12 THINGS I AM GRATEFUL FOR THIS YEAR

At the beginning of the year I decided to get a gratitude jar and fill it with thank you notes. I scribbled down the things I was mostly grateful for at the end of every week. I started off so well but as the year went by it got harder for me to keep up, so I started dropping in notes whenever I remembered or whenever something in my mind popped up and I was thankful for it; it’s no wonder the jar didn’t overflow as I imagined it would. I plan to open the jar on the last day of the year and I figured I should at least share twelve things I am grateful for this year.  Twelve because there are twelve months in the year; though, keep in mind that the things I’ve listed, didn’t necessarily happen in that order.

     1.  Juza Africa

I am glad to have been part of the founding team of Juza Africa that installs digital libraries around primary schools. The organization focuses on improving literacy and making the educative process more efficient and effective for schools in Africa using technology inspired solutions. My work with the team has been to capture the process, create content and run the social media pages. The most joy I’ve got out of the work is being able to do something for the community and share the love and joy with the children as they receive the digital libraries. If you’re looking for a way to give back to the society, please consider the organization, you can donate on the website.

     2. Getting my books on Amazon

As a creative, I get excited knowing that I’ve put out something into the world. I officially have three books published under my name. Its two screenplays and a children’s illustration book that you can buy from Amazon. That officially makes me a published author and I am definitely thankful for that.  Check out the link to all my 3 books here: Click to buy my books on Amazon

 Alongside publishing my own books, I also helped my cousin publish her own book, ‘Beyond theCrevices.’ If you’re looking to publish your own book, please lets discuss, I’m happy to get your book published as well. At a fee of course!

     3. Stock photography

I have a lot of pictures sitting in my computer because of the love I have for photography. I decided to share this on stock sites and it has been such a rewarding experience. If you are considering doing this for some extra bucks please do. My only regret is that I hadn’t started sooner. My most earning website has been Dreamstime, which I am an exclusive partner. If you plan to join please use my affiliate link. I am also on Shutterstock, but it hasn’t got me much, I know for sure everyone’s experience is different, so if you’re still interested in joining Shutterstock you can use my referral link. The good thing with stock photography is that you can make up to $1000 a year just having your photos on the website. Some people have been luckier and have made that in a month.  So please try it out if you’re a photographer and find out how your work does.

4. Getting a website

It took a while but with the help of a great website developer I created my own website www.spinklycreations.com based off the idea of stock photos. I realized there are a lot of people looking for creative content, so figured it’s a great way to keep mine all together in one place. Please check out the website and support my work by registering and engage on the site. You can also buy some of my digital content, I would really appreciate it.

     5.  Getting back on YouTube

I’m able to showcase the process of my work and to increase my outreach through YouTube.  I created the channel for my illustrations one year ago, though I stopped for some time. I picked it up again this year and I’ve decided to be consistent with it. Hopefully, I can build an audience. Please click on the link and subscribe to my channel if you are a fan of my work. It will encourage me to keep going: Subscribe

     6. Creating a Spinkly Store

The great thing with Teespring, which is the website I’m using for my designs, is that it allows me to print on demand and the site also takes care of the shipping. This way I am able to sell my paintings as well as use my wallpapers and patterns to create merchandise such as tshirts, pillows, hoodies, cases and the likes. Check out my store.

      7. Traveling for my birthday

On my birthday this year I took a trip to Diani. It’s not to another country as I had originally hoped for but it was very fulfilling all the same. I got to travel with my big sister who was great company. The trip was a much needed vacation. I’ve put in so much work this year, and whether I get appreciated for it or not, I figured it’s the least I could do for myself, reward my efforts.

I also realized that I am so blessed to have been to a total of 19 countries in my life (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Egypt, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, UK, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, UAE, Turkey, USA, Pakistan and India) and I really plan to make that 20 by next year. I like the idea of my 20^th country being in 2020.

8. Books I’ve read 

I am not much of a reader, but I’m glad that I managed to read four books this year. This is such an improvement from last year because I only read one book (It was even a book I was editing, so I’m not sure if that even counts). Hopefully next year I can finish six books in total as I had hoped would be the case this year. Below is a list of the titles I read this year:

• The self-esteem workbook
• Becoming Michelle Obama
• Act like a lady, think like a man.
• You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make em chacha: Why Some People Stay in Abuse and Some Don't.

