What It Takes Book Volume 1
What It Takes is a book that documents the emerging creative class in Africa. The book published by dillion s. phiri, founder of Creative Nestlings, serves as a tool to connect Africa and beyond. The multi-faceted Creative Nestlings platform focuses on “nurturing a curious, creative, innovative and entrepreneurial mindset” across Africa. For the book, What It Takes, dillion s. phiri and his team captured the story of 60 young African creatives and outlined their processes and challenges in an emerging world. It’s an exciting time for the continent of Africa and its diaspora. The intersection of global network and connective tools are resulting in some exciting opportunities ahead. - Maekan
What It Takes is a book that documents the emerging creative class in Africa. The book published by dillion s. phiri, founder of Creative Nestlings, serves as a tool to connect Africa and beyond. The multi-faceted Creative Nestlings platform focuses on “nurturing a curious, creative, innovative and entrepreneurial mindset” across Africa. For the book, What It Takes, dillion s. phiri and his team captured the story of 60 young African creatives and outlined their processes and challenges in an emerging world. It’s an exciting time for the continent of Africa and its diaspora. The intersection of global network and connective tools are resulting in some exciting opportunities ahead. - Maekan
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Cover Type: Hardcover, Imagewrap
Book Size: 5x8 in – 13x20 cm
Page Count: 150
Paper Type: Standard Color (70# White Uncoated)
Copyright © 2020 Creative Nestlings
All Rights Reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the publisher. All images in the publication
are subject to copyright from their respective photographers and
publications.
ISBN: 978-0-620-80178-2
FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2018
Designed by Samuel (Pty)Ltd
Self published
Creative Nestlings
Dillion s. Phiri
Johannesburg
South Africa
www.creativenestlings.com
2
Credits
Curator
Dillion S. Phiri
creativenestlings.com
Publication Designer
Abel Siminya of Samuel
samuel.africa
Illustrator
Musonda kabwe
musondakabwe.com
3
Foreword
What It Takes! is a refreshing perspective curated by the
Creative Nestlings team to offer young creatives useful advice
and crucial insights into challenges and opportunities that
impact on their vocation.
The true value of this offering is in the fact that it is an
empathic peer-to-peer initiative - it is also a pioneering and
unique work worthy of emulation.
Beyond the wisdom and experience shared in “What It
Takes!”, the book is a rallying call for an inclusive and
participative ethos: “I participate, therefore I am”...
Ours is the most youthful continent in the world, and 2018
happens to be the concluding year of the African Youth
Decade under the auspices of the African Union.
It is thus fitting that the Creative Nestlings should play such a
catalytic role by being an active ʻpart of the solutionʼ in
addressing matters close to the hearts and aspirations of our
youth...
Prof. Mugendi K. MʼRithaa
President Emeritus:
World Design Organization
Photogragh: creative leadership collective
4
5
6
Illustrated by Mogau Kekana @mogau_k
THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE + SUPPORT.
Over the the years.
7
Dedicated to the creators
WHAT STARTED AS A CRAZY
DREAM, IS NOW IN YOUR HANDS.
THIS BOOK IS DED
SINGLE PERSON THAT
TIME TO PARTICIPAT
MAKE CREATIVE NEST
DEDICATED TO ALL THE
THAT ARE ON THEIR C
THIS IS FOR YOU.
YOU HAVE “WHA
DICATED TO EVERY
T HAS TAKEN THEIR
TE, SUPPORT AND
TLINGS WORK. IT IS
E YOUNG AFRICANS
CREATIVE JOURNEY -
T IT TAKES”.
NOW, GO OUT THERE AND PUSH
THE CONTINENT FORWARD.
CHAPTERS
starting
business
failure
working together
success
pg14
pg44
pg80
pg98
pg114
10
“
want to go
fast, go alone.
want to go far,
go together.
-AfricanProverb
11
Introduction /
Preface
Social Sculptor & Creative
Entrepreneur
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Brian Molepo
12
The greatest thing about my life/job over the years has been that I get to interact
with great creative talent from around the world. I get to interact, have dope
conversations and work with some amazing creatives on the African continent. And I
have learnt a lot from them over the years.
When we started Creative Nestlings in 2011, we didnʼt anticipate the impact of what
we were doing was going to be. Honestly, our journey has been a gamble driven by
gut feelings, community, a sense of responsibility, a clear need and a few hundred
Rands.
We didnʼt know how to make the most of what we had, we needed so much advice
and we got some but didnʼt really listen. This was both bad and good!
In the beginning stages we made a plan, we put an emphasis on building a creative
community. So in order to build a home and a community for creatives, we decided
our first move would be to curate a series of talks titled “Conversations On
Creativity”, and invite our fellow Creatives to share their stories in a free and safe
environment.
