Being a creative #entrepreneur is not easy especially if you are one in Nigeria. The odds are definitely stacked against you.

Selling an idea or any other intangibles with no immediate “value” is a tall order in a society that hasn’t yet totally fulfilled the first couple of rungs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – food, water, warmth and rest on the first rung and security and safety on the second.

Maslow’s theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher level needs. Maslow also coined the term “metamotivation” to describe the motivation of people who go beyond the scope of the basic needs and strive for constant betterment (source Wikipedia)

To quote President Obama – from a speech he gave at the Kennedy Centre Honours to honour those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to the American culture:

 “The life of the arts far from being an interruption or distraction in the life of a nation is very close to the centre of a nations purpose.  It is a test of the quality of the nations civilisation”

Therein lies the problem. Our purpose in Nigeria it seems – right now is to just survive. There are those in Nigeria who consider creativity a distraction – something to be amused with and by. Not to be taken too seriously and as a result of this – creative entrepreneurs or practitioners may have a tough time.

So how does one create value and/or demand for creativity? Is there any point? We may ask ourselves especially when one cannot make ends meet. We end up wanting to give up and find a “real job”. What makes it worse is that our friends and family rarely encourage these pursuits of ours that seemingly keep us in penury.

We become even more depressed when despite all the challenges – there are still very many successful creative entrepreneurs and practitioners in our midst. Musicians, thespians, artists, photographers just to name a few. What is their secret? What are they getting right?

In my opinion they are doing well as a result of their talent and also their timing. The two go hand in hand. They are also shrewd #business people who understand that they ARE adding value to people’s lives albeit in an intangible way; they are also using their time and creative energy to deliver this value. For these reasons – they ought to be paid AND they are.

I say BE REALISTIC. Going out and finding that “real job” or side hustle is not a sign of failure. It is a recognition that we are either not talented enough or that the demand for what we are offering simply isn’t there. Time and chance. It is not a sign of failure – rather an indication that we need to dig deeper as regards our offering – whilst ensuring that we can meet our most basic needs without resorting to begging. This is the time to go back to the drawing board and figure out ways to CREATE that demand or to develop that talent. Giving up just cannot be an option.

 

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