      9. Appreciating your circle

This year I learned that being close to your family members is a blessing. Generally when people don’t have great relationships with people they live with or work with, it can be toxic. I’m now wary of the people I allow in my life, and I’m especially grateful for the people that love me for being me, and wouldn’t change a thing. The older you get, the harder it becomes to keep friendships. It’s no wonder the older you get the smaller the circle.

      10. Health

Slowly by slowly I am starting to have problems with my health. I won’t mention them particularly, but a lot of my conditions have got worse with age. Nowadays I consider health as not having to go through any excruciating pain, because when pain or illness comes, it’s a reminder that health is so important and we shouldn’t take it for granted. I hope as I step into 2020 I can actually stick to a healthy diet and follow through with exercising, I don’t like it but it’s necessary.

11. Building a relationship with God

I believe in God and my strength comes from God. I feel like the past few years my relationship with God hasn’t been at its best, so lately I have been working on that and so far so good. Prayer works, you just have to be patient, and know that God’s time is always best. I’ve learned that being at peace with my God results to being at peace with myself.

      12. Blogging

I know, I can’t really brag about this blog part, or say I am grateful for how much I have written. Though, I am glad I have this platform to express myself in written form. I have really missed it, and the fact that I am able to come back whenever I feel like, without any pressure, at no cost, I appreciate that. I don’t know if there’s anybody who reads what I write, but I still choose to write because I realize I love writing. I’m no Shakespeare or English guru but I’m a creative writer. I love expressing myself through writing because it gives my thoughts value. Thanks if you actually did read up to the end because I doubt people still read blogs, but you do and that’s rare! Have a prosperous and successful 2020! I hope to write more next year!

Comment below the books you’ve read this year, and let me know what you were mostly grateful for this year. 

5 Different type of artists

Watch how I create the above image here

Artists, a person who expresses human creativity and imagination in a visual form to be appreciated primarily for its beauty or emotional power. 

There are so many types of artist involved in the different constituents of the arts which comprise of literature, performing arts and the visual arts. It’s safe to say we all don’t fit into the same category when it comes to creating and presenting our work but here’s a few things I can poke at that outline the different type of artist.  

1.    Careless artist

The careless artists are more of the risk takers and don’t usually take the time to plan their work. These type of artists are not so much caught up in doing their work until the last minute. There work is usually carelessly done, assuming it is done in a hurry; hence, not so much effort is put into it. Simplicity is key for them as most of their work involves a few splashes here and there but the result is marvelous! These are the kind of people who don’t care much for deadlines. No matter what they do, their work is always good and so they don’t worry too much about details. Five minutes or five days doesn’t make much of a difference for them as they are gifted with the talent and they solely depend on it. Unfortunately most of these artist tend to be lazy because creativity comes easy for them. In terms of delivery, they still complete their work and satisfying the audience or clients’ needs. I would say these kind of artists need a lot of push in order to take their talent or work seriously since despite everything they are still able to deliver, which means they most likely don’t get to live to their full potential.

2.    The planner artist

The planner artist is the opposite of the careless artist. The planners are the organized type of artist and love to plan their work ahead of time. They are not so much of the risk takers as they would probably need their work to be more precise. I imagine the planner artist wouldn’t consider a pen as a tool for drawing as they are perfectionists and are more specific to details. They would rather do sketches and prefer pencils that allow them to erase and draw over to better their work to perfection.  The planner artist definitely has the talent, they are aware of the talent but still plan out their work to ensure that everything goes according to plan as it is preempted. A lot of the times their work is neat and tidy as they colour within the lines. I imagine that these are the kind of artists that make better designers and freelancers as they are able to plan out proposals to show their clients the kind of work they will create before they actually create it. At the same time they are able to save their work in stages, so that they can go back and correct their work if required.