Over 36 talks later, we are curating a collection of advice from some of those great
creatives who took their time and energy to share their stories and notes from their
journeys. We are revisiting some of our favorite creatives and asking them to share
their tips and tricks on what it took for them to get this far.
This book was inspired by our creative peers - locally and from around the world.
This book is for me, you, the kids and us - young African creatives building and
looking for inspiration and notes on building our best creative careers. I needed this
book when I started, I needed this book 3 years in, I needed this book 5 years and
now almost 10 years in I need this book and will continue to need it as that is the
creative life, a process of lifelong learning.
This book is dedicated to our kids and generations to come, may they lead great
creative lives.
Ireallyhopeyouenjoythiscollection.Ihopeyouwillgetinspiredtocreategreat
work.
Please share with anyone that would benefit from reading this book.
But remember, advice is just advice - use what you deem worthy and ignore what
you donʼt.
Dillion S. Phiri
Founder & CEO
Creative Nestlings
13
starting
14
As creatives, we are driven by our passion and gut feeling- we
always know what we need to do. We know we need to start but
often, we donʼt; this is either because we are overthinking our
ideas, over-scrutinizing our ability to execute them - and end up
doing nothing.
The honest truth is, there is no one size fits all, step by step formula
to starting on your ideas or creative journey.
Some of us come from the “napkin in a random coffee shop” era
and this is how we started on our ideas and refined them before
they saw the light. Putting those ideas down on that napkin was a
form of assigning value in our thoughts and ideas; there is always a
confidence in something written down.
One thing everyone in this book has is creative confidence. The
IDEO team defined ʻcreative confidenceʼ as having the freedom
and courage to fail/take creative risks and the knowledge that all
of the ideas you create have value.
Having this will help you take more risks and not even consider
giving up when it gets rough especially coupled with research and
understanding that not everything will follow an exact path.
We hope the insights and ideas shared by the creatives in this
chapter will encourage and empower you to start.
GO ON THEN, TRUST YOUR GUT AND GET SHIT DONE.
15
Wherever you go,
arrive prepared.
-AnelisaMangcu
16 on starting
Cultural Worker
&Connector
Cape Town
Photogragh: lwazi Mcongwane
17
Cape Town
Chef
Photogragh: Fort Rixon
18
Building a brand is relatively easy,
maintaining it is the difficult part.
Know your yin & your yang (your
dark and your light, your hard and
your soft), learn to draw your energy
from inside. Then surround yourself
with awesome people who love and
challenge you...advice from my older
brother, Uno who also happens to be
an entrepreneur.
-JadeDeWaal
on starting
19
Cape Town
DJ & Entrepreneur
Photogragh: Mlibo Bottoman
20
Don’t forget to understand the
importance of knowing and
understanding self. Through self
discovery, lies true confidence
and growth. Be okay with being
great. Never dim your lights,
because you are more than
enough. Beauty lies in
fearlessness and in gratitude.
-VincentManzini
on starting
21
Musical Artist
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Anthony Bila
22
Place yourself in the mentality of
someone who has already got to where
you want to be or even of your future
self. It’s going to be hard.So, at the
times when you lose focus, you will
remember where your mind needs to be
and stay concentrating on what is
important. There will be distractions, so
remember why you started in the first
place - there is little else you will need
for motivation. Also, support your
friends!
We are nothing without each other.
- Sam Turpin
on starting
23
Consistency is key;
to master your trade
and hone your skill, you
need to be obsessed
with your craft.
Catch those gut
feelings.
-RizqahDollie
24 on starting
Photographer
Cape Town
Photogragh: supplied by creative
25
Content Creator
Cape Town
Photogragh: Julia Amaral
26
Embrace your otherness and tap into
the things that make you uniquely
you. It’s very easy to want to compare
yourself to other people, but it won’t
serve you in your own journey. You
need to be unapologetic, tenacious
and committed to seeing yourself
succeed.
Be kind, collaborate and be open to
learning from others. You only have
one shot and things may not
necessarily be exactly the way you
envisioned but not giving up on
yourself is essential.
-PalesaKgasane
on starting
27
Writer &
Performing Artist
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Aart Verrips
28
Ifindthatit’sbetterwhenI’mjuggling
several ideas at the same time,
actually. So, for example, I could be
sitting down to try and write a verse
for a new song I might be working on
when suddenly I feel like going back
to a track I have long abandoned. Most
times I will end up writing and
recording that long forgotten track
instead.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is
that ideas spark ideas. This is why it’s
important, I think, to immerse
yourself in the work of other artists
and creatives. You never know what it
might unlock.
