Author: Maridadi Life

THE POP ART GALLERY AT dusitD2:A SPACE FOR KENYAN ARTISTS

Maridadi Life

 

Katanu Kay (right) and Santina Nyagah CEO -Maridadi Life (left )

“Art when used well is a powerful , creative force that can change how we see ourselves,the world around us and how we respond to the challenges life throws at us.”

Art has been with us for millenia,for as long as we have had human beings on earth ,we have had art and an appreciation of art is a skill that is as a result of exposure.

The art  scene in Nairobi has become very vibrant and this activity   is what is attracting global attention to the city’s art scene.This vibrancy has been fuelled by a  burgeoning and  educated middle class as well as the high number of expatriates who live in the city who have beome very appreciative of the talent that  resides in the city and its environs.

With no distinct  home-grown art event ,the pop up trend has created an opportunity for artists to showcase their work to an appreciative local and international audience .

dusitD2 has filled this lack of a home-grown art event with the  pop art gallery exhibition  held at its upmarket location on 14,Riverside Drive.

The art exhibition  held every last Saturday of the month  has    a children’s  corner which runs concurrently with the exhibition and is  a partnership with Capital Kids club and  offers  an opportunity for children to get art lessons while  parents  enjoy the art work  from  very talented artists.

Kenyans are not avid consumers of art and through this  collaboration with Google Kenya ,dusitD2 is offering Kenyan artists the space to exhibit and sell their  art as well as   promoting  an  appreciation of art which offers an opportuity  for  artists to  earn a living through the sale of their  work.

On this particular Saturday the artists whose works were on display were:

  • Ssegujja Godfrey
  • Victor Binge
  • Katanu Kay
  • Ronnie Tindi
  • Jak Katarikawe
  • Sam Githui
  • Louis Chvetsova

 

I was very taken by the work of Katanu Kay which incorporated Kitenge fabric ,of particular interest to me was her work Euphoria 2 . We stood in front of that painting  talking about art , what inspires her and in that half hour I forgot she was just 1 month shy of her 20th birthday and that she  had  been exhibiting for just 2 years and  a month . Thanks to the exhibition,which  attended last year for the first time,  her work had found its way to   art collectors  in South Arica,Nigeria,the US and Australia.

 

Euphoria 2 is as a result of  a meeting with a lady who after seeing her work on Euphoria 1 asked for an exact copy of that particular piece.Katanu ,however does not do replicas of her work  and asked if  she could do something different ,the client agreed and the result is Euphoria 2.The two pieces ,Euphoria 1 & 2 are  inspired by the same thing ,a celebration of Katana’s African heritage and culture. It is her desire  that through her work  people take every   opportunity to  embrace being African and to  celebrate it.

She is a graduate   of the  BTEC Art and Design program at Brook House school and is headed to SCAD where she will be pursuing  her   studies in  Fine Art & Interior Design which she wants to pursue up to   PhD  level.

Art for Katanu  is a channel that  she uses to express herself , her ideas and it is a platform to share these ideas with the world.She would love that through her art people are able to ask questions,explore ideas and think outside the box of what society terms as the norm and that through this we develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of each other.

It is why she took the very unusual route of incorporating African fabric in her art work – which I thought was such a  great   conversation starter  on her work and what inspires her.

Read:African fabric making its presence on global runways.

When it was time for me to leave ,I found myself on the terrace of the Soko restaurant   thinking about what an amazing point in time it was to be alive,to hear artists like Katana talk about her   hope to have her work exhibited at the New York Art Gallery .

Thanks to dusitD2, this is not the last we have heard of this young lady and all the other equally talented artists who have found a  space to exhibit their art  work as well given an opportunity for Nairobi residents to enjoy local art.Before leaving,I  made a quick trip back to the exhibition to have one last look and some pieces had already been marked as sold and set aside  which only goes to  emphasise the quality of the work on display.

 

Look out for the next edition of the Pop Art Gallery on the last Saturday of this coming month of February and get ready to sample  great art and food .

