, she was interesting. I can say she is the only one I still remember since I left the camp, just because she caught my attention.

Can you see the importance of storytelling? It catches people's attention. If you know how to play your game well, it keeps their attention. So, let's dive right into talking about how to sell out using stories.

According to Google, Storytelling describes the social and cultural activity of sharing stories. Remember that before writing came into being, storytelling had been. Therefore it can be said to be an effective tool in passing down history and information.

So, how does it affect sales? Storytelling majorly, to affect your sales, catches your audience's attention, it gets them to know all they need to know about your product, they stay hooked and convinced to buy your product. Indeed, it has become an effective tool in closing sales.

So as a business owner, how can you write your story in marketing your products?

When writing your story, it's better to go from the KNOWN (the problem) to the UNKNOWN (the solution - your product). And it will be better if the problem is one you have experienced before. But please note, if it's not something you have experienced before, lying in your storytelling is not advisable.

So, you can catch your audience with your story about how you felt when you had the issue. And then flow to how your product has helped you overcome and how it can help them overcome too. 

Let's give an example. Imagine you wrote a book for getting out of depression just after you got of of depression too. And of course, what is written in the book is a combination of all you did to get out of your depression. Your story will be an attention getter for your audience if you start from when you were battling with depression (relating with their problems) and then you move on to how to combat it (introducing your product)

With this format: Identifying with the issue, to introducing your product as a solution, your storytelling will flow, grabbing people's attention and keeping it intact till sales, you can be sure to sell out using your stories.

In the next post, we will talk about the Dos and Don'ts in Storytelling. See ya!

Getting into your Customer's Mind

Gosh! It’s been a long time I wrote, and it’s been bothering me. Yes, I can say I have my reasons for going off, which was fear and uncertainty (well, nobody is immune to it you know). Despite the fact, I would always convince myself every Friday of why I did not write/post. And today, I have decided to forgo it all, take my time, sit my myself down and write what comes to mind. All I know is I have overcome the reason I went AWOL and I am back. I am glad to be here for you and I promise to do my best with it. Kindly subscribe and tell your friends about Creatives’ Corner too. I look forward to having you all read what  I have to post about Creativity, Business and Creativity #smiles

So, this week, in a class that I have been attending, I learnt something and I will definitely love to share it with you. I learnt that being an entrepreneur is creativity. Why did my teacher say that? Well Entrepreneurship which is different from being a business owner involves a whole lot of thinking. As you are thinking about your product, you are thinking of your investors (if you have), you are thinking of your customers, you are thinking of your team members, you are thinking of the brand and of course you have to think about yourself too. And all these entities, must be satisfied by decisions you make. They must grow and not remain stagnant. That is a lot of creativity if you ask me.

Dear entrepreneur, out of all these entities that you have to think about, let’s focus on your customers in this post. Have you ever wondered about how to satisfy your customers? Or is it even a present challenge you are facing? Then let’s talk about getting into your customers’ minds. How exactly are you meant to do that? 

The first thing I will suggest is to spy on them. Do surveys, not the ones they will know about now, unknown surveys. If your product is meant to be going to or is in the market place already, go to the market place, watch them. Watch what they do, how they react to your product, what they complain about, what they love. In that way, you can be able to understand from their point of view as the user and make necessary adjustments. Don’t forget that for this survey, it’s without their knowledge, I suggest you go to the market disguised as a buyer. Of course, it can be a huge time investment, but it is a good one.

Another thing I will say is for you to carry out known surveys; video, physical or online. Remember the first is about doing the survey without their knowledge, this is with their knowledge. Ask for feedbacks! Let them tell you what they think about the product. Let them use it in your presence. Ask for what they would have preferred instead of this. Actually, this is always best done before you take your product to the market but it’s not too late to be done even after you take the products to the market.

In getting into your customers’ minds, you need to be understanding. You can’t afford to get these people’s feedbacks especially bad ones and flare up or get discouraged, always remember that it is for the better. Remember, they are the ones you are producing that service/product for. If they don’t buy, then you run out of business. And as Danni Friedland said in one of his posts that ‘You should aspire to create value for your customers by helping them get what they need’, therefore, they have to need and love what they buy or the service they get so that they can come back.

Let your customers see that you care about them, listen to them, understand them, ask questions and listen again. When they make calls in, let their experience be amazing, let them have that feeling of accepted, understood and valuable.

With these, you should be able to think like your customer and produce that exact thing they need which will definitely keep you in business.