-MxBlouse
on starting
29
Visual Anthopolist/
Filmmaker
New Orleans
Photogragh: Sindayi Ganza
30
It is important to revive cultural
activism and to encourage
Africa’s youth to take control of
media, particularly film. Looking
through my camera lens, my
insight and perspectives allowed
me to break away from simply
rendering Africans in a condition
of helplessness, but to use this as
my personal weapon for us to
engage in the process of healing.
-KurtOrderson
on starting
31
Create a safe space
444 decolonizations,
otherwise, there will
be no elevation.
- Anaka
32 on starting
New York
Multidisciplinary Artist
Photograph: Justice Mukheli
33
Don’t give in to the pressure to quickly
produce work. I’ve taken a long time
out of my personal projects to do other
things. We’re not all multitaskers, so it
happens. While we are on a race with
time, relevance and ideas, it’s key to
look after self and choose what’s
important at the time in order to give
your best to the idea you’ve so badly
wanted to execute.
Who knows? Some of the experiences
you’ve gone through during your hiatus
could just fuel what exists or even
ignite better ideas. Don’t condemn
yourself for taking time, but don’t
forget to live your dreams through.
-AthandiweNtshinga
34
on starting
Musician
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Abo
35
Your idea should be
your best friend - go
out for coffee with it
-chillandwatchthe
sunset with it - make
your idea your best
friend.
- Sphiwe Giba
36 on starting
Designer &
Cafe owner
Johannesburg
Photogragh: dayphotolife
37
Stockholm
Content Producer
Photogragh: Dillion S. Phiri
38
Travel to the places people don’t
usually go to. That is where
you want to be and discover
inspiration and creativity to be
everywhere. Traveling is about
removing oneself from the
redundancy of work and
experiencing life without any
boundaries.
-TeddyGoitom
on starting
39
You can do it, you already know you
can. So just start as soon as possible.
Don’t worry about publishing or
marketing or him or her or whatever.
Just do. First drafts are for
exploration. Second drafts are for
correcting. Never stop your flow in
the beginning. Let the idea get as big
or ridiculous as you want it to be.
Then put it away for a few days,
come back to it and revise. But never
stop the idea in the beginning. Ideas
shouldn’t be punished for being
radical
–youjustneedtomakethemmake
sense to someone else.
-NereyaOtieno
40
on starting
Writer
San Fransico
Photogragh: Bronson Farr
41
Johannesburg
Singer/
songwriter
Photogragh: Thaapelo Masebe
42
Do not force your identity.
Life is a journey.
The destination is just as close as
your next decision. Remember,
you can’t spell culture without
cult. The search for who you are
will go on for as long as you live.
Think of your life as creating an
artwork or creating sounds. Do
your best to create a masterpiece.
We will make mistakes along the
way but then the end product is
perfect.
-YannickIlungaakaPetiteNoir
on starting
43
44
Business of
creativity
T he ʻbusiness of creativityʼ, is as essential as the work weʼre
making. We have to eat, acquire resources for our work, travel,
hire a team and pay for that essential cup of coffee.
A smuchas“thinkingbusiness”doesnotcomeeasilytothe
average creative, it doesnʼt have to be as hard as we make it out
to be. With the right foundation, curiosity and knowledge and
understanding of our environment - eventually ends will meet.
I fitgetstoooverwhelmingandtalkingmoney,complianceetc.
really is not your thing, then create a community or access the
various digital and physical platforms around you that
understand the “game” and learn from them.
T here are proven models of being a sustainable creative in all
industries find what works for you and apply it to your practice.
No more starving artists cliches, please!
“STUDY YOUR CRAFT. STUDY THE BUSINESS OF YOUR
CRAFT.”
- OTOABASI BASSEY
45
Content Producer
Vancouver
Photogragh: supplied by creative
46
There will be jobs that pay well but
have little creative freedom or
fulfillment. Use them to pay for
making the work that you really
care about, the work that may not
make you any money in the end.
Trust your intuition, the decisions
that scare you the most are likely
the ones that will prove most
important to your creative growth
in the future. Remember to give
back to your friends, nurture your
network and it will give back to you
at times when you least expect it.
At the end of the day, no-one has to
live your life but you. Act
accordingly.
-ShallomJohnson(akaIndigo)
business of creativity
47
Visual Artist
Aarhus
Photogragh: supplied by creative
48
Icanstartoff,bysayingweeachhavea
road to walk, so what has worked for me
is prob just a lamp post on your journey.
As a person of colour, this world we
occupy still has many structural
inequalities. Which brings a particular
set of challenges-there is no clear way to
prepare for it. What I can say here is to
make sure you wise up, equip yourself
with a language to better articulate
yourself.
Make sure to take from the past to help
light your present. I have come to
develop my visual thinking and giving
shape to it, with this I mean how to
externalize thought. In these days we are
becoming better at understanding our
brains and neuroscience is helping here a
lot. So I do nerd out on the stuff as it
helps my visual practice.
