I missed you, Reader. Did you miss me? It's been a while, it's one of those breaks that I'm unapologetic about. I was sandwiched between a lot of deadlines, travels and meetings. Imposter syndrome didn't hold back with squeezing my jugular (major reason I didn't write to you). That's about that about my unfortunate break.

Once again, I miss writing to you Reader. How have you been? How have you been able to cope during the tough times? Are you taking care of your mental health? Never forget that this is a safe space and here is a safer space.

A few months, I joined a team of extraordinary individuals to deliver a mind-blowing, one-of-a-kind conference experience. I was part of the content team (design and writing). It was an experience filled with everything Nollywood markets in a "blockbuster" movie; sweat, laughter, tears, chills, sleepless nights, excitement, thinking away and far from the box, boredom and heartbreak. The experience is similar to the full option you get at Iya Bolanle's amala spot; the right amount of pepper to burn your throat but not for long, varieties of assorted meat stacked on a plate to test your dental strength, a not so comfortable bench to remind you not to overstay your welcome, a ceiling fan that has forgotten how to function correctly, the hot amala that turns your fingertips tender, the satisfaction that follows the final gulp of the cold bottled water is always worth it though or not (I don't know). Will I do it again? Maybe. Was it worth it? Definitely. Did we deliver? To the best of my knowledge, we did.

Sidebar: I'm not too fond of amala, and I'm on a special mission to liberate people from glorifying that garbage food.

The conference took me on a journey to Ife (my first time). For someone who has spent most of his life shuttling between Lagos and Abeokuta, add a little time in Ibadan; Ife was different Reader. Lagos is like a woman who suffers from a midlife crisis but avoids it by being busy, and she enjoys chaos the same way she revels in serenity. She loves to party hard but is never late for her religious place of worship. Lagos wants to be Independent but doesn't want to be alone. She's charming on the outside but full of mess within.

I can't say much about Ibadan, but I've observed her enough to know she has high aspirations, she has a past full of history, glory, and enough grume to meet her ambitions. She is on the cusp of a rebirth. However, there is no such thing as a woman in Abeokuta. In reality, Abeokuta is an old man who has seen enough of this world, and he's satisfied. Consequently, he has no ambitions. He is weary and just wants to sleep.

Ife is an old widow who lost her husband long ago but still holds on to his things. She sometimes daydreams of their days and aspirations together. While her child tries to encourage her to embrace change, she's resistant to it. Her only joy is in her memory of what she had with her husband. She could have been more, but living in her past has robbed her of time, and ultimately she has given up on what could be. If you have been in any of these places, Reader. Let me know how you felt about them.

During the conference, there were people, a lot of them. I don't do well with people, especially not many people and, worse, strangers. The good thing is, I didn't need to get acquainted with everyone, just the right number of people to keep my everyday life moving and easy. While I watched on and studied people, I saw a lot of people and learned different things, but the group that I want to talk about is the group with what I'd call "noID," they are the group who are yet to find their identity and can easily get lost in the crowd. As Malcolm X once said, "a man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." 50+ years later, Red is still correct. This begs the simple question, "Who are you Reader?"

If you're close to the upper end of the Gen Z line like me, you'll most likely remember the hilarious scene between Chris Tucker and Master Yu in Rush Hour.

My question goes beyond what your name is, Reader. Who are you when nobody is watching? Who are you when everyone is watching? Who are you when you're losing? Who are you when you're winning? Who are you when there's nobody to stop you? Who are you when you're thinking? Oscar Wilde wrote, "Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinion, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation". Are you the average sum of everyone you've met? Or do you have a unique character? Have you been faced with a topic, and you tackled it without waiting for other people's opinions to shape your thoughts?

It's okay to pick people's traits and copy their behavior. After all, we're primarily a mosaic of people we've shown our canvas, but as Austin Kleon wrote in his book, Steal Like an Artist:

Nobody is born with a style or a voice. We don't come out of the womb knowing who we are. In the beginning, we learn by pretending to be our heroes. We learn by copying. We're talking about practice here, not plagiarism—plagiarism is trying to pass someone else's work off as your own. Copying is about reverse-engineering. It's like a mechanic taking apart a car to see how it works.

Take that behavior apart and find you Reader. Learn from people, but don't plagiarise them. Know what you want and what you don't want, and stand for something, even if it's just yourself. However, please don't limit yourself to your identity when you find it. You're superfly and limitless.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Listen to Asa's album once again, it's therapeutic and because Korty is also telling you so.
2. I read, Steal Like an Artist, it's brief and a great read
3. I'm still reading Love in Colours because I love the book and I want to enjoy every love story in the book. Read it too, please.
4. YouTube recommended this two days ago, I'm recommending it to you.
5. Watch this too, because it's refreshing.
6. Tamilore-Jenrola is a good writer, read her post.
7. I would have recommended Ibadan by Wole Soyinka but it's such a boring read.
8. And, finally read something about parental love in this beautiful piece.
9. Recommend my newsletter to someone.

Till when next you hear from me again,

PIERRE