See you there!

 

KONNICHIWA,HAVE YOU BEEN TO MINISO ?

Maridadi Life

 

These bags would be perfect for carrying make-up.

Konnichiwa (hello or good day in Japanese said with a deep bow from the waist)

Last year on May 16,2017 Kenya and Japan signed a cooperation agreement that would see Miniso a fashion brand from Japan make forays into the Kenyan market.Seven months later on December 22nd , Miniso would open its first retail store at the upmarket Village Market shopping  complex  and barely a month later they would open their second store at the Thika Road Mall .

The two  Kenyan  Miniso stores all located in Nairobi city  join a growing list of the over 2,600 outlets it has globally with its presence in Africa being in South Africa,Morocco,Nigeria,Egypt and Madagascar.Kenyans love the brand already as the few times I have been there the aisles have been busy and the staff are always very courteous and helpful.

Whenever I think of Japan it is the  vivid memories of cherry tree blossom season, the geta(the very fashionable wooden sandals) and kimonos that come to mind and sushi,how could i forget how the Japanese gave us Sushi!

Japanese culture intrigues me ,it is so prim and proper ,steeped in tradition yet  as a country is so technologically advanced it is mind boggling.  Tradition and technological advancement  can co- exist we just have to find the balance and African countries are coming into themselves and we have  seen an ever increasing appreciation of African culture globally over the last decade.

Miniso brand specializes in lifestyle products and the range of items in their stores range from play dough , nail polish to kitchen saucepan and mobile phone accessories .I found their products favorably priced and I would dare say they will disrupt the lifestyle retail sector with their high quality but well priced items.

 

As a brand Miniso gives the best of what we appreciate about the Japanese culture,their precision to detail,courtesy(we had an attendant follow us and bring a shopping cart) and a whole new way of doing business .

Konnichiwa(deep bow)

HOW EMOJI’S ARE CHANGING HOW WE COMMUNICATE

Maridadi Life

How many of you use emoji’s when communicating with family or friends ?

I know I do all most of the time.

Did you know there is world Emoji day marked on July 17th?

Emoji’s are described by the Oxford Dictionary as a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion.

There are 2,666 emoji characters available as of June of last year,more than there are letters of the alphabet….!

Thanks to technology and the rising use of social media we have seen an increase in the use of emoji’s even  by big brands and millennials are quite adept at using them, Goldman Sachs after research on millennials  condensed their findings into  a 22  emoji character Tweet.

To be honest the first time I watched the video last year  I had no idea who had done it .

A music video made up of entirely emoji’s..who does that?

Well Sauti Sol does.

The Kenyan music group remains one of my favorites and I have followed their music over the years .I like the boldness with which they bring to each of their music projects  their  Afro-pop sound and as they have become more daring over the years , won awards that no other Kenyan group has they  continue to ruffle the very smooth moral feathers of Kenyan society or not.

Whether you think their music videos  raunchy or simply great works of art,music for them as a form of art offers  a reflection of  society as it is.

The Friendzone music video was a first in terms of emoji use,  as you might expect …has a raunchy subtext.But it did say something about how we have moved from text to visual messaging and  how we have adopted them as a  fun way to express our thoughts and ideas.

An Emoji sentiment analysis done between 2015 and 2017 among 6 billion users show emoji use is higher among women.

The analysis ran by Brandwatch also analysed some of the most popular emojis among men and women .

Last year Facebook adopted use of emoji reactions where users who were previously limited to “liking” posts  now have multiple options to choose from that range from “love”,”sad”,”angry”,”wow” or ‘haha.”

Emojis are changing the way we express ourselves which must say something about how we communicate with each other.In a world where we  are more connected than we have ever been in human history,why have we resorted to use of emojis?

Have we exchanged real conversations for  over reliance on technology  and do emojis muddy the waters of communication or make them clearer ?

What does this say about how we will communicate with each other in a few years and what does that mean for relationships today and in the future ?