-AbdulDube
business of creativity
49
Entrepreneurial Ethics
are important.
Let them be your
compass & anchor.
You will know what is
or isn’t worth
compromising, once you
are clear about what
your values are.
-TiisetsoMolobiakaurbanmosadi
50 business of creativity
Product Designer
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Nigel Zhuwaki
51
Visual Designer/
Curator of African Lens
Accra
Photogragh: TJ Letsa
52
There is no rule book or direct
path when it comes to the
business of creativity. The most
important thing is to find your
path as a creative, channel your
self into your work, let people
doing great things inspire you but
not blind you.
Treat it like it’s all or nothing. Yes,
you will fail, you will learn, it’s all
part of the process. If you love
what you do, and put in hard
work, it will ultimately lead to
success.
-AaronYeboah
business of creativity
53
Generally, the biggest obstacle is
assembling an adequate team to
execute high-quality work that
attracts more business. It takes a
lot of time to achieve this and you
constantly have to work on it.
Professionalism and compliancy are
some of the other obstacles to
mention, i.e. understanding
business practices, bookkeeping,
paying taxes, getting the necessary
operational licenses, etc.
-AndrewSimelane
54
business of creativity
Founder of
Blacknation
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Dillion S. Phiri
55
TV & Radio Host
Cape Town
Photogragh: supplied by creative
56
It’s important to spend time
understanding the current system or
structure of the field you intend on
entering and owning. I’ve always
thought, in order to change the
game, you first have to understand
it. This leads you understanding the
gaps and how you can enhance your
abilities.
Lastly, it takes T I M E.
-Khanya“Kyeezi”Siyengo
business of creativity
57
CapeTown
Corporate Innovator
&Blogger
Photogragh: Anthea Adam
58
Compromise and sacrifice in one’s
creative journey is leveraged on the
working capital (and credibility) and
social capital that one has, and
unless the sacrifices are not
compromising of the craft, then the
risk is good. To compromise on one’s
art means that you’ll have to balance
respect for self and your craft, and
enough pride to be able to negotiate
work that would still have your
imprint on it, with enough space for
what you’re compromising for to also
shine.
To sacrifice and compromise in the
arts, or any industry is a constant
ebb and flow, and one that gets better
with every decision that you make.
-Vuyolwethu Dubese
business of creativity
59
Director, Photographer &
Visual Artist
Johannesburg
Photogragh: @dayphotolife
60
Be curious. You must be relentlessly
hungry to learn, about anything and
everything. Information is the
cornerstone of creativity. It’s really
important to arm yourself with as
much knowledge as possible.
The internet has made it possible to
up-skill yourself for free, it’s the
most powerful university in the
world. There are no longer any
excuses to be ill-informed.
Information hubs are deep wells that
we can pull from to replenish our
minds.
-AnthonyBila
business of creativity
61
Speaker &
Entrepreneur
Johannesburg
Photogragh: supplied by creative
62
The only standard is excellence.
Good enough is the enemy to your
growth.
Remember that EVERY detail
matters.
Excellence is a way of life and
should remain no matter the
situation or setting. Many aren’t
rooting for you or don’t understand
the true value of what you do; don’t
give them an excuse.
-MushambiMutuma
business of creativity
63
Founder of
Tastemakers Africa
New York
Photogragh: supplied by creative
64
The business of creativity is indeed a business. It requires planning,
working hard, constantly growing and expanding your craft, and
includes plenty of ups and downs. The economics of it all center
around defining and translating your value but that is where the
business of creativity is indeed the best kind of business. In our
industry, we have the great fortune of taking our passions and the
things within us and sharing them with the world.
Our understanding of how these things born inside of our minds and
souls affect the world around us can help us grow our talent beyond a
hobby and into something that can truly sustain us. Waking up
working on something I’ve conceived is the greatest and riskiest
opportunity I’ve ever had. Getting to the point where I understood
business in its’ simplest form as a value exchange allowed me to craft a
narrative around my passion and get the financial support and
mentorship needed to grow it into something beyond an idea or
thought.
My advice is to always be in a place where you admit openly what you
don’t know, position yourself for growth, double down on your
strengths, and don’t be afraid of success. The idea that commercial
success means the death of artistry is a dumb one. Your thoughts and
work have value, it is up to us to demonstrate it, build with it, and
expand our lives with its fruit.
-CheraeRobinson
business of creativity
65
Director
&Blogger
Johannesburg
Photogragh: @dayphotolife
66
Iwouldsaythatdisciplineiskey
and knowing your ‘Why’.
Knowing why you do what you do
or being happy with why you chose
to do certain things, will encourage
you and make the job smoother and
you’ll know what’s worth taking
and what’s not. I constantly have a
million thoughts and ideas flowing
through my mind.
