When my stylus pen stopped working, I thought I had to wait to get another one before getting anything done…until I realised I’d always had another way out.
I’d just got some new illustration commissions and I was so excited to get right on them. It didn’t matter that I was going to be doing a bit of travelling for my other job ’cause I would still have my laptop and WACOM tab with me to continue the drawing and painting at night. Life was good. Nothing could go wrong. At least that’s what I thought until I realised my stylus pen was not working. Way to jinx it, Emmanuel š. For a while it felt as though I really had no other option but to buy another stylus, and I’d heard it was really expensive. Come to think of it, as I write this, I haven’t really tried to find out the price of a new stylus pen. I probably should get right on that š¤.
Anyway, the illustration commissions were at a standstill for a while until I realised that, hey, I used to do this illustration thingie for years, long before I even got a WACOM tab. Until I get a new stylus I could go back to my old way of doing things. This old way involved drawing with a pencil on paper, inking the lines with a dark pen, scanning with a scanner, and coloring on a computer with software like CorelDraw or Photoshop. I call this technique DISC (draw, ink, scan, color). It’s been ages since I last tried this, but now it seemed like the only option. And it was a good one too!
And as I did, I realised why I used to enjoy doing this back then. With the WACOM tab, I was limited by the size of my computer screen, but now I had a more spacious field. With the WACOM, I had to keep my eyes on the screen while drawing on a blank touch pad, but with the raw paper I could see what I was drawing as I was drawing it. Don’t get me wrong. I’d pick the WACOM method in a heartbeat if it were available. It’s much easier and faster to edit and color digitally. Now there was no more Ctrl+Z-ing the mistakes ’cause this time I had to use an actual real life eraser. Once the pencil work was done I could ink it and make the lines clearer before finally erasing the foundational pencil lines. It was a bit longer, but I enjoyed it too. This whole experience taught me some things:
The pencil lines were the first on the page, but they would be erased when the darker inks are drawn. They remind me of all the people that have added to and helped me along the way into becoming the person I am today. I am grateful because people like these are God’s gift to me. Others may not see these support systems when they see me, but I’m learning to appreciate them because I’m here because of them.
It teaches me to appreciate process. Finished products are the result of processing and building, of drawing and erasing, of planning and replanning and editing and so on. While I can still have the finished product in my mind’s eye (and rightly so) I should be patient with the process. As God adds to me and shows me things that should be erased, as I realise my pencil (the way I’ve been doing things) is getting blunt and may need to be sharpened, I am learning to appreciate the process. Process builds with patience.
I am also learning that there is always a way out. Sure I didn’t have my WACOM tab to draw, but I had a pack of A4 sheets and a scanner. I could always fall back to that. I’m learning that, no matter how much of a dead end things seem, there is always a way out. Sometimes what we need to learn is not to let lack make us forget what we actually have.
In my walk with God, I’m also learning not to get so used to new ways of doing things, or to results, that I forget the core principles. The reason I can excel in creativity or represent Christ in any way is not because of charisma, but because of what Christ is doing in me. The Gospel of Christ — that Message of what God did to put His life in us so we can be and do all He made us to be and do — is the core on which I stand. In the times when I’m becoming overwhelmed or side-tracked by how things may look, I’m learning to look to Christ. He is at the Centre. The Gospel is the core. I’m learning to go back to the basics, and to stand there and grow from there.
And I really should go find out the cost of a new stylus pen. Procrastination isn’t doing me any good. It could actually be more affordable than I assumed, and maybe I’m making myself suffer for no reason! But seriously now, suffering or not, I’m actually learning a lot and I look forward to the finished work.
Thanks for reading! Have you ever had to adjust your way of getting things done? How did it go for you? Please share in the comments.
Thank you!
P.S.: It’s my first post this year, so ‘Happy New Year’ greetings are in order š
Thank you all for the likes, shares, comments and words of encouragement on my last post: GANGSTUH WEDDING. I was SOOO thrilled to see that you all enjoyed it. I love you guys! Really, God bless you all. It’s amazing what He does with stuff like this.
But todayās feature is not about me. Itās about my friends, you see. Many of them have got a lot of cool stuff going on, and Iād like to let you all in on it. The creative gifts God has given these guys is finding expression in amazing ways, and you really need to check out what theyāre up to.
So here we go, as we take a look at the Yellow Pages of Tomorrow. The āWhoās Who of the Futureā to which we are headed.
