Floating Through Space
Life after school and everything I have been up to.
Hi friend, Happy New Month. Just like that, the first half of the year is almost over, we are in June already.
Thank you for sticking around. Trust me, a lot has happened in the last 5 months. When the year started, my plan and intention were to write and publish more this year but I have not been able to do that here even though I have been writing and publishing stories for StudentsWhoCreate, so this personal corner of the internet of mine (like I like to call it) seems deserted.
Like I always ask at the beginning of every personal letter I write, How are you doing? (Like really, How are you doing? Feel free to reply to this and be sure I would respond.)
Now you must be curious as to why I am writing to you, the reason is simple, I just feel the need to check up on you and update you on what I have been up to recently. Like I said in my last letter, I look forward to building StudentsWhoCreate, so a lot of my effort has been put into building it as I said and I think I am doing a good job with that but I know it can be better.
Also, if you have been following my letters, you will be aware that I finished my undergraduate study around December but as it stands right now, I am yet to go to NYSC because ASUU and the Nigeria government have decided to hold everyone to ransom, so I am stuck at the point where I don’t know when I will be called up for national youth service (premium tears). Now that ASUU and FG are doing theirs, WHAT NEXT?
If you are curious to know what life after *graduation* has been like for me, I must say it has been one hell of a ride. In the words of the great singer and songwriter, SIA, most days “I feel like I am floating through space” and I have come to learn that it’s okay to feel like that. I can only face life one day at a time. It's okay to feel confused. It's okay to not know what to do. It’s okay to take a break. It’s okay to figure things out yourself. It’s okay to try different things. It’s okay to not have your life figured out because the truth is that no one truly does, we all are just trying our best and hope our best is enough. The only issue is when we stay in that state of confusion for too long and become comfortable there.
Usually, life after school presents one with one of the following options;
Get a Job
Apply for a master's program to further your education
Get married
Personally, I would have loved to go for the last option so I can become a full-time house husband but I do not have that luxury so if you have a lady with millions of dollars that wants to get married, please plug me, and we will grow the love. I just want to rest and chill🥺.
Jokes aside, I am faced with the first two options but trust me I do not have any intention of getting back into the educational system of this country not even a fully funded scholarship will make me get myself into the public education system of this country called Nigeria after I survive this. This is not to say I am not going to further my education but if/when that time comes it's definitely not going to be in this country.
The other option left is to get a job but as it stands right now, I do not have a full-time role, simply put, I don’t have a job. So you must be wondering what I have been up to. The simple answer is building, upskilling and freelancing.
As I mentioned earlier that I have been trying to build the StudentsWhoCreate brand even though things have been slow but I want to believe that slow growth is better than no growth. If you will love to collaborate or come on board, feel free to get in touch with me.
Also, I have some other projects in the pipeline that I have been working on. Hint: 2 of them will be launching soon and they are both about telling the stories of Africans just like StudentsWhoCreate but with a different focus.
After 200+ hours of researching, designing, and redesigning, I have managed to design a Figma-hosted portfolio I am really proud of since the last pdf version I shared with you and this one is interactive where you can click on stuff and play around. You should check it out here and remember to refer me for design projects when you have or see any opportunity.
One thing about being in the skill-labour market is the continuous need to upskill so I always grab any opportunity to upskill and improve my skill in digital design, motion design, project management, writing, and editing, and currently working to pick up Webflow development skills. Interestingly, I started learning Webflow this month and put out a tweet about it, asking for resources I should check out and I got some interesting feedback from the Webflow community and now, I am pretty pumped about it because I have been meaning to learn it for over a year now.
While I do not have a full-time role right now, I have been taking on freelance projects, so do well to recommend me for design projects. I have seen people ask me what I do and if you are one of those people, I am a designer. In simple and relatable terms, I design logos, flyers, posters, social media ads, stickers, t-shirts, websites, and whatnot.
As a designer, I am always intentional about the kind of projects I work on and love to explore and enjoy variety. In recent times, I have had a growing interest in film, photography and documentary, creative direction, data visualization, editorial design, report, presentation and pitch deck design, motion, and interaction, so I just want to explore as much as I can with the project(s) I get on, so if you have an interesting project in line with any of these, feel free to get in touch via tunmiseafape@gmail.com or any of my social media accounts.
Before I go, last month (May) was my birthday, so I am still receiving gifts. While my birthday didn’t go as planned, I am still grateful to God. As the biggest ASA fan that I know, seeing the news of her planning to host an ASA Live in Lagos concert the weekend to my birthday sounded like a perfect way to get into the birthday mood. Despite all my anticipation, plans, and arrangement for the event I couldn’t attend because I fell ill a few days before the event and couldn’t travel down to Lagos for the event. I even missed Untitled Designer Conference that happened the same weekend. While I was a bit devastated and disappointed by how the weekend turned out, I am looking forward to the next opportunity to attend an ASA show.
On a final note, here’s a list of interesting movies (documentaries) I am watching at the moment because of my growing love and interest for documentaries.
Neymar: The Perfect Chaos, A docuseries about Neymar Jr [Completed].
Formula 1, A docuseries about Formula 1.
Inventing Anna, A true-life story of a con artist.
The Playbook: A coach rules for life, The episode about Jose Mourinho.
Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates, A docuseries about Bill Gates.
j e e n - y u h: A Kanye Trilogy, A docuseries about Kanye West.
Also, if you’re a football fan you should check out The Hindsight Podcast.
Check back later for an update, as I plan to add more.
If you got to this point, Thank you for taking out time to read this, and feel free to drop a comment. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram to keep the conversation going.
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