Now how do I make sure I stay
afloat to see that all of these goals
are met? I am motivated by my
‘Why’ in all aspects and I apply
discipline as well.
It is not always easy but these are
truths.
-NthabisengMosieane
business of creativity
67
Interdisciplinry
visual Artist
Cape Town
Photogragh: supplied by creative
68
Imaintainthatbeingaverycreatively
inclined person comes with a lot of
challenges, with loads of fulfillment too of
course, but the ride is rocky and can be very
unsteady at times. This is why stamina has
had to be the most important thing I remind
myself of preserving.
Ihavelearnedthatanartistssuccessdoes
not depend on trends, it does not depend on
technical expertise and most certainly not
on the acceptance of others. It does,
however, depend on confidence. Enough of
it to keep going until you hit the spot. This
cannot happen without endurance.
- Jade Doreen Waller
business of creativity
69
Johannesburg
Filmmaker
Photogragh: Zach R
70
Plan your vision and write it down,
but always be open to the ideas and
feedback of others. This doesn’t mean
you need to implement what everyone
tells you to do, but mull over things
for a while before you take them on
or dismiss them. At the same time
trust your gut feels through the
whole process.
-DylanValley
business of creativity
71
Photographer
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Dillion S. Phiri
72
Since I don’t like PDFs and
carrying my laptop around, I have
my projects in these portfolio
boxes. It’s the easiest way to show
clients and editors what you’re
working on. I would encourage
photographers to print their work,
it takes a different shape and form
once printed.
-AndileBuka
business of creativity
73
Writer &
Photogragher
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Zuzi Seoka
74
The most important thing, without
adoubt,whichoftenisalways
relegated to be last in the
conversation when one is
approached to do any creative
work, is that one must be paid. It is
also not enough to simply be paid,
but one must be paid adequately.
The reality of this, especially in
writing, the space that I occupy, is
that publications will always try to
pay less than what one is worth
and thus this becomes an exercise
of always insisting, always being
clear that unless I am paid my
worth, I will not be doing work for
that particular publication.
The other aspect of it is that by
insisting on getting paid forces one
to be professional about their
business and their interactions
with clients.
-LidudumalinganiMqombothi
business of creativity
75
Knowing your purpose,
your why, will help you
get through anything.
Prioritizing purpose
over popularity will
keep your work unique
and authentic to
you.And also, invest in
your ENERGY account.
-ItumelengSolarModise
76
business of creativity
Photographer
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Jay Teja
77
Industrial Designer
&Entrepreneur
Johannesburg
Photogragh: @dayphotolife
78
As a creative starting out, you
need to understand that in as
much as you own your creativity,
you must own it’s business
too.Be an all-rounder - especially
the early days. Keep creating,
you will find your DNA that will
change everything at the end.It’s
like practicing and trying
different things eventually you
get better at it.
Believe in your creativity, first so
that others can believe in it
too.Most importantly, stay
focused and passionate.
-SibusisoMkhwanazi
business of creativity
79
80
failure
Experiencing failure is not something we want to admit to.
But the truth is, we all fail - itʼs part of the process. Failure
becomes a beautiful thing when we rise up from being
beaten down.
It might feel tempting to hide and disappear in shame
when we make mistakes, but we have to get up again.
Create a community that can help you through the tough
times, give you the much-needed feedback, and celebrate
with you when you finally succeed.
As painful as it may be to let go of things, ideas,
relationships, projects that we had high hope for - but are
just not working - we need to let go. Our physical and
mental health matters find ways in which you nurture and
exercise both of these even during the tough times.
Moving on from failure is important for us to unlock the
next phase of our lives.
FAIL EARLY, FAIL OFTEN, FAIL FORWARD. FAILURE
IS A MASSIVE PART OF BEING ABLE TO BE
SUCCESSFUL’
- WILL SMITH
81
Johannesburg
Writer/Performer
Photogragh: Kgomotso Neto Tleane
82
Forgive yourself. I think so often as
creative people, we place very
heavy expectations, deadlines and
goals on our shoulders.
We’re always chasing an elusive
perfection, and when it doesn’t go
according to plan, we’re very hard
on ourselves. Progress isn’t linear.
It’s windy, circular, murky and
difficult.
There’s a lesson hiding in
everything – especially failure.
The sooner we learn to forgive
ourselves, the lighter the process
becomes.
-ManeoMohale
failure
83
Writer/Performer
Cape Town
Photogragh: Dillion S. Phiri
84
Ithinkthemeaningoffailureisdifferentforeverycreative,as
failing is based on an expectation.
It could be defined as not achieving one’s intended purpose or an
imperfection in the work itself, however, failure is usually seen as
anegative.Failingisn’talwaysbad,itoftenactsasdatato
validate where you intend to be or intend to achieve. As an
African creative,
Ibelievewehaveastrongsupportsystemwhereonecanreach
out and seek advice from the independent community. There are
resources available, not in abundance but it is available. My
advice would be to keep creating whether it has a purpose or not.