Let’s do some entering into our customers’ minds this week. And don’t forget to tell me and the community all about it.

Thank you for reading! See you next week! Looking forward to hearing from you about your experience.

Word of Mouth Marketing 1

Hi guys!!! I am so excited!! Guess what?  Creatives' Corner has her first guest post!! Drum roll!! Are you wondering what it's about? You need to check the full gist out. It's about Word of Mouth Marketing, how to get your customers talk about you. Yes...I know you are interested, why not follow me.

A quick introduction about the writer, he is a friend, his name is May-Las Akorede and he is so excited to have you read his post. Let's go.

Sometimes towards the late ember months in 2019, I stumbled on a couple of information that has changed my views on business and how it's been run. I decided to follow up on that information and I started digging and researching hoping to uncover more information – well, I'm not done uncovering – but the good news is I've uncovered some pretty good stuffs that I believe every business owner should begin using NOW. Not tomorrow, but NOW.

I know a lot has been wrought in you up to this point and I don't take it for granted, and all I simply need is for you to have an open mind and be receptive to some of the insights I'll share. They've been time-tested, and experienced personally.

My name is May-Las Akorede and I run a photography business, a real estate business and a consultancy business; let’s just make that a form of introduction of myself.

“How much you grow is dependent on the quality and quantity of information you have access to. This is the Knowledge Economy” – Debola Deji-Kurunmi

Let’s Begin!

Have you ever had a nice time at a restaurant you visited for the first time, and when you got back home, you told someone about your experience at the restaurant? 

Or have you ever watched a cool movie or listened to a really nice song and you tell your friend about it? 

Or you just bought a new pair of shoes and every time you wear it; you always want to snap pictures and post it? Or in some cases, you want people to actually see the shoe on you?

You’ll most likely answer yes to one or more of those questions or know someone who has engaged in something similar. The real challenge is in knowing how – a business owner – to engineer such situations in your products and services also, such that when our customers patronize you or use your products, they just can’t hold it to themselves and they become advocates for you, telling their friends and families about your business and how cool it is to patronize you.

Do you know that on an average, people share more than 16,000 words per day and every hour there are more than a 100 million conversations about brands, products and services?

People love to share stories, news and information with those around them. The things others tell us or text us about, have a significant impact on the actions we take, on what we think, read, buy, watch, sing, do etc. We watch movies our friends recommend, we download songs people talk about, we read books our friends praise and often times we vote candidates our friends and family endorse. 

Word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20 percent to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions.

So, while traditional advertising is useful, – still very useful – word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) is at least ten times more effective and I’ll give two major reasons for that;

Word-of-mouth is more persuasive. Ads tell you how great a product is, and because ads always claim that their product is the best, they’re not really credible. Most people don’t believe ads and you can almost count the number of times you’ve seen an ad and immediately respond to it. You won’t find an advertisement that would “shade” their product. However, our friends tend to get blunt, they tell it to us straight, they just simply call a spade, a spade. If they believe a product is great, they’ll tell us exactly that. If the product is bad, they’d also tell us. We trust our friends more than we trust ads. We listen to them. We believe them.

Word-of-mouth is more targeted. A lot of businesses advertise in ways that allow them to reach as much number of interested customers. That might not be really efficient because many of the people who see the ad may not need your product/service or may not need it immediately (P.S I'm not against ads, I advertise for my business also, but minimally, I focus more on word-of-mouth... I'll advise you do both). Word-of-mouth is naturally directed toward an interested customer. We don't share stories with everyone we know. We select particular people who we think will find it valuable. You won't tell a friend who doesn't have children about a new diaper. Word of mouth tends to reach people who are actually interested in the "thing" being discussed. 

And we believe our friends more than ads, because we know they're mostly not working with the company in question. And Word of mouth gives you infinite return for little investment on a customer. That means, from one customer, you can get an infinite chain of other customers.

This implies that as a business owner, you should find a way by which conversations about your business is infused into people's daily "small talks". Those "small talks" of theirs can fetch you big money and influence.

WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING AND “TRUST” FACTOR

Essentially, word of mouth marketing can be summed up in a single word: Trust.  People trust other people and the experiences they have to report, which means when they hear from a friend or a consumer about a product or brand, they are more likely to buy. One person will tell another, and that person will tell someone else. Then that person will continue the chain and spread the word further.