3.    The lucky artist

The lucky artist are the type of artists who create by accident. You ask them what they are going to create, they have no idea but when they finally create it’s a success. Now these are the type of artist that are considered lucky as they know they have the talent and they rely on the talent to come through for them when needed. I consider them a bit closer in relation to the careless artist as they have the unplanned quality, seeing that they don’t know beforehand what they will create; they discover it through the process of practice. Their work is based on results and outcome, so they require patients and faith because their work speaks for itself, you wouldn’t believe it wasn’t planned for. These type of artists need to build trustworthy relations with their clients who have seen their work and believe in it. In some cases they also fit in with the planned artist as they require a lot of time in order to create. It takes them a lot of trials to do the work as you will notice their work takes a different direction from the original thought process (if they managed to think it out beforehand). They are also the type of artist that because of luck, one of their pieces will sell for millions because their creations take on a life of its own, as their creation is based off from the creation process. Doesn’t matter how long it takes them but eventually with the luck they’ve got, once `discovered’ their journeys are more entertaining as they make for better stories. All in all I would say the lucky artist’s work is deemed unpredictable so they would fit better into the fine arts.

4.    Clueless artist

The clueless artist is the type of artist that doesn’t even realize they are talented. You give them a compliment and they are as surprised as you are that their work is good. The admiring of their work usually comes as a surprise as they are unaware of their talent and capabilities. The clueless artists are probably the one timers that decide to create and it’s unbelievably good, the type of people who you’ll invite to attend a painting class and they’ll perform even better than you the artists who has been doing it for a while. You end up with a ‘student performing better than the teacher’ situation, though it’s not anything they take seriously. A lot of them go without exploring their talent because they couldn’t be bothered by it. That’s they kind of people you hear singing randomly, you’ll be surprised they can sing, you complement them, they are thankful but that’s all it will ever be since their carrier paths and choices have nothing to do with their talent. In some cases the clueless artist is aware of their talent but it’s as good as irrelevant as they do nothing with it as they wouldn’t even know how to go about it.    

5.    Wannabe artist

The wannabe artist are those who don’t have the talent but they admire artist, they love artists, they study artist until they become artists. The funny thing is they are usually the loudest of all artists. They could list the top artists or name all those who are good at what they wish they could do. Majority leave it at that as they attempt to be what they admire but they don’t quite achieve being the artist they sort. If they do they are loud with the efforts of acquiring the talent, so much that they are recognized for it, even if sometimes they are not so good at it. All we can do is admire their efforts. The good thing with art is ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ and chances are that there is always someone that relates to their work. Take for instance singing, nowadays you don’t have to have a voice to sing. Most wannabes spend a lot of money or time making themselves better until they do become better. You find that they are recognized even more than the real artists with the born talent, they are the so called made artists. The wannabe artists are those who suck at it and you wouldn’t convince them otherwise, I mean why should we? Besides, at the end of the day we’re all just artist trying to make a living out of our talents or what we do best. Kudos to all those artists who succeed and are able to make a living out of it. I would say the wannabe artists make better teachers and managers of artists as they master well what makes an artist and are able to pass on the talent or shape up artists to be better.

Please do let me know what type of artist you are in the comments…

Watch my speed art of some of my illustrated pieces

A lot of people don’t understand how much goes into creating a digital piece. I get undercharged figured I would record some of them and show you:

Watch me illustrate and color from sketches to digital art... I speeded up the time.

Here is how I turn faces into cartoon characters:

Here is how I make vectors either for icon, logos or favicon use:

I also like creating background images for web or wallpaper use. The them of the one below was florals:

I also do simple general illustrations for books or any required digital art:

Having faith and patience in the process.

I have been contemplating a lot about rules and concepts of designs by trying to be a rebel in order to get things done. Why this way and why not that? Wondering, why must I do it the way everyone else does? A lot of it is common and redundant, which is not how I like things to be. I mean, who likes ordinary right? So then, I try and make it work in my own way, set by my own standards, and to my liking but most of the times I realize that my own liking is not necessarily accepted by the majority. I come to realize that the masses of the norms are directed by the numbers, which then explain why rules are set; to govern our thoughts.

In as much as I like to do things my own way, my growth in designs has taught me that my work is not so much mine but for the person I do it for. Eventually I am dictated to do things to the likes of others or to the acceptability of the majority. I learn to have faith in the system of rules with the understanding that the reason it is the way it is, is because of the likability of the masses and its qualification to cater for most.