The act of creating and play helps facilitate exploration and
essentially provides a platform to achieve a new idea and process
that can help with “failing”. We all fail somewhere and we need
to understand that it’s ok to fail as long as we actively build from
that position in our journey.
-DanielTingChong
failure
85
Make friends with your fears. All our
lives we’re taught we should run
screaming from everything that scares
us. “Survival of the Fittest” is
engrained in us on a genetic level.
“Run.” “Hide.” “Survive.” But if you
keep listening to that voice in your
DNA, nothing changes.
Not you. Not anyone else. Not the
world. That twist in your gut is a
solid instinct to trust. It signals the
direction that you need to go in. You
can still go carefully, with caution,
with all six sense open to the world
around you.
But you’re stronger than you know, so
more than anything: Go.
-NasHoosen
86 failure
Writer/ Illustrator/
Comics Creator
Johannesburg
Photogragh: supplied by creative
87
Cinematographer
&Photographer
Cape Town
Photogragh: William Sheepskin
88
Your greatest asset you have in
fighting the ‘demons’:
are your fellow collaborators and
peers, because at the end of the day
they are going through same
hardships as you are behind closed
doors. And one day when you decide
you can be open about the issues
you’re having, you will most
probably find they are going through
the exact thing but just disguised as
something else.
-KentAndreasen
failure
89
Seek out authentic
mentorship from
people you really
admire. Don’t fear
to fail and starting
over.
-DavidTshabalala
90 failure
Illustrator & Designer
Johannesburg
Photogragh: supplied by creative
91
Go towards fear,
fear mayikuse
phambili.
It is important to
know who you are.
-Andiswa‘Andy’Mkosi
92 failure
Musician &
Photographer
Cape Town
Photogragh: Dillion S. Phiri
93
Johannesburg
TV Producer
Photogragh: supplied by creative
94
My advice on failure is never be afraid to fail at
something, be afraid of being the guy or girl who
did nothing at all. With everything I have done
in my life, TV Production, entrepreneurship,
even studying I have failed somewhere - the
trick is to forgive yourself, keep yourself
together and work harder.
Iamprettysureeveryonehatestheword
“failure” for the negative emotion that it evokes
in you, but like MJ said “I can accept failure,
everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept
not trying.” Changing direction is not really
necessary sometimes, harness your passion and
do what works for you. At the end of the day,
keep doing what you like doing.
-ElishaMpofu
failure
95
Illustrator &
Graphic Designer
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Dillion S. Phiri
96
Contrary to popular belief there are
no shortcuts in this game and hard
work always pays off, so pay your
dues. I also feel that as long as you
enjoy what you do, you’ll never
have to ‘work’ another day.
Its all about creating the ideal job
and not waiting for it to come. So
in a nutshell,
Go create!
-SindisoNyoni
failure
97
working
together
98
Collaboration is a gift and curse.
When working with others, you have to be willing to let go
of something - your prejudice, your preconceptions - your
ego.
The key is to be present and know what you want out of
every collaboration and interaction.
This book, this company, would not have been possible
without collaborations. We have had successful and shitty
collaborations but we still collaborate nonetheless.
We have seen first hand the power of collaboration: in the
spaces, projects, and travels we have been involved in.
We strongly advise you open yourself to collaborative
opportunities, and appreciate every person you encounter.
Find your tribe and work together directly and indirectly.
Collaborations come in all forms, understand the part you
need to play and let go.
YOU WIN SOME AND LOSE SOME, THAT IS THE
REALITY OF OUR LIVES.
99
Illustrator &
Graphic Designer
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Kgomotso Neto Tleane
100
Iusedtowanttobemyownhero
until I realized that it’s necessary to
have people around you who can
contribute to executing your
dreams. I’m a perfectionist, so it
was a little difficult for me to admit
that I need help where I am not as
strong. Collaboration also saves
time.
IcanlearnasIgoasopposedto
learning from scratch and making
mistakes I don’t have to make. In
short, collaborating is one of the
best decisions I’ve made for my
career.
-Rendani‘SesiHoney’
working together
101
Cape Town
Drummer/ DJ/
Producer/ Performer/Artist
Photogragh: Lindsey Appolis
102
I’m easily stuck in repetitive cycles
when working alone. Working with
friends, new and old, helps break
me out of old patterns and
introduces me to both new sides of
the personalities I’m collaborating
with as well as new sides of myself.
Ifindcollaborationthemost
liberating creative experience.
Ithinkit’salsoimportanttobear
in mind that we as creative people
make work to communicate with
others, so it’s valuable to bring
others into your process as early as
possible.
