Each Day
A few thoughts. One on art and what it takes to be a renowned artist.
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I couldn’t post entries the past two Sundays because none of my thoughts felt worth sharing with you. My writing has made me nauseous because it seems way below its potential, and I blame this on the pressure to post every week (and on maybe not being good enough?).
This relationship with my Substack forced me to reconsider what this platform is for writers. Made me understand that Substack was not made to publish your Magnum Opus. It’s instead a platform to develop your baseline writing through consistency while building an audience. It’s YouTube, not the Theater.
So, right now, Wednesday, January 29, at noon, I’ve decided to create a post pieced together from bits. Even if there’s no subject I feel the need to explore at length, I present to you a collage of edited thoughts.
Friday, 31st January, 9:00 am
I’ve read more in the past week than I did in 2024. Books. Because I do read articles and shorter bodies of work.
Imagine the pride I felt when I was able to read two novels in two days. The first was The Lonely Londoners, published in the 50s and written by Sam Selvon. The story humorously captures the grim, hopeful reality of life as a black immigrant in post-war London. The second was feminist literature following the life of a female person between the 80s and 00s in South Korea. From how quickly I finished both, you should assume they were terrific.
There’s a welcome surge of contemporary Nigerian writers in the mainstream that I haven’t been keeping up with due to my break from reading. For my third book, I decided to come back home. Initially, no novel came to mind besides Vagabond by Eloghosa Osunde, but I started that right after its release and had an against-the-grain opinion about it. But I want to believe it was mostly my fault, not that of her writing, and I plan to revisit it soon.
Do you ever search “Top this…” or “Best that…”? Because that’s how I found what I wanted to read. The Death of Vivek Oji featured in a “Best Nigerian books of all time” search I did. and I’d seen the book and was interested in giving Akwaeke Emezi another chance. I’ve wanted to connect with her work since Fresh Water, which I found out about in 2018 through her sister Yagazie’s Instagram page. I found the book in 2020 but could not read more than a few pages because of how descriptive it was.
Am I the only one who considers long-winded descriptions that do not serve the plot to be fluff? The style didn’t seem as pronounced in The Death of Vivek Oji, but I persevered through the first half of the novel, praying that the story would make up for the style. It did.
Kudos to her for using different POVs, too; it’s a technique I enjoy.
Friday, 31st January, 2:00 pm
My mind has been on art a lot and what it takes to be a renowned artist. Artistic talent has always been a source of inspiration to me, irrespective of the medium. Even watching extreme sports and gourmet cooking helps satisfy my craving for beauty. Beyond consuming, which can, when done in excess, cause one to feel heavy and empty, I love to create. Hours and hours of my childhood were spent on portraits, fashion sketches and making cities populated by paper people.
However, being an art enthusiast does not qualify you an artist and definitely does not promise success in the field.
Saturday, 1st February, 5:00 pm
Canceled one plan to go out today and I think I’ll cancel the other one.
Been eating “healthy” for the last couple of weeks. When I’m not as physically active as I would like, eating smaller portions and less frequently becomes an obsession. Also, getting outside would usually distract me from my belle, but economy no go allow woman pikin do that kyn thing.
A sedentary lifestyle is not for me, but regimented exercise feels like punishment. The days I do get about 45 minutes of moderate activity, life feels better. Working towards something that will give me balance because it is difficult to enjoy long brisk walks (my former staple) when there’s anxiety about men cat-calling you. Gonna get this balance soon and relegate leisurely walking to strolls.
As for my diet, eating more fibre and protein is easy because (I can afford to) my gut does not like starch and my tongue, sugar. Still, I get flour cravings, specifically bread, which causes me to bloat. I eat what I want but prioritize fibre over starch and use as little cooking oil as possible without sacrificing taste.
Saturday, 1st February, 5:00 pm
After a stretch of earning a living, I want to enjoy it by binging movies. Luckily, Nigerian network reception has been on my side for the past two days, and I’ve been able to download a decent amount of movies—stellar movies, of course, as I am the reigning cinephile in these quarters.
I blew off my second engagement—going dancing—choosing instead between two black-and-white movies. One is an hour-long Senegalese film from the 60s that was partly shot in Southern France (Editor Kuffy: and breaks the ground by being the first African Movie to gain international attention) about a black girl. The movie title is “Black Girl.”
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I went with the Stanley Kubrick movie from about the same time. I think everyone who has a semblance of taste should watch Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
Saturday, 8th February, 5:00 pm
I thought I’d be posting a different piece this Sunday, but my grammar on the planned one read so pretentiously that I kept cringing during editing. I've been fancying myself a failure because my writing, here and in private, has been inconsistent. On one hand, I want to be gentle with myself and say it's all part of the process, but where is the line between this and just being a slacking bum?
Anyway, trust that the form on modern dating I had you guys fill out is still on my mind. I tried working on it some time ago and realized that analyzing and discussing data is like proper research, so I decided to make it a Valentine's Day special. At least if you do not get any romantic gifts or gestures, you might get that entry, lol. So let’s pray…
“Dear God, please give Kuffy the power and might to overcome the shackles of inconsistency that the Devil has trapped her in.”
Till next time.