It will be interesting to see where we are headed and how things change but just incase you want to keep up with all things emoji related,then use this resource tool for all things emoji related- Emojipedia .

 

 

FASHION IN 2018:WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT ?

Maridadi Life
Photo:www.i.guim.co.uk

“Fashion tells a story about us and the world around us and what is happening to us,do not ignore it.

Santina Nyagah-Chief Editor  at Maridadi Living

The Big 4 fashion capitals  of the Fashion world are London,Milan,New York and Paris.

Why I watch the trends coming off the runway from the Fashion weeks set in these fashion  capitals is because the designers at these events have their fingers on  the pulse of what is  driving  the world around us.

Having watched what is coming off the runway in the past few months,you quickly realize that the world is becoming a much more integrated place and fashion is reflecting this by fusing different cultural elements together.

African print is making its presence felt on the runway felt,the vibrant colors that are a hall mark of the continent are increasingly finding  their way on the runways in these fashion capitals.

Stella McCartney a British fashion designer last year used Ankara fabric in her Spring/Summer 2018 collection ,Ankara  is a wax print whose origins can be traced to West Africa in her collection  and is  a fabric very popular across the continent.It can make everything from clothes for every day wear to show stoppers for formal functions.

Photos:www.i.guim.co.uk

Louis Vuitton in their Spring/Summer 2012 men’s wear collection  featured hats,shirts and scarves made from fabric very similar to the Maasai shuka- a traditional chequered blanket available in a variety of colors popular among the Maasai communities of Kenya and Tanzania.

Photo:AFP/Getty Images

Last year designer Andrew GN in his 2017 Fall collection had the models on his show have their hair braided in a manner that mimics   the way African women wear their hair.A closer look at the colors and prints through out his collection, with its animal print,earthy colors and chunky accessories was a celebration of the fusion of cultures and a celebration of globalization.

Check out the rest of Andrew GN Fall collection.

Andrew GN RTW Fall 2017

That we can have the fashion industry celebrating cultures from all the 4 corners of the world,where designers are influenced by cultures not their own , is indeed a testament to how far we have come and to how far we still have to go.We still need more African models on the runways sporting African designs and we need more designers from Africa celebrating the continents diverse cultures and talents.

2018 will be an interesting year in the fashion industry,watching 2017 shows,we are seeing a modesty and simplicity slipping through to the runway,a love for pastels and influence from different cultures is clearly being recognized and celebrated.Models are also becoming more diverse and there are more African ,Asian faces than before ,and more cities are getting noticed as they seek to join the Big 4 of the fashion industry. We have  Dubai  becoming  a place to watch as it hosts the Arab Fashion Week in late April ,with its ready to wear apparel heavily influenced by Arab culture it has quickly become a favorite among fashion houses that are looking further than Europe,Asia and America for business.

If you want to keep abreast with what is coming off the runway you may want to see the dates of the fashion weeks in the Big 4 capitals of fashion London,Milan,New York and Paris ,use this calendar. 

A good reason to watch what happens in fashion is because we do not just wear clothes,our clothes express who we are,our aspirations,values and by watching what comes off the runway you will have a pretty good idea about the things that are driving the world around us.Through the clothes you see on the runway,those are stories being told,by designers,about us and the world around us.

Happy New Year and have  a truly inspiring 2018!

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS POST SERIES:BEST GIFTS COST YOU NOTHING

Maridadi Life

 

My friend Wambui and I are on an errand around Toi in Kibera and as she is parking her car,she notices someone she thinks she knows,but he looks different she says.I turn to take a second look at  the  young man she is referring to who is now directing us to a parking spot.You could easily pass him,ignore him or shudder when you look at him.

He is in torn jeans,a grey t shirt that has seen better days , open pair of battered brown  shoes and in his hands a faded grey towel.See those towels that they sell in traffic jams in Nairobi that end up somewhere in your car until you need it and can’t remember where you placed the last one one you bought and you tell yourself you have to buy another one.And when you buy a new one you find the old one and now you have a couple of towels that you really do not need.