-Robin“okayshades”Brinkv
working together
103
Playwright /
Screenwriter &
Theatre Director
Cape Town
Photogragh: Gabriella Achadinha
104
Creativity is collaboration. Drawing
on the power of the people around
you is underrated. It’s impossible to
always have the answers yourself,
but knowing how to bring out the
best in others can serve your
creativity in invaluable ways.
That means empowerment, opening
doors where you can, creating spaces
where others can thrive. No matter
where you are on your journey,
you’re always in a position to teach
someone else, and you’re always in a
position to learn from another.
-AmyJephta
working together
105
Do it, do it as often
as possible. Some
experiences might be
bad and some
experiences might be
good but it’s
necessary to do it.
-LindseyAppolis
106 working together
Photographer
Cape Town
Photogragh: supplied by creative
107
Collaborate as
much as you can,
you allow yourself
to grow. It opens
you up to other
worlds.
-NoncedoGxekwa
108 working together
Cape Town
Photographer
Photogragh: supplied by creative
109
Cinematographer
&Photographer
Stockholm
Photogragh: Dillion S.Phiri
110
Be serious, but don’t take
everything seriously. Surround
yourself with like-minded people
and collaborate. Keep your
deadlines and always be on time.
Try to improve yourself and your
work every day, one improvement a
day will take you far. Stay humble.
Keep in mind that tomorrow is a
new day that you haven’t seen yet.
Stay curious, have fun creating,
keep pushing forward and don’t
give up.
-SenayBerhe
working together
111
Shaper &
Photographer
Cape Town
Photogragh: supplied by creative
112
Be humble and listen to those
who’ve made mistakes before you
and by listening to them you skip
years of expensive and timeous
mistakes. Also, look inward more
than look out. Do you sincerely
from the bottom of your heart and
don’t let others dictate to you how
to do you. Always be sincere
towards your craft.
-KentLingeveldt
working together
113
114
success
That feeling.
We made it, we did it, we are here.
That place of satisfaction is a great place to be.
Success is relative, for some people its money and more money,
for others it is completing a project or getting something out to the
public.
For us getting everyone to participate in the talks, all our projects,
finishing this book and you taking time to read it is part of our
success story.
Itʼs important to know what success is to you from the beginning,
and then taking the necessary steps to achieve it.
That way, nothing will distract you in your journey, no matter how
shiny the thing is.
“SUCCESS ISN’T ALWAYS ABOUT GREATNESS. IT’S
ABOUT CONSISTENCY. CONSISTENT HARD WORK LEADS
TO SUCCESS. GREATNESS WILL COME.”
- DWAYNE JOHNSON
115
Fantasy is the
beginning of
success.
All I do is dream
about what I want,
then follow it up.
-AtangTshikare
116 success
Artist
Cape Town
Photogragh: Kope Fggins
117
Curator
Cape Town
Photogragh: Tatyana Levana
118
Everyone wants to do the big
amazing things but has no time
for the everyday mundane
administrative structures that are
the driving force for the BIG
EVENT. It is understanding that
the mundane is the engine and life
force...
Everything is in the detail, and
you only learn this by lending
yourself to the mundane process
of the everyday.
-KhanyisileMbongwa
success
119
Creative Designer
&Entrepreneur
Johannesburg
Photogragh: supplied by creative
120
Success looks like owning a small
property and watching it grow, from
an idea to a 3-year-old thriving
business. The goal would be to own
more properties, that strengthen the
creative industry and create more
opportunities for young, inspired
creatives all over Africa, who are
trying to better themselves in the
creative space.
-CharmaineNgobeni
success
121
Graphic Designer
&Illustrator
Durban
Photogragh: self portrait
122
In order to find your voice, you
need to be bold and unafraid to
put your work out there, you
don’t need anyone’s validation.
Just keep creating, investing in
and promoting your craft and
eventually the world will listen
to you.
-SinomondeNgwane
success
123
You have to be
brutally honest in
fulfilling what your
heart desires, that’s
the ultimate formula
for me.
And all other
elements will fall into
place.
-VincentMoloi
124 success
Filmmaker
&Director
Johannesburg
Photogragh: supplied by creative
125
Artist
Cape Town
Photogragh: supplied by creative
126
No idea or hustle or issue or
cause is worth your health or
your peace. Whenever you don’t
have peace or you see your
health negatively affected by
anything or any person - take a
pause and reconsider the thing
or relationship. If your best
option is to quit, don’t be afraid
to quit.
-NokulungaMateta-Phiri
success
127
Chicago
Photographer
Photogragh: supplied by creative
128
If one can find the perfect balance
between purity & perversion in
reality, then that’s where you’ll find
agoodstory.Findingyourvoiceas
acreativeisnotsomuchan
expression of oneself, but rather a
discovery of risking exposing what
you love to the world.