TreasureHouse Media, HeirWalk and the Donut Project
The DONUT Project Teaser
Tolu Joshua Babarinde (Writer and Creator of TreasureHouse Media) blogs at www.heirwalk.wordpress.com, where he encourages young people to connect, to learn, to grow, and to shine as he shares amazing and timely updates from his walk with God. His āHeirWalkā print bulletin recently reached its 11th issue (available for free download at this link). He recently embarked on the journey toward his first published book, with the title āDONUTā. Iāve read it and it is really awesome. While this is neither the place nor time for a review (thatāll come soon) I can tell you that this bookās conversational tone kept me turning pages (or tapping the āDOWNā key, as I was reading it on my computer) as he explained important pointers of the life God wants for us. You can follow his journey as this project comes to life on his book blog: The Donut Project 2014, www.eatyourdonut.wordpress.com. Go check it out; itās pretty cool.
Hip Hope Republic
Hip Hope Republic (from the HHR Facebook Page)
Since they hit our Facebook feeds with their amazing stunts and photographs, Hip Hope Republic has left an indelible imprint, and keeps dishing out more surprises with each new offering. Theyāve got people going, āThis is SO COOL! Who are these HHR guys, anyway?!ā Hip Hope Republic is a community of creative minds, actively redefining Dance, Music, Photography, and Art. These art lovers are excellent at what they do, and the core is made up of some of the most amazing people Iāve ever met. A lot of them will be mentioned in this article, no surprise. If you love crazy cool stuff that stretches the bounds of your creative zing, check out their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/HipHopeRepublic.
Dimiyei (Blog)
Dimiyei Sammy and I met at our N.Y.S.C. Orientation Camp, and we were both surprised to find that we shared similar interests. To this day we constantly challenge ourselves with puns and humorous comments that get other people wondering what planet we come from (Krypton has declined affiliation with us, so explanation is quite challenging) Anyhoo, Dimiyei is excellent in his writing and all media-ish. This guyās amazing. He shares his stories, poems, articles and videos on his blog at www.dimiyei.wordpress.com. So go there sometime, will ya?
Ā
Temissan001 (Blog)
Temi Hassan, a talented dancer, model, artisan, God-lover, Art-lover and writer among other things, blogs at www.temissan001.wordpress.com, where she shares her spell-binding poetry. Her writing has such a way of getting to the core of the reader, youād either be amazed or even cry ā¦ or both. Either will surely come first. So if youāre looking for the best of poetry that comes from and reaches the heart, go see her blog.
Tomi Oyegoke is such an amazing person, and an interesting writer too. On her blog, she shares truth to build up phenomenal youth; all about and from a life sprinkled with the sugar of S.W.A.G. (Saved With Amazing Grace). Her tone makes her work relatable to young people who can identify with much of the issues she discusses. If you havenāt already, go see her blog at www.custardncake.wordpress.com.
Ā
SMISH
Publicity promo for SMISH’s single, ‘Issokay’
Samuel āSMISHā Ishola (SMISH) is a rising hip hop artist, with an interesting style. The friendly guy that he is, he characteristically relates life issues in his songs. His background and enthusiasm for hip hop influence his work with purely amazing lyrics and beats, and a heart to go with it. To date heās released up to three singles (which I keep telling him, need to get married! ā¦ [beat] ā¦ OK, I know that one was lame): āMovinā Onā (feat. Sammie jay), āCome and Goā, āGet Highā and āIssokayā (available for free download at their respective links). Go check out what heās been up to on his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Smish001.
Lola Odeniyi daily blogs at belifteddotme.wordpress.com where she shares God’s Word in an amazing and exciting way. I don’t know how she does it! There’s always something new to share every single day, and it’s uplifting. I’ve been blessed by the work of this blogger with a difference. Sometimes I just see the latest blogpost in my mail, read it, and am encouraged or learning something new. You really should consider following her blog. You don’t know what you’re missing if you haven’t. Go check it out, and as she would say, “Be lifted!”
Iam_papyrus and Written Percussion (Blogs)
Two blogs; but one amazing man behind them all. Israel Adejobi is a prolific writer and an amazing guy as well. Israel is one of those precious few I know that know the intricate structure of a good written piece, and his amazing work proves this as well. You can read his poetry at www.iampapyrus.blogspot.com, and also check out his work in other genres at www.writtenpercussion.wordpress.com.
Stephen Ladoyeās Blog
Stephen Ladoye’s Blog … which goes beyond the blog.
