Thread by @petersize10

Should probably share some of my moments seeings as its the last day of what has been a very unpredictable year.

Early in the year I spent my days living the cosmetic life of wearing suits and pretending to care what status I'd have in society after being admitted to the bar.

4 weeks in and I was done living a life chosen for me and I bailed. Never walked back into that class. Had an (expected) standoff with my folks who thought I'd been possessed 😂.

Old man couldn't understand what I meant by "I want to explore more about myself and what I can do with this talent I believe I have".....
At some point even asked, "Uko sawa kijana?"

I avoided all of them like a plague. Knew not what I was going to do at the time but I knew for sure I wasn't going to be stopped. Probably the strongest resolve I ever had.

Fast forward to mid year and I had my first corporate job as a creative. Loved and hated it in equal measure. The perks were good though. I gained like 6kg in almost 3 months. 😂. And was now exploring a new genre of photography I'd never done.

Kept taking new risks each day. Was eager to learn, explore, live. Something someone in the office once called "The millennial bug ". Old man was at least relaxed that I was working a corporate job.

I mean, all African parents want to share that proud moment when their friends ask what their son does for a living....

Did a couple of assignments for publications, built a small client base in the meantime, worked some odd hours, and what changed my life this year were these moments.

Went to Lamu c/o @UrbanSkript (who's been a blessing to many in his circle this year. Really owe a lot to him and love seeing how his craft has grown!) I did a story on coal which went "viral" and got me good and bad publicity.

At some point I even received a threat on email regarding the story. But I knew I was doing something. I felt at peace. That story later got me my first ever exhibition. I was shaking at the thought of having a gallery all to myself. I shed a slight tear once it came to pass

Remember old man? The story I did got to him and he called me asking me who did it... He asked me to sell it to CNN 😂😂. Obviously didn't but then I was happy I was winning him back.
petersize10.com/decoalonize-la…

Then came this. It's become my most viewed and downloaded image ever and even earned me a couple of conversations with people I had never imagined I'd speak to.

Background story : Had always wanted to shoot in the rain & it was on the opening night of the Lamu exhibition... Didn't go well since the rain messed up people's attendance plans. Disappointment. Bae tried to cheer me up and told me to focus on how far I'd come already.

Said our goodbyes in town and I promised to do just that. So to get my mind off of the disappointment, took out my camera and started following people while taking pictures of Nairobi in the rain. Went home, woke up the next day and did a blog post about it.

Then this happened. Mum saw the photos,sent me this. We laughed. Old man read it and shared with his friends. Slowly winning them back.

Article had been shared on @qz and other platforms and thet had seen them all. Mans even opened an instagram account and has been following me ever since 😂. He refused to tell me what the account name is. May I never post something incriminating

Weeks later we sat down for coffee and a catch up session. He opened up about how he was unconvinced about my decisions ( Me too dad. Me too. ) & then admitted he had felt the pressure of wanting to see me successful. Success meant being a hotshot lawyer to him.

We laughed and sipped and talked about so many random things. Then he said " I'm proud of how you've turned out boy. You're doing well. Keep up. " And that was all I needed to know I was onto something.

From then on its been all systems go. I won them back. In a year when things didn't go too well. I had the best people around me and that's all I needed to keep going. Today, I'm not successful. Not near where I want to be but I'm content so far. God's been great yo!

Some big lessons have been learnt but most importantly is that to find yourself you have to make some selfish decisions. Following your heart and passion will lead to something. Time will always tell. Don't be afraid to write your own story.

May your 2018 be prosperous. Full of love, light and anything you desire. Surround yourself with positive vibes and remember to write your own story.