IN HER THOUGHTS

“Creativity takes courage.”  – Henri Matisse Creativity can be healing, people with mood disorders, anxiety or depression can instinctively turn to art to help themselves cope or heal. We continue the interview series and the fight to raise mental health awareness.  Meet our second guest, Mufaro take it away! My name is Mufaro Chifamba, I am a multi-faceted creative, passionate about using music, media, and all forms of creative arts to shape and transform Africa and the world at large. My mantle is creating platforms for creative artists to express their unique gift, while creating commercial opportunities for art to thrive. I am a music and creative producer, songwriter, A&R executive and creative consultant. I serve as CEO of New Rivers Group Ltd, which is a start up global Kingdom Culture based music-driven multimedia enterprise. I am the editor of Thoughts of A Creative Leader, a blog dedicated to influencing creative culture. I am also passionate about improving arti...

With the title "creative" comes a big responsibility! It is very easy to carried away in your work and withdraw yourself from the outside. In creatives vocabulary that's what we call the "flow state", that is where creativity thrives best. Do you have to wait for inspiration to strike, or you can hack 'the zone'? And is there a fine line between following your bliss and denial/an escape of some sort? We sat down with Asher Mutandiro , a mental health blogger and we explored what is means to be a creative and the link to mental health. Here is what he had to say:  So as a blogger please share your mental health story, how do you cope as a creative? How do I cope as a creative? I really don't see much to it (mental health) maybe that is the problem, I don't see anything much to it as a creative. I have a passionate obsession for my creative work, so probably the passionate obsession makes me overlook or ignore the mental health problems I have. Do...

Creativity is energy. The term "Creatives" is often synonymous with bursts of energy, bubbliness, laughter and being rebellious. Everyone thinks with creativity or being a creative you are always juiced up and ultimately get people juiced up. It seems that simple (and that difficult too). The concept that poor mental health and artistic temperament go hand-in-hand has always speculated. Above all else, let us all remember that anyone can experience mental health challenges, and creatives are no different.  In any career, individuals can face burnout, anxiety, sadness, and work-related stress. Creatives face pressures unique to their work, which can contribute to their risk of mental health issues. The labelling part  and misconceptions are not too helpful.  Practising art requires focus and concentration. This flow or meditative state can help improve our mental health, and being in a good mental space is imperative when creating. I highly recommend people to go for it. F...

Growing up in an Zimbabwean home, for me Church was equals putting on my Sunday best (special empathises on dressing to kill) and attending every Sunday with no fail. With most parents there's no negotiations, it is mandatory. Skipping is not an option. But I always wonder,  what exactly is The Church ? If you were to ask people on the street, what is the church? They would probably say it is that building on corner Robert Mugabe road and Julius Nyerere road. Sometimes we use the word in that way, but we all know (or  should  know) that The church is not a building, but rather the people who meet in that building. The concept of The Church is the one thing that is universal amongst all believers, whether they belong to the Pentecostals, Catholic or Methodist etc. The building is of much significance, and attending services is a vital aspect of Christian culture. It is what unifies us.  Interesting enough, the concept of The Church was prior identified with prayer req...

A new refreshing week to you all! I hope we are all at our creative best, last week was a dry spell for me. Anyway, it's culture and fashion week, let's get started. There's so much to talk about, from the ideas, customs, music, cuisines, arts, languages, social behaviour, you name it all! Culture is a verb. It's how we make sense of the world. We acquire knowledge then build and create further knowledge. Zimbabwe is home to several tribes, ethnic and social groups. But will be talking about what it is now rather than what it was . No matter what culture a people is part of, one thing for certain, it will change in cultural practices, social shifts in lifestyles, value systems, beliefs, or practices.  Culture is riddled with conflicts and the changing of time has drastically changed how people do things. The way that our fathers did things in the past like hunting & gathering or being viewed as a demi-god is changing. Culture is no longer fixed, it is fluid and con...

From a young age, how to receive and respond to advances, compliments and admiration is engraved into women. Their selection process is well-drilled into them, and it is usually centred around the word NO . Before you do anything for her, her answer is NO . Even before taking into account how she feels about you, it's a NO . It is then when a value-based selection process comes into play. You have to prove what nature of benefits she will gain from you. Thus out of 5 advances, she is likely to be receptive to one. If she doesn't have the ' stop and select quality ,' we have a label for her, " Loose ". What makes it different for men? Men are not used to receiving attention and admiration because they usually give it. To them, it is a foreign concept they view with the highest level of fascination. When it does happen, he will likely want to explore. ' Let's see how it goes '. To most saying 'NO' is hard. Men might not actively participate...