The sad part is a lot of creatives begin unruly but eventually they are molded to fit into a box. They are shown how to do things in ways that are acceptable by many, even though they may not necessarily agree with it. Can I say we are denied the chance to show our own creativity and ideas? A lot of the times we represent those who have already made it before us by making references to their work on ours, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I value giving people credit and displaying the works of those who came before us but is it to say we are useless and lack originality? As if we are to blame. As if we chose the time of our existence. The thing with doing things now is majority of the work is already discovered or done for us. Every idea I have or anything cool I think I have made, somehow someone somewhere has already thought of or done it. Originality is shunned upon, unknowingly when we question our differences and pin point the great minds that thought like we do. We rely so much on replication that we find ourselves spending more time researching on other people’s work and spending less time on discovering our own. I find myself accepting that there is a root to every course, and an origin to everything I think of and that nothing I think of is truly entirely completely my own.

I therefore choose to have faith in the system, there has to be a reason why it is the way it is. Same way that everyone that comes to me, comes already knowing what they want. I trust they have thought it out, and my work is just to implement their ideas and bring it to reality. As for my own work, I need to have patience in it and make time for it. People are not quick to take on ideas and try new things. They lack comfort in the idea of expecting a designer to create something from the blue, which is why they come to you with their expectations. I don’t blame them, we all want to make sure that when something is created, it is within the scope of our imagination; something we are already familiar with. We don’t want to trust entirely on creations someone else does on our behalf, lest they go overboard. You want to make sure they are in line with what you think. Yet when you think about it, all we do is limit ourselves.

Good thing is while doing my own work, I am able to create everything as it is, straight from the mind. I am able to sprout out new ideas from nothing and make it known to the world, whether accepted or not. I find comfort knowing that it is my beauty that I’ve created, whether the world accepts it or not; I brought it to existence. Then again, there’s that notion of, a lot of replications exist… which limit originality. In result, we create a lot of duplicates. Duplicates reduces the value of our work, which further makes people justify their exploitation of us. Despite all odds, I have chosen to be patient and have faith in the process. I believe that my work will one day speak for itself. As I am the one who dictates my worth and I know that creativity in itself is valuable. 

Taking Chances

The funny thing about us man is we like to complain. We complain so much we don't even realize we're complaining. We never take the time to realize that what we have now is enough for that moment and that life is a journey. Nothing comes wholly packed and completed in a package. Everything comes in stages and as they do, we should learn to embrace it. We should learn to take it as it is here and now.

I notice that we rely so much on our expectations that we forget about our reality. We should live by the actualization of experiencing the now and not so much focus on the ‘what ifs’. We forget that our focus on the present sets the path for later. That's it's our current ‘being’ that is important and is what should always matter. It is the portrayal of our expectations that fill up the mind and bring forth worry. The same way it’s the focuses of others that fill our mind with envy instead of us fully embracing ourselves to be better beings.

Sometimes we don’t even know when chances knocks on our door because we are so busy concentrating on other things that we forget to live in the present. Sometimes we’re uncomfortable with the idea of being uncomfortable, even though the only way to get comfortable is by being uncomfortable. Remember that chance doesn’t wait on anyone and chance doesn’t favor anyone. It’s up to you to take it when it’s there, if not create the chances for yourself, you are the one who calls the shots.

Sometimes we miss our chances because we're so busy overlooking them and surpassing opportunity, with the hopes that another will come our way. We don’t realize that it could possibly be the only shot we get. Just like life is a one shot streak, we don’t get another shot at living.

Therefore, don’t waste chances when they come. Opportunity knocks ones at every man’s door, it’s up to you to let it in when it does and make the most of it. If you blow it, that’s it you’re done! Done? No, no one really likes to think of the word done or anything worth completion, even when it comes to life and it coming to an end. What do you do when you blow your chance? Do you spend the rest of your life looking back and regretting it? No you shouldn’t, because then you consume your time with worry, pity and regret.  Move on and focus on the now. Maybe chance won’t come again, maybe it will. The truth is no one knows, only God does. If anything, you need to depend on Him more than anyone. Let it be that if you ever get another chance, you will be ready, you will be smatter, and you will take the chance but as of now, never let it slip away.