Yes,those towels.

That is what he is holding in his hand,a small grey,damp  towel.

He comes to stand next to the drivers side of the car,unconsciously wiping the car as he talks to us,he works at a car wash.

But that is not what you notice when you first see him,you will first see the sores on his lips,sores that have turned his lips pink,an unnatural shade of pink with  red sores that look like blisters,the pink spots on his skin seem to be spreading because he also has a patch of pink with a smattering of his natural skin color on the  tip of his nose.

Wambui makes small talk with him and promises to be back in a few minutes,sadly I  do not think much about that young man all I ask myself is what happened to him and quickly start calculating how much time we will have to spend in traffic to get home.

When we get back to the car,I strap myself in and then Wambui does not drive off,she starts a conversation with him.

His name is Amigo,he is 35 and this skin condition he has…one day he was fine,all dark brown melanin color, then one day he wakes up and his skin color has started to change  and he cannot explain it.He struggles to explain what changed,how his skin changed and I can tell he does not know what to say as he keeps shaking his head .He works at a car wash nowadays as he cannot find a job,lives with his mother and has a 6 year old son that calls him dad that he has to take care of. Wambui talks and I listen and thinking to myself of how many other people  have been helped by Amigo to park their cars and once they had done so,they locked  their cars , went off to their business,shopping for stuff at Toi or Adams and when they were done,they came got into their cars and drove off.Did not even look back.

Those people could be me.

Amigo talked and as he talked of how he had been to Kenyatta and Mbagathi hospitals hoping to get medication for his skin condition,but nothing seems to change even after these visits and medication.

Amigo talked and we listened and later as we drove back home we talked about him and we felt our hearts break,listening to him.We promised to back and we prayed for him.

I hope we can do something for Amigo,maybe get him someone that could diagonize his skin condition or give him a job

If you are ever in Toi during this Christmas season and you see that young man,say hallo to him,encourage him because sometimes we meet people on the street they look fine to us but they are fighting giants within themselves,they are fighting battles we know nothing about and carrying loads of care and worry that would crash us.

As we celebrate Christmas this year,spare a thought and your time for the people you would normally never talk to or listen to and just give them your time,it costs nothing.

My encounter with Amigo made me think of the help I have received from people over the years and sometimes that help was not even monetary,it was a listening ear,encouragement,prayers,best of wishes as I worked on an idea and I realized that the best help we can give to anyone is our time.

It also challenged me to give time to people who sometimes are in the periphery of my life,people I would not normally talk to because I was afraid that there is nothing I could say to them that would change their circumstances or be of help .We all can be an answer to someones prayer and sometimes their prayer is that someone sees them,sees them and listens to them because when we listen,it shows we care.

The value of time is so precious,that time you give to a friend looking for someone to listen to the challenges they are going through at work,with life or as they grow their business is invaluable.If you spare some time to listen to someone,maybe that is all they need to know that someone cares enough to give them their time may give that person the strength to live another day.

.This Christmas,give more of yourself,of your time to someone you would  normally not give your time to,listen to them and really hear what they are saying.It is the best thing you can do to yourself and to someone who needs you.

The best Christ Christmas gifts cost you nothing.

CHRISTMAS POST SERIES:HIDDEN GEMS

Maridadi Life

 

So there is this little gem,hidden somewhere past Kiserian town about 90 minutes drive  out of Nairobi,along the Magadi road,on a private road  and next  to Ole Polos are  the Ol Talet  and Ol Oika Cottages.This lovely little getaway is nestled in the beautiful wilderness of Kiserian ,from the balcony,you get a lovely and breath taking view of the Rift Valley and you can see the black winding ribbon of Magadi road as it winds its way to Lake Magadi.

