Who Dey Use Umbrella Block My Inspiration?

Wrote this piece 22nd of December, 2023

Hi

It’s been a long time since you last saw me, no vex, I went to receive “Abido Shaker” from Odumeje. 
Actually, that was a lie, life has been showing me 70 positions in less than 7 minutes.

Jesus please save me😭

Today I’ll be talking about something that basically all creatives hate but all of us have in varying proportions, mental block. 

The other day, I was talking with Tife and I said that my next article would be on the mental block that most creatives face. And she was like “You are a child of God, you shouldn’t have a block.”  She might be right, she might be wrong. But then, how will I build a house without a block??

mon tun gbe yin debe

The thing is, mental blocks happen to even the best of us.

2022 was the year I was infatuated with poems and spoken word poetry, so I attempted to write a poem. My brain got stuck so bad that I can’t even remix ‘My Mother’. 

So I did a little bit of word play and named it ‘Writers Block’, it was, still is, embarrassing but here is an excerpt:

“There is this thing that all writers fear.
Worse than deadlines, glitches and scares. 
…
I have this  idea I want to share
But my pen is on paper and it is not there”

You see, that was embarrassing, but I am glad it’s over now. 

But,

Writer’s block is not limited to writers alone. Have you ever been in an examination hall and, strangely, you can’t recall what you read last night? Or in an interview and you seem to forget the capital of Taraba State? That is a version of mental block most people are not familiar with, and they experience it every day of their lives(okay, maybe not every day). 

Personally, if I can’t find the words to use or get an idea out of my head, I do three things;

     One: Get out of my current location.

hangout with friends, take a very long walk or travel. Does it work? Maybe, maybe not, but hey, I am getting a vacation as a benefit so why not?

      Two: Listen to music.

 I know I listen to music everyday but what I meant was actually “listen” to the music, the lyrics, beat pattern, synchronization and other minor details, the word play and whatnots helps unlock the juice most times. 

   

   Three: Abandon the project. 

I mean winner sometimes have to quit some to be able to win some. Why give my brain unnecessary pressure when I can send the project back to sender?

You see what I was saying, it took me 4 months to write this and this is what you get.

Song For The Weekend

A little backstory, Juleearn is my BFF, in every sense of it, and Sinmidele is my Spotify song of the year, 2025. So, expect a lot of Juleearn's music.

Sinmidele reminds me every time that even when the road seems rough, and the direction unclear, God is my driver and He'll drive me home, safe, sound and successful.

Till the next Chronicle, Love and Light, plus a lil bit of chilling AC, this heat is too much. Abeg🙏

One last thing, follow Tife Here