  How does one heal after a series of bad experiences? Do you take a breather or jump onto the next train as if nothing happened? Today we are talking about how life experiences alter our personalities in time.   Self-reflect for a moment; are you the same person you were years ago? The way you act, interact, love or talk to yourself? We are all shaped by experiences in our lives. The memories, good or bad alters our outlook towards our lives and future. When you have been through an emotionally draining experience or experience loss, opening yourself up to the world is an uphill battle. You  want  to trust and love again but, you cannot help but worry that you might fall into another dark hole.  What most people do not realize is the deeper connection between life experiences and mental health.     The deep personal experiences and social circumstances we find ourselves in define us. Ultimately our mental health can be influenced by our...

It is Day 6 of the Afrobloggers winter writing challenge! Advocacy week, and we are doing a mental health series. Let’s go! The societal ascriptions to manhood have made being a man quite scary. Men are told as boys that manhood is synonymous with strength, toughness, providing, etc.   Jabu men do not cry look in the mirror and man up!  That is the reality of what society tells our men they have to be. Everyone expects a certain stoicism in them, a free will to repress emotions and act manly (whatever that means).  If you grew up in an African home, you know that Dad is home was not a mere announcement but a warning. Life as a man means people expect too much from you. You are feared. The chronicles of a man with a stick, always ready to fight. Picture this it was a good day, their favourite team won the Premier League and are in a good mood. But the moment they get home, they have to act in a certain way, speak in a stern voice to maintain a speculative reputation of m...

New week mercies! Welcome to the second week of the Afrobloggers winter writing challenge. This week we are in an advocacy mood, and it’s so hard to choose just one issue. Many things are happening in Africa, the Twitter ban in Nigeria #KeepItOn, Covid-19 pandemic is raging, economic downturns and so much more. If we were to keep count of the number of things going wrong, it would blow out the little light that is left burning in African child’s eyes. Mental health is the constant across the board and m ost of the time, we train ourselves to adjust. In the Zimbabwean Shona language, we have the phrase, “Tichajaira nekufamba kwenguva,” meaning “We will adjust with time.” However, paying little or no attention to the effect it has on our mental health. The African child is emotionally exhausted, drained out from life and all other things imposed on us. Anxiety and depression are out to play, and we have all become doctors, self-diagnosing and signing prescriptions of self-pity and self-a...

I write with so much excitement in my boots, they can't stop tapping from the beating drum of my dear heart. I suppose most of us are lonely in this big world, until when, I repeat only when we fall tremendously in love, find comfort in the embrace of another, we find out what a lonely world we been living in. I write to you about a discovery. The pain, the snub that somehow made my emotions fluctuate. A testimony that "Social pain is real pain". I have found a cure. We tend to assume people's behaviour are narrowly self-interested, focused on material benefits. But I have searched in the depths of material things, still, my heart kept yearning for more.  Pleasure is wired into our operating system, being connected needs no ulterior motive. I don't think I will ever fully comprehend how experiencing love in its purest form alters your perception. The pleasures of human experience are emptied away without connections - not the ones famed for getting you a job or be...

📸 Edwin R Jaulani Today on the blog, we are in the thoughts of a very talented and bubbly young lady. She is one of the sweetest and most interesting artist I’ve interviewed and I’m thankful she took the time to sit down with me and answer my questions. Personally, I can’t wait for you guys to meet her. Abigirl take it away. Hi, I'm Abigirl Mulilo. I am a graphic designer transitioning into a brand strategist. My background is rooted in art and design. I grew up being the girl who could draw and in my preteen years, I became interested in fashion design after sketching a dress for the leaver's dance 😂 that my friends absolutely loved. So I did that for a bit, coming up with fashion concepts that I would just keep in this big blue file I had.  I wasn't so great at actually making clothes (sewing) so this was a nightmare 😂 Thanks to my dad for always paying for my crazy ideas with no questions. Fun fact, when I was 16, I designed some ensembles for the contestants at Miss ...