Later in the day,as you  sip Kenyan tea or coffee ,it is to the accompanying rattling of the bells on the necks  of Maasai cattle, grazing a few  short meters down the hill.Across the ridge are the herds of goats dotting the landscape as  they make their way up the ridge nibbling on the shrubs and jumping over the rocks that litter the hill.Maybe they will end up on some of our plates over the Christmas season(how sad I think and it almost puts me off eating dinner later).

Ol Talet cottage can accommodate 6 people comfortably as it has 2 double rooms and one room with a double bed,the cottages  are self catering and on hand are David and his able assistant who will roast succulent  goat ribs to perfection.Each of the cottages comes with a fully equipped kitchen and a coffee maker(best news).There is hot shower in their bathrooms ,very  beautiful bathrooms,especially at Ol Talet  where  the excitement of hearing the curtain of sea shells rattle as I walked in for a cold shower  took me to the  beautiful sandy beaches at the Kenyan coast.The bathrooms have wide open windows which let in the morning light and you can see the wide expanse of beautiful African wilderness as far as the eye can see.

Ol Talet cottage has 3 bedrooms,one of them with the 2 single beds is located on the ground floor of the cottage while below ground are the other two bedrooms.The cottage has beautiful,tasteful well done decor and as you walk down the stairs  to the other  2 bedrooms  and shared bathroom below ground ,you walk past a wall filled with  African masks and can admire the stained glass window and the tasteful use of African art and craft pieces in the decor.

There is ongoing work to have a swimming pool ready in 2018.

 

In the morning,I could not wait to wake up to watch the sunset on the balcony ,while listening to the sweet sound of birds chirping and cast my eyes over what seemed like an unending expanse of breath taking views of the Rift Valley.It is so quiet up there ,you want to spend time just watching and listening to nature as it talks to you and whispers that life is a beautiful thing , we are here for a reason and season and we need to make the best of every moment we have.

When it is time for breakfast,we walked up the hill and to the dining area  of Ol Oika cottage where David had set out for us a Kenyan breakfast  and amidst the cheerful banter , we heard nothing except the  familiar voices of friends.If you live in the city long enough ,the honking of cars,matatus becomes normal,that blissful  quietness up there is  a beautiful quietness and we did not want to leave,not yet.

I was  at Ol Talet, with a group of friends,my chama friends,some of whom I have known since Primary school through high school and over the years we  have become   business partners and we had a thoroughly great time  ,occasionally seeing  grey vervet monkeys in the trees that surround the cottage,certainly they must have been curious about us as we were about them.

Before breakfast I had time to look for the   fish pond and almost felt like I was on a Finding Nemo Mission.Remember Bruce the nice shark wit his line “Fish are friends not food.”

The cottages have TV and board games incase you are looking for a little more activity,we were happy to just sit back ,enjoy the scenery,strategize on our plans for the next year and each others company.

If you are looking for a place not too far from the city for a quick getaway then Ol Talet is the perfect location,just over an hours drive from Nairobi,leave on Friday evening and drive back on Sunday after a sumptuous lunch.Bookings at the cottages are done strictly in advance.

Contact Ol Talet .

 

CHRISTMAS POST SERIES:THE BEST BITS OF 2017

Maridadi Life

 

Image:Samir Hussein/WireImage

Very excited to be launching the 12 days of Christmas blog post series and excited to be starting with the bits and pieces that made 2017 truly special for me.

The year was full of surprises,heartbreaks,lessons,challenges overcome and above all miracles from unexpected places.Among the many things that happened over the course of the past 11 months I picked just a few that meant something to me and most seemed to have happened in the second half of the year .

Why the second half of the year had so many lessons in it for me may partly  wholly be due to the realization that I learned to open my eyes to the miracle that life is and to let it surprise me.

1.Royal Engagement

You all know Doria Radlan  ?

She is the kind of woman I would want to have a long talk  ,in a side walk  coffee bar , large mirrors antique furniture with movie posters framed on their walls,we would  watch people walk by  both be wondering where they were all hurrying to .