According to a Nielsen study… 92% of consumers believe suggestions from friends and family than other advertising. If 92% of consumers prefer suggestions from their friends then WOMM is valuable. Plus, having good WOMM amongst your customer may make it easier for you to ask for referrals. Consumers do not only make up their minds through advertising messages but through word of mouth recommendation from a trusted source.

Wow!! Word of Mouth Marketing!

I believe you have learnt something like I have from this post. Of course, you know this is not all. More to be posted as time goes on. Just watch out. 

Thank you for reading! Thank you for subscribing. It means a whole lot to us. Don't forget you can send in requests for topics to be discussed. Also remember to invite your friends and let's enjoy in our corner together.

See ya!

Overcoming Discouragement as a Creative 2

It’s a new week and I am so grateful. Shout out to all readers. You guys rock! I know you must have wondered what happened last week, a lot did. But here is your compensation, two posts this week!

So, in my previous post, I wrote about overcoming discouragement as a creative. I know you know that being discouraged is not a bad nor a new thing. Therefore, I want you to know that overcoming discouragement is a great achievement. I spoke to some friends who are creatives recently and they shared their experiences and challenges in our creative world. I am sharing it because I believe it will help someone going through the same thing, even if it’s just to know that you are not alone. So, let’s move. 

Chris 

Chris is one of the very good graphic designers I know. He is also involved in Digital painting. We met on a Facebook group and we got talking, you can imagine. Talking with him has always been very insightful. Chris partners with studios in Anambra and Lagos. He also teaches graphic design during his free time in secondary schools. He is also an employer and he shared some of the challenges he has been facing/has faced as a Creative. 

His major challenge is getting clients and making them clients that stay. I know that may be a challenge for a lot of us too. You know, unlike doctors, we most times can’t sit in one place and expect clients to come find us. We have to keep marketing. That explains why getting returns from marketing could be a challenge. One lesson to learn is that to bring your clients back means you have to give them a good job at first contact, so they don’t slam the door in your face after that first time. 

 ‘So, I got a job 3 weeks ago, and though I was writing my exams, was very occupied but I took the job. The person is a designer but I considered him a client because he paid me for the job. Despite my very tight schedule, I took the job because of who the person was, I didn’t want to let hm down. Funny enough, I didn’t even remember someone gave me something to do for him. the deadline for submission came and passed, two weeks into the deadline, three weeks into the deadline, I didn’t deliver. That was pretty challenging because I had pressing matters at hand.’ Chris.

Wow…when you do some things so as not to disappoint and you still end up disappointing. So, lesson learnt, no matter who a job is from, if you know you can’t deliver, turn down the job so as to avoid disappointing your client.

Feranmi

Feranmi and I met in a printing agency which was not far from where I once worked. Feranmi is good, very good. He shared his challenges as a creative with me and I would love to share them with you too. 

His major challenge has been in learning the use of design softwares. I know you will have experienced this too. You are not getting it, not because you are lazy, but because a lot of times, the spark might have evaporated but you still have to keep on learning and learning until you get it. Terms might even be a challenge. And then you just get confused and discouraged. So, he proposes the best way to learn - going from theory to practical. Understanding the theory of design, understanding terminologies, the process and then now moving to the practical aspect of learning softwares. You sure have given yourself a good foundation, learning will definitely be easy.

Samuel

The way Samuel and I met, I don’t know, I just realised that I started getting mails from him regularly. It must have been one of the things that I registered for and forgot totally about. Samuel is a very good designer and he runs a business. 

And he shared his major challenge with me. ‘So, one issue I had then was mentorship, like having a senior figure around you, someone that can guide your process. Figuring out design alone especially as a self-taught designer can be very difficult because there is a standard and a journey. You need someone that has navigated the industry (at least beyond where you are). Design resources and learning was not my issue because I had access to YouTube and the likes.’ 

How did Samuel overcome this challenge? He leveraged on the relationship he had. One of his friends introduced him to a club for designers from where he started to know more people and be introduced. Uhmmm…relationships, very important in our industry. 

So, we have heard from Chris, Feranmi and Samuel. Chris learnt from the challenges he has gone through to learn to say no to jobs. And also, that if he does a job, then he must do it very well so that the client can come back. Feranmi. realised that to experience learning all the design software better, you have to have a good foundation in the theory of design. Likewise, Samuel learnt to leverage on relationships.

Wow! That was an awesome session of insight. I trust we are able to get one thing or the other as a take home today. Don’t forget to subscribe, don’t forget to reach out and share your challenges with us as a creative, and don’t forget to invite someone to the corner.

See ya!!