Also read my other blog on Dare to be different!

Happy International Women's Day!

Be strong! Be independent! Be you!

Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and what you can’t do.

Don’t let the successes of other people’s path determine yours. Know that you are different and you set your own path.  

Instead of being threatened by other women’s success, cheer them on and let us be successful together.

We are women, we are beautiful and we are us!

Happy international women’s day!

What do you do when you reach a dry spell?

I don’t know about you but I’ve realized it’s not that easy to keep your creative juices flowing. There comes a time when our minds are tired. Tired from all the thinking because there’s so much we want to do but we don’t know how to do it all that we end up not doing it. Or it could be that you really just don’t have anything to do all, as I imagine writers do have a mind block. The dry spell is when your mind just refuses to work and you’re completely blank. The worst is when you’re on an assignment and you know you have to bit deadlines.

So what do you do when this happens?

1.  Relax and let everything around you will bring you back.

A lot of the times it’s because you’ve been doing too much.  What you need to do is sit back and just let it be. This is the time for you to take in your surroundings and see the world has to offer. I usually get a lot of inspiration from conversations, nature, reading a book, watching TV, and listen to music, basically everything that happens around me. The moment I leave my desk and give my work a break, I allow myself to think constructively. That’s the time I’m able to put the bits and pieces together that will get me back to where I need to be.

2.  Always list down a ‘to do’ list.

Do you have a ‘to do’ list of the things you wish to get accomplished? As a creative my thoughts overflow when I least expect it. Especially when you’re enjoying a nice shower. I don’t know what it is about that shower space that gets your mind going. I mean, it’s not like I can get off the shower and grab a pen and start writing or scribbling. It also happens when I’m in bed and I can’t sleep which has to be the laziest time to try and get up to note things down. Somehow we can all relate. The point is, doesn’t matter what you’re doing, writing it down will help you at the time when you will need it the most. Being able to go back and refer to something you were meant to do can help keep you busy and always keep your creative mind at bay.

3.  Go back to your unfinished projects.

If you are like me, you probably have a lot of unfinished and pending projects waiting for you on your desk. All you need to do is back track on what you were doing and tackle them one by one as you go. You will find that the reason you stopped doing it is because you found something more exiting to do at the time. Usually most creatives suffer from wanting to do so many things at once. What usually happens is that when something new comes along abandon the old stuff and then we end up forget about it.

4.  Understand that you can only do one thing at a time.

You will find that having so many things to do leaves you with nothing to do. There’s no way you will be able to do everything at once. When this happens, it’s important to learn how to prioritize your projects. Just because something more exciting comes along, doesn’t mean you stop what you were doing. Note it down, finish what you are doing, and then move on to the next one. Don’t be the person that’s busy doing nothing. Besides, if you do it all it will take you a longer time to finish than if you were doing one thing at a time. Remember it’s better to constantly put out something than wait for a long time to finish everything at a go, then put multiple things out. A lot of the times, they’ll go unnoticed because people don’t like being overwhelmed. Less is more.

5. Research

Research is so important for the mind. Thank God for the internet, I know I say this a lot but gratitude goes a long way as there’s so much information given to you for free out there. All you have to do is seek that inspiration. It won’t always come to you when you relax and sit around looking for the birds and the trees, waiting for the whisper in your ear. You actually have to go the extra mile and seek out what you’re looking for. Besides, there’s so much that someone else knows that will benefit you than you will ever be able to figure it out on your own.

You can now buy my ebook, 'The Inevitable' 

Buy Now

The inevitable is a screenplay for a science fiction film. Caroline Spenser, a sixteen year old has settled in Kenya after moving a long way from Canada. She becomes accustomed to the place; she loves the school and her new friends Lena and Harold. One morning when she is going to school she feels watched. As she enters the bus and sits by Lena, she hears a car approaching them quickly. An accident almost occurs but she manages to stop it and protect everyone else in the bus by creating a force field. It is then when she discovers that she has powers. However, no one believes her. After somehow convincing her friends to help her gain more information, she faces new challenges.  There is someone out to get her; who endangers her life including her friends’. Read more to discover the mystery behind her powers.