And we would go back to talking about tolerance for people who do not look like is,talk like us or believe in the same things we do and we would have a blast because she does look like that kind of woman.

That she sports dreadlocks gives  her instant street credentials  to her being very attuned to the very complicated nature of human beings.

Why am I talking about Doria,who up until last week was virtually unknown?

Because she is soon going to be the mother in law to Prince Harry.

Her daughter Meghan Markle, stars in the hit TV series Suits as Rachael Zane , a part time summer associate in a law firm  and is  one of my favourite characters on Suits.

The engagement of Meghan to Prince Harry was announced two days ago and the internet went wild.

Prince Harry as you well know is brother to second in line to the British throne Prince William and being a royal watcher I was elated that my favourite character in suits was engaged to this particular member of the House of Widnsor.

Growing up I admired   Princess Diana (Prince Harry’s mother)   especially for her charity work  and campaign against landmines in Africa especially in Angola where landmines had maimed and killed thousands.It was with shock and disbelief  that I still remember going to buy the paper for my father and seeing  the headline of the Sunday Nation on the morning of  August 31,1997 that she had  died in a car accident in Paris.

The engagement has to be one of my highlights for the year,I am among the millions looking forward to the  May wedding .

And why it is the highlight of the year is because this marriage  it will forever change how we view race especially In Europe and that is a good thing.s otherwise,the British press called the very idea of someone of color joining the royal family scandalous.Find out why.

Who would have thought this would happen when royalty purists made us believe  otherwise .

2.Challenges overcome

Finally I got over my fear of speaking before crowds.

I always wondered how anyone could stand before a crowd and speak,now I know how it feels like .

Yes,I am shy and would literally break into a sweat at the thought of standing up before crowds to say anything.

But the year started with meeting Joyce Mwangi,getting placed in the same group as we studied the book of John heard me mention that I blog,she wanted to start like yesterday and I told her just write.

And write she did,published a devotional based entirely on the Kenyan National Anthem and she launched it and she gave me the terrifying honor of reading a speech.

It was a really  humbling  moment for me was to speak at  book launch of the Kenya National Anthem Devotional,she writes at His Creation blog.She is doing some amazing work,head over to her blog and find out about what she has been doing and order the book from there,she will ship it to you wherever you are.

As a result of what I thought was a daunting challenge,I got to speak infront of a crowd,I did not stammer,sweat or faint.

3.Mentoring

Through my writing,and encouraging other women to tell their stories  I have given wings to 3 other writers who now have their own blogs.One of them,Joyce Mwangi of His Creation,Grace Muriuki of Godly Marriages are Beautiful   and Catherine Mbau of Ripples of Life .

It was not something I set out to do,it just happened and because I am always asking people  ,especially women to tell their stories as it is through stories that we learn and experience life,there are 3 more women sharing about some truly amazing things -God’s love and marriages a God intended it to be.

It is my hope to have a blogging workshop early in 2018 and incase you are interested please fill in your details HERE and I will be in touch.

4.Gratitude

In the fast paced world we are living in right now where when you wake up everyday,there is a newer version of everything and every few hours or so you are updating the applications on your phone,it easy to lose sight of the fact that convenience sometimes makes us self absorbed.

This convenience has made us a little impatient with people and things that do not move at lightning speed,we have come intolerant to faults,imperfections and with each other.Modern technology is giving us convenience but is robbing us of what we need most as human beings-relationship with each other.

After finishing the  Black and white photo challenge,that is when I learned that indeed I had taken so much for granted and had not really been taking time to see the beautiful things around me.Seems I have been living life at 120 km/hour and that I had not time to appreciate life as it is , makes me sad because it means that a lot of things were lost to me that I can never get back because I was busy.

You may want to try the  challenge and see what changes after 7 days,its worth it.

 

5.The value of family and friends

God put us in a family and gave us friends that stretch our limits  on love,patience,gratitude,kindness,peace,joy and a lot of other virtues.The relationships we have with our family and friends shape us,mold us,challenge us and make us better people(hopefully).