-GarethPon
success
129
Seek ye first thy
passion and
everything else
shall follow.
-AmandaSibiya
130 success
Johannesburg
Creative designer
&Entrepreneur
Photogragh: supplied by creative
131
Johannesburg
Designer
Photogragh: Dillion S. Phiri
132
Success is such an abstract idea,
but for me it is simple; it is being
able to start something and finish
it. It is also important to
understand and embrace the
challenges that come with getting
to the end goal because they make
everything worthwhile.
-SuccessMaake
success
133
Entrepreneur
Johannesburg
Photogragh: dayphotolife
134
To me, success is no fear. It looks
like a black kid walking in a
suburb at night with no ounce of
fear in them.
Success to me is to fearlessly use
my ideas and concepts to assault
the commonplace, to challenge
the current status quo, and more
importantly to solve African
problems with African solutions.
-LethaboMokoena
success
135
Historian & Artist
London
Photogragh: supplied by creative
136
Success I think can be found in being
open and ready for opportunity. It’s
always a good idea to keep ideas or
slightly unfinished projects on the go
so that you can respond quickly to
opportunity on tight turnarounds.
Ithinkyou’llfindsuccesseasierif
instead of saying ‘that’s not what I
do’ to a bit of a comfort zone breaker
approach, you look at it instead with
‘how can I respond to that in the
most authentic way’. This keeps
refining your identity and keeps your
practice malleable as well.
-KunyalalaNdlovuakaFortRixon
success
137
Photographer
provocateur & Artist
Johannesburg
Photogragh: Noncedo Charmaine
138
Success is a subjective concept, meaning
the definition varies for different people.
However, we do live in a consensus
society, captivated by a search for
normalcy and meaning, so we base our
definition of success on the images of
success that are given to us everywhere
we go. This is dangerous for the creative
and could see you sink very deep into a
misunderstood depression or knock your
confidence - comparing yourself to others
that is anyway.
Success should be something you define
for yourself based on the goals you have
set and your methodology. For me waking
up and spending 15 minutes or more on a
piece of work makes me feel successful
because I am doing the thing I love the
most, with my time and my space, the way
Iwanttodoit.
success
-TsokuMaela
139
Take back your
POWER and play a
conscious role in
determining your
success. Know the
rules, know the
players, and arm
yourself with
knowledge and
wisdom to handle
the game.
-MarcoMorgan
140 success
Skateboarder
Cape Town
Photogragh: Dillion S. Phiri
141
142
Photogragh: Justice Mukheli
FROM POWER TO THE GOD
WITHIN
The African being
Is hated for her brilliance
Her spirit
Her drive
And resilience
She is despised out of envy
That others may never have
That innate spirit and connection
To life and the ultimate source
She is threatened with inferiority
Told she is not enough
The lazy manʼs tool for disarming a God
But each time she looks within
As she dips to her knees
Laying vulnerable before the Gods
She is blessed to witness glory
Even she cannot deny
Her Spirit and DNA
All reaffirming the same
NGIWUNKULUNKULU
-JOJOABOT/Multimedia
143
FINAL WORDS
Advice is just advice.
Use this imperfect book as a guide and a muse for
your own journey.
Living a creative and fulfilling life takes work and
understanding that the journey is part of the success.
Being able to pursue oneʼs talent and ideas is a
privilege; donʼt waste it.
Not all of us make it to the starting line, let alone the
finishing line.
If you are one of the few that start the race, run!
Not just for yourself but for those that can only
dream.
Collaborate often, share resources, share insights,
celebrate and take as many with u to the finish line.
This book was not meant to be perfect, purposefully
as it mirrors a creative life, incoherent and filled with
amazing people along the way that might share
something that inspires you or gives you just the right
fuel for the next step. Use it as such.
“we are the ones we have been waiting for.”
Made in
Partnership
with
tastemakersafrica.com
#WeAreComingForEverycuratica.africa
illustrated by Sinalo Ngcaba @snalo_
Thank you
You know you are here because
you made this a reality.
- Nokulunga Mateta
- Noncedo Gxekwa
- Nereya Otieno
- Owethu Mack
- Primrose Vundla
- Wandile & Nikiwe Phiri
creative network inspiring, celebrating
and nurturing a curious,
creative, innovative and
entreprenuerial mindest
amongst African youth on the
continent and diaspora.
for more info visit:
www.creativenestlings.com
Copyright © 2018 Creative Nestlings
All Rights Reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the publisher. All images in the publication
are subject to copyright from their resepective photographers and publications.
ISBN: 978-0-620-80178-2
Designed by Samuel (Pty)Ltd
Self published
Creative Nestlings
dillion s. phiri
Johannesburg
South Africa