Failure – The Secret We All Share?

This week, my mind has been wrestling with something that feels almost taboo: failure. I was reading a post by the brilliant Dr. Okito Wedi recently that really hit home – the feeling that failure is this dirty secret we’re all trying to hide. It resonated deeply with my own experiences, especially as a middle child in a migrant family – a detail Dr. Wedi also shared, making her perspective feel even more aligned with my own upbringing. Thinking back, I realize I've only truly shown my vulnerable, failing side to a select few. There's this ingrained shame, isn't there?

I've been reflecting on my own journey – hitting those big goals early in my career, feeling on top of the world, only to have it all crumble. It wasn't just bad luck; it was down to mistakes, a reluctance to admit shortcomings, and a failure to seek the support I needed. In response, maybe as a shield against the perceived shame of failure and the depression that can follow, I’ve thrown myself into more work, sometimes repeating the same missteps, not truly learning from them. I haven't always seen failure as the crucial pause for reflection and growth that it is.

It’s comforting to remember that failure isn’t a solo experience; it’s woven into the fabric of life. Even the most successful people have navigated their share of setbacks. Understanding this, and really taking it to heart, feels like a key part of this second mountain I'm trying to climb – learning from the fall of the first one and building resilience for the inevitable bumps ahead.

Dr. Wedi articulates this so brilliantly in her LINKEDIN here.

Like Dr. Wedi, and sharing that experience of being a middle child in a migrant family, I’m realizing that the goal isn’t to avoid mistakes – that’s impossible. It’s about making new ones, learning quickly, and moving forward. Her perspective on seeing her journey as “full of glorious mistakes” is a powerful reframe.

What are your thoughts on failure? Is it a secret you keep, or are you finding ways to embrace the lessons it offers?

Finding My Feet as a Mentor

I really wish I could mentor myself sometimes, because I honestly think I'd be a really great mentor for me! It's interesting, I think I've subconsciously avoided formally mentoring many people because I felt somehow not good enough, or maybe just didn't see myself in that role. But now I'm realizing that my experience and my unique way of seeing and approaching the world actually make me a potentially impactful mentor.

I feel like I can offer valuable advice and genuine support because I tend to have an outside-looking-in perspective, and I'm comfortable leveraging resources, technology, and various tools to find solutions. Perhaps what also makes me a good mentor is the idea that I kind of mentor the person I wish I had. It's been quite the journey to get to this point. It makes me wonder, how do you even approach finding good mentors? Is "good" mentorship a thing, or is it more about connection rooted in shared journeys? I also think about the people who have navigated their paths without formal mentors – how did they find guidance? Reflecting on my own journey, I'm realizing that the opportunity to mentor others often naturally arises as you build and grow. And I've definitely done that informally over the years, guiding and supporting others, but I just never really put it under the formal bracket of "being a mentor." It's quite interesting how being asked by initiatives like Edge Growth and AfricaNXT is pushing me to actively embrace this role.

Making the films, dillion.

So if you know me you will know my journey in creative industry began with me wanting to make films and couldnt find peers and ended up in the rabbit hole of building community via Creative Nestlings. Finally I have become more deliberate and make films and There is this film that I've been obsessed with trying to make for what feels like forever. It's about chance encounters and the nuanced ways we meet people, connect deeply, and sometimes choose not to reconnect. It explores the idea that even when paths cross, they don't always have to merge.

Funnily enough, despite being somewhat resistant to making short films in the past, this particular story keeps calling to be told in that format. I've finally taken the plunge, and I'm incredibly grateful to New Comma #NCFund for the £100 in support – thank you for helping make this film a reality!

This journey of approaching filmmaking and trying to bring this story to life has been quite something. I've been really thinking about the future of film and what's happening in African cinema. Sometimes it feels a bit stuck, retreading familiar ground – the struggle, the hardship, violence in the hood – important stories, yes, but I long for more that is quietly exploratory, simply about being and connecting.

Films like "Past Lives" come to mind, or "Perfect Days" – what about those lives, the beauty in the everyday trivialities? That's something I'm deeply interested in exploring through film.

I'm on a quest to find and make more films made in Africa that delve into that in-between space of life and connection. I want to make a film about drinking coffee, making friends and going to bed early and content and it just happens to be in Joburg.

What films do you wanna see more of?