A family is the basic units from which all other social relationships are formed,it is the launching pad to all other relationships we will have in adult hood  and the skills we learn in our families determine the quality of  relationships we will have with friends and with our spouses eventually.

Can you imagine what a beautiful world we would have if we put families front and centro of government policies,development agendas locally  and the global agenda?we might just be able to solve 50% of the conflict we have in the world today.

This year I have known what having a loving family and a group of friends is all about.To my family,my kids,husband,sisters,parents a big thank you for a wonderful year.

Of special mention are the girls from my chama that made my year special:Wambui,Flo,Jackie,Belinda,Mwari,Myl,Njeri,Pat,Sue,Kagendo thank you for teaching me the true value of friendship.May we  live to celebrate many more years of friendship.

My friends from my Bible Study Fellowship who are like family to me now.

Kawi and Mukami for being sisters.

Maryanne Waweru Wanyama of Mummy Tales, you are always an inspiration keep telling the stories of the wonderful women you get to meet.

Looking forward to an amazing 2018.

 

What have been the highlights of your year so far,anything interesting happened to you that you would like to share,challenges overcome,goals achieved?

 

HELLO DECEMBER !

Maridadi Life

 

 

Black Friday kicks off the Christmas holiday season,time to spend more time with family and it is a time we spend more time shopping as well.In light of this  I have decided to  work on a 12 days of Christmas  blog post series.

Christmas get me excited,I have such fond memories of Christmas from my childhood i literally cant keep still once December kicks in-which  might explain my inability to wait till December,1st to post this!

I will do a post on picking gifts for  loved ones,a post on being thankful,one on planning  for the year ahead,okay..let me stop there before giving too much away.

The holiday season is an opportunity to reflect on the 11 months of the year that have passed and getting down to plan  for the new year.

It is time to take stock of lessons we have learned and how we have grown and changed over the past 11 months.

It is a time to let go of past hurts and embrace forgiveness.

I am very excited to be starting the series and I hope you are too because I would love to hear from you as well about how your year has been and what you are hoping to do or see more of in the new year,on the blog as well,what kind of stories,posts you would  like more of.

 

Keep checking to see when we kick off and cant wait to share what I have been working on.

 

 

 

 

HOW A PHOTO CHALLENGE TAUGHT ME TO BE MORE GRATEFUL

Maridadi Life
Photo courtesy:Santina Nyagah

If you have been on Facebook for the past 3 months,you might have stumbled on the black and white photo challenge.

The challenge involves posting for 7 days in a row,black and white photos that describe your life  with no faces or explanations to them .

My friend Mukami put me up to the challenge and i dived into it with gusto and a theme…no kidding.

Maybe because I love photography and hate how i look in pictures this became a really exciting challenge to do.

My approach to the challenge  was to post black and white photos of things or places I found interesting during the day  that would make people guess or point out where I was  at that particular time.

That is why my first photo on the day of the challenge was that of a door,today as we end the challenge my photo was taken at a cross road on one of the most beautiful university campuses we have in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

I was especially intrigued by the fact that I started out my taking a picture of a door,probably  asking people to take a walk with me through the door of my life.Out of the 7 photos, 2  were of nature,1 was taken at the reception of a luxury travel/destination  company,1 was of an art piece at a mall ,the other was at an office.

The photos may not have meant much to everyone else but in retrospect i can see how  I spent much of my week doing things that i really love and enjoy.And that for me might have been why the challenge was so fun,I got to see,appreciate and really think about the photos I was taking .

Something we seem to really be losing a grip on is that..appreciation,thankfulness or being grateful is something modern life has robbed us of.We are taking too much for granted and not pausing enough,enough to see that we live in such a beautiful country,part of an even more beautiful continent and part as well of the most amazing planet-earth.

As I end the challenge today I would like you to take  a walk with me ,down the path called gratefulness.

Have you taken part in the black and white photo challenge? why did you do it and what did you learn about yourself ?