azemezi:I recently did an interview with Jalada Africa where I got to talk about some of my short st
azemezi:I recently did an interview with Jalada Africa where I got to talk about some of my short stories as well as my philosophy towards writing, which I try to share as often as possible because I believe it really helps. The interview was recorded and audio as well as a transcript of it is available on the Jalada website, linked below. The Jalada Conversations No 6: Akwaeke Emezi“For me, personally, what got me to that conclusion was that; say you want the accolades for example, say you want to win prizes, you want to hit bestseller lists. You want all of that. Which is fine. The issue is you literally can’t get any of that unless you create the work first. It is just like a ticket. It is literally, like a sequence. In order for these things that people want, to happen, as artists, you have to have the work. You cannot win a prize if you do not have work to enter for it. You can’t sell a book, if you don’t have a book that you wrote. So I think, it is practicality actually. Because, I wouldn’t even pretend to be an artist who is like, “I am just here for the work. I don’t care about anything else.” Because at the end of the day, I love winning as much as the next person. I used to joke and say that I wasn’t a competitive person. Then one day my mother pulled me aside, and said, you know what, you need to stop lying. I was so outraged. I was like, “What do you mean? I am not competitive! Oh my gosh!” And my mother said, “You are so competitive, that you don’t even compete, unless you think you are going to win.” And I was just there like, “oh my God!” I was so upset. She was right, but still, just telling me my business like that. It was a bitter pill to swallow. So I do have that part of me that wants to win things, that wants the accolades. Really because, I feel there is-in order for you to make substantial change, you need platforms. You need power really. Just in order for you to make the changes that you want to see in the world. I am not creating work so that I can sit there and say that I created work. I am creating work for specific reasons, for example, so that people can see themselves. Have that matter to somebody. And have that affect somebody else positively. But, in terms of, just again back to the practicality. If the work doesn’t exist, then 100%, none of these other things will exist. You will never win a prize if you don’t write in the first place. So I try to focus on that. And also because that is the one thing that I have control over. I don’t have control over the other things. So as much as I may want them, or care about them, they also don’t matter. In terms of practicality. Because these are things that are up to judges. These are things that are very subjective. These are things that are influenced by a vast number of factors that I can’t control. What I can control, is creating the work. For me personally, I try not to adopt markers of success that are out of my control. Because then, that means, I am putting my validation in other people’s hands. If I say, “Oh, my work doesn’t matter unless it wins XYZ thing”, then I have completely taken power away from myself. So I try to focus on the fact that the work has to exist. And have the existing of the work be the success that matters to me. Yes, every other thing would be nice. Every other thing would be a perk on top of it. But just to keep myself grounded, so that I don’t lose focus. Because once you start engaging in these things, it gets very distracting. And you can get very caught up and lose focus. Because then you are caring about other things that are A. Not the work, and B. Not under your control. So personally I like to say, you know what, if I want XYZ things, I actually can’t control it. The most I can do is make the work to the best of my current ability, put it out there, go back, make some more work to the best of my current ability. And I hope that my ability continues to improve, so that the work keeps getting better and better. But at the end of the day, it is really just a practical thing that keeps me sane.“ -- source link