ETP Weekly 016

a pause

Happy New Week to you all. I hope you are doing well and my words find you in positive spirits. Amongst many other things, I am thankful for an Arsenal victory this weekend. I am very hopeful that our story will change this season. Speaking of stories, I‘ve been thinking a lot about my own story over the past week. This chapter of my life feels like an interlude, or maybe even a prelude, and I am sat with the tension of not knowing what comes next while others ask me what my plans are. I hope I enjoy the transition as the interlude flows into the next track. I also hope you enjoy this week’s letter because this will be the last one for a little while. I want to channel my energy into other expressions and I feel that this exercise has taught me what it needed to. I am proud of my consistency and I am thankful to those of you who have taken the time to engage with my offerings. For the final time (for now), here are some things I’ve been thinking about this week

What are you doing?

Back in the belly of the beast

I returned to Canary Wharf last Friday, for the first time since my final day of work in late September. I felt the uncanny combination of familiarity and alienation that I felt when I returned to my school the week before. While I recognised the place visually, emotionally it felt like I was moving through a relic of a world that my former self lived in. As I caught up with my favourite manager, my big sis in the office as well as another friend, I found myself answering some variation of “what are you doing now?”. It’s a question that’s been posed to me increasingly since my return to London, a deceptively simple interrogation which has left me with existential considerations. “What am I doing now?” I had to fight the self imposed urge to sound busy or justify my decision not to stay on a well paying career ladder and accept the truth. I am in a transition period where I don’t have the answers - I’m writing here, djing there, picking up the odd freelance gig. As my good friend would say, I’m ‘trying a ting’, and that in itself is something to be proud of, for God loves a trier.

The power of perspective

The power of framing, packaging and perspective have been at the forefront of my mind recently. To continue with the previous theme, I had a conversation with someone who really impressed on me that this period of my life is “fertile land” and an exciting time to really think about what I want my life to look like. While I knew this to be true instinctively, hearing this emphasised by someone I respect who has a fresh perspective on my context was incredibly encouraging. I may not have the answers yet, but this is a time to dream big, imagine outside the constraints of predetermined paths and blaze a trail. I am thankful for this opportunity. I was also reminded of the power of perspective at an assessment centre I had last week. We were placed in groups of 5 to respond to a brief and in my group I noticed that we had diverging ideas of how to approach the problem. It was interesting to observe the different personality and communication styles in the group and while I sometimes found it challenging to get a word in, I was very encouraged by the way our idea came together. Each of our perspectives was evident in the final output as we synthesised five ways of seeing into a unique approach. I am reminded that there is power in recognising and leaning into my unique PoV, and there is also power in taking a step back and observing my situation from a different vantage point.

Home

Generous hospitality courtesy of Gabriel

I had a wonderful week. I found myself across the city, from Edmonton to the Strand to Westbourne Park to the ICA to Kings Cross but the common denominator was that I was surrounded by people who have played a meaningful part in making London feel like home for me. I am constantly reminded that home is where my people are and I am grateful that my people are present in many pockets across the city.

Inspiring me:-

Akinola Davies Jr and Wale Davies collaboration and success with My Father’s Shadow

Read of the week:-

This interview

Watch of the Week:-

Listen of the week:-

Heard this live on Saturday… omo! I must say, I am very happy for the Cavemen. Roots was released 6 years ago and they have been consistent since then, it was beautiful to see the love for them at the show.

Looking forward to:-

New beginnings on the horizon

Performing at a poetry slam

Dreaming actively and working towards making it a reality

I hope you all have a blessed week.

With Love,

ETP