Stephen Ladoye is quite enterprising. He runs the eponymous news network on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and on his blog (hence the name). If there were any other social media platform, Iām certain heād be on it. Be it politics, entertainment, geeky stuff, whatever! This guy knows his thing. Do check him out sometime, and even follow him on Twitter at @LadoyeX, or even on his blog at www.stephenladoye02.blogspot.com. Youād be glad you did.
ShopyGFX
Even back when we were undergrads, this guy was at the cutting edge of multimedia, graphics, 3D, video, visual effects ā you name it! The unstoppable Sope Adebowale runs ShopyGFX. Words donāt express how amazing his work is. You gotta see it for yourself. I was privileged to work with him in VHFMedia for a while, and I can tell you that heās an amazing guy. You can see his work on his Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/ShopyGFX.
The Illusion Group
The Blades of Ennui (coming soon from The Illusion Group)
The Illusion Group is a team of people with creative talent and the desire to use it to influence entertainment positively. They are students in the University of Ibadan, but their first movie, ‘The Blades of Ennui’, is currently in post-production. āBladesā is a psychological thriller of amazing proportions (how many times have I used the word āamazingā now?). Itās something to look forward to. You can look up their page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBladesofEnnui, or follow them on twitter @D_IllusionGroup.
Ope Okunbor, excellent photographer that he is, runs āLhaeide Media Inc. (LMI), an excellent photography outfit. The quality of his photos shouts the fame of the talent behind the lens. You know, when it comes to pictures, words donāt do justice. Let the pictures do the talking. You can look up some of his work at the following links: www.lhaiede.blogspot.com, or see his work on Twitter @OpeOkunbor.
Did I mention that heās also a core member of Hip Hope Republic as well? (OK, you really have to check out the HHR page, if you havenāt)
House of Dabira
House of Dabira
Folu Ajayi (Creative Director, House of Dabira)
Folu Ajayi is the Creative Director of House of Dabira. Created in December 2011 but launched in April 2013, this fashion designer has come a long way and is gradually taking over. The style of their work displays creativity, attention to colour and luxury, be it in Womenās wear or Menās wear ā you name it!! With numerous awards, nominations, presentations and accolades to their name, House of Dabira is sure to be at the cutting edge of fashion design for a very long time. You can follow her work on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OfficialHouseofDabira, or on Twitter @House_Of_DABIRA
This last one deserves special mention
The Vessels of Honour Foundation
Vessels of Honour Foundation
ā¦
What can I say here?
In the University of Ibadan, this cradle and breeding ground of champions is growing ā unstoppable. Its impact and influence go beyond all borders. There is so much God has done, and is doing here. I am a product of VHF, and so are many of the folks Iāve mentioned above. And there are many more; much more than this article could contain. God used my time in VHF to immensely perfect my gift, and for this I am eternally grateful.
Even if I wrote an entire article, it would not adequately qualify the Vessels of Honour Foundation (though I will, someday). For now, Iāll just give you the link to the website: www.vhfui.org.
The Vision of VHF is āāTo raise a generation of believers who are in Full Identification with the Purposes and Persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, using such identification to influence People, Nations, Systems and Institutions.ā And it is doing just that.
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You know, when I first embarked on this article I didnāt really have a long list. But as I kept going, more and more people came to mind. There are many more amazing people I could tell you about, amazing blogs I could share, amazing musicians, and amazing corporations and businesses on the rise that Iāve had the privilege to know. But time and space would fail me to share them all here. I hope to do this again sometime, and who knows, maybe YOU will be featured in the next āYellow Pages of Tomorrowā feature. I look forward to doing that.
Let these folks and their work encourage and inspire you to do great things. There is so much God has placed in you. In the midst of the good times and the not-so-good times, Heās been shaping a bigger and better product out of you. Heās given you all you need to use to make the world and the lives of the people in it better and brighter. The world needs a hero, someone to stand up and fill a specific role, and only you can do that because God gave you the gift needed. So use it for His glory, and do it excellently.
To every one of my friends featured on here: Iām totally proud of you guys! Really, Iām one of your biggest fans (if this were a movie, Iād probably be that kid that camps outside your office window holding an āI [HEART] YOUā sign)! Keep it Up, yāall. Thatās where it belongs.
I leave you all with these words from Godās Word, something Iām learning as the days go by.
āWhatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.āColossians 3:23-24 (NIV)
Emmanuel Onimisi 