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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

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