Prologue
This is not another end-of-year review. Nothing interesting happened. I hope this robs you of any excitement brewing. I know that I know nothing, but by the time you’re done reading this. I hope you can learn a thing or two. I’d appreciate reviews or feedback. Dàálụ
The first draft for this piece started on the night of Saturday, 2nd of January 2026, at exactly 21:42 UTC +1 and was completed on the same night. It is more or less important to attribute how I started or why I am starting and finishing this in a single stretch. Dear aunties and uncles, the last time I completed and published a draft was in July 2024. Although I actively curate a collection of drafts, the result of what my aching mind conceives. I write, to clear my mind, to gain clarity, to fathom imagination. Likening this to when an artist picks a brush and scribbles a few lines on a canvas.
I’d indulge you a little. Pablo Picasso consistently maintained a daily routine of painting throughout his 70-year career. Estimated at a total of about 50,000 pieces. What happens when you prioritize execution over quality? Expectations and results are like distant cousins, but the enemy of none(banger!). These two are related, but not closely aligned. They both stem from the input of hard work(read labour), hope, effort, or intention. Yet often don’t resemble each other. Disappointment comes not from their existence, but from how we relate to them.
The Discipline Is Not Control, But Containment
The anarchy of imagination is what happens when the mind refuses to obey rules, when ideas stop asking for permission. It displaces the natural order, logic, social approval, timelines, man power. It is the commonest commodity known to man. I’d break this down. When a child asks for a new bicycle for Christmas, the child does not ask about the source or the money at hand. Their imagination precedes order. Order comes later, often too early, especially for the kind of environment we find ourselves in(laughs in Omo Igbo).
I just presented a recap of my life metaphorically since after university, and why I stopped writing for a while. My drafts were filled with several think pieces, titles to write on, gossips etc. I was fed with vision and hope, but lacked adaptable systems(read discipline).
My life, my super story
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”(2 Tim 2:15).
My kind of work, sprinkled with curiosity, affords me the privilege to stay abreast of what’s happening daily. My routine included(in no order), Twitter/X, Github, Nairaland, Gmail(for newsletters), respond to emails, Slack messages, approve pull requests, write code, YouTube, WhatsApp (communicate with family), NairaLife, and so forth.
This lifestyle was devoid of discipline. It felt like I was planting big, career-wise, but never really amounted to what qualifies as a banger(ifykyk). I’ve been involved in a lot of different things; I have lived many lives. I am/used to be a photographer, a music minister(church choir), rapper, I sold newspapers, I performed spoken words, standup comedy, and most recently, an engineer. My day-to-day involves building software, and on the side, a makeshift creative studio I run as a creative director.
Systems Fear Imagination Because It Exposes Contingency
When one imagines, one dreams. Creates positive outcomes, irrespective of the current environment.
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
Imagination provides hope for the argument that a situation might turn around, structure is temporary, and an unforeseen outcome. As an adult, this might feel threatening; it exposes you to your current reality. You choose this life, whatever you’re in now, as a result of your past inputs.
Anarchy in this sense is not destruction; it becomes the refusal to accept the inevitability.
If you imagine a different life, a different role, impact, you create an imbalance of your current identity, you make up for excuses, you fight for less.
Okpolo eye, no be open eye.
This Nigerian phrase captures the state of being literally blinded by the truth or being easily fooled. Loudness with irrelevant confidence.
This shouldn’t be a reason to be pessimistic either. It’s just a call to what surrounds you, an endeavoured outcome of when you lack discipline or structure.
My Core Principles
Balance imagination with execution:
Curiosity breeds imagination, but requires the systemic ability to execute them effectively. Structure provides freedom, fosters creativity, avoids burnout, and makes the process fun. Imagination does not come from the imagination god; it requires constant feeding through diverse experiences, learnings and observation. A healthy structure becomes a building block for new ideas.Practice deliberate execution: The term high agency can be interchanged in this regard. An individual known for authenticity: true to self, invests time intentionally, active and reactive, able to work alone.
Encourage collaboration: I’ve sent hundreds of DM’s with no reply. But it doesn’t just stop there. I also want to provide opportunities for people bounce ideas on one another. I believe diversity and inclusion often lead to more robust and innovative solutions. (Feel free to reach out if you’re a collab)
Create patterns, break patterns: Build a habit where I challenge day to day existing dogmas and ask “what if?” Be the bad apple for once.
The Dangers of Suppressing Imagination
I fear for the young ones. My kinsmen(read Nigeria and Nigerians) have succeeded in creating a lasting impression that parties, money, and afrobeats are all there is to life. The reality of those who dare to choose a different path are faced with the difficulty to dream.
You never chop, how you want to take dream
The culture imposes a hidden jail on your mind. When imagination is denied:
- Cynicism replaces curiosity
- Imitation replaces creation
- Busyness replaces meaning
- Burnout replaces wonder
You are a creator when you dream. Remember to create sustainable structures. Remember, discipline is not control, but containment. Create frameworks, essays, routines, manuals, and habits that serve as containers to breed wild ideas. They provide shape without removing its power.
Till next time.