We recently had the chance to connect with Onajide Shabaka and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Onajide, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
Yes! Sometimes it’s necessary to be a better listener and observer. Events or situations don’t always fully open and expose everything. Not acting fast gives one the opportunity to get a fuller picture and that might be the crucial difference in understanding it.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello, my name is Onajide Shabaka, a creative person who writes, makes art, and reads non-fiction, cooks, and stays active to enjoy life. There is one special thing about my art practice that makes it unusual and, that is I have incorporated it with a walking practice that I started while in high school. At the time, I didn’t call it a walking practice but that’s what it was and I’ve been doing it ever since. While walking is a healthy activity it has also opened the doors to explore some of the most interesting places. I have been to Joshua Tree, Boundary Waters, Crater Lake and the Everglades. These are places of geology and botany and so I was transversing the landscape before thinking of it as an ecological space.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Going away for college really shaped my view of the world. I was in a big city alone with no family. I had to find a job since I didn’t have a scholarship. I had to make decisions that had real consequences for my life. I made the choice to go away for college, not my parents so, the entire enterprise had implications for my future. I grew as a person and hopefully benefitted from all those experiences.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering makes a person resourceful when seeking success. And, that can also be a very creative time. Reaching deep into our personal resources can result in the unexpected and surprising results.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I have always been the same person as before social media. No, I’m not a good enough actor to pretend to be someone other than myself. Even decades ago my siblings had friends that recognized me on the street in downtown San Francisco. It still makes me laugh that a stranger knew my name because they knew my siblings.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing?
Even though I don’t know the results, I would say taking a few more chances. I’m not a big risk taker but somewhere along the line such decisions pop up. But, we live in the world with others so some risks can knowingly impact others and they might be part of the decision making process.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @onajide
- Other: https://onajide.substack.com/
Image Credits
photo credit: Onajide Shabaka (all rights reserved)
