Creative People - Profile 2: Ireti Adebayo Oladapo

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt- Sylvia Plath . "

Today we continue our series on creative people, who are pursing their passions and dreams. Our guest on this post is Ireti, someone who has inspired me in the short time that I have known her, mainly by her commitment to doing what she is passionate about, something that I think we all should learn from. I will waste no time with preambles so you can get inspired by her story.

 

Tell us a little about yourself?

I am Ireti Adebayo Oladapo. I am a daughter, wife, mother and student to sum it all up.

What occupies your time between sunrise and sunset?

Family first, then I do a lot of reading and writing as well

Reading and writing…Creative writing? Or assignments (lol)

Both. I try to find time aside studying, to do my own writings.

What kind of writing do you do? Poetry? Fiction?

I write poetry, plays and fiction, but narratives are my strongest point. I would rather spend days writing fiction than an hour of poetry. I also prefer to read and write short stories, rather than long works of fiction. That is because short stories are easier to read at a sitting. In a collection of short stories, a reader can decide on a flexible approach, and start from the middle, or the end. But in a long work of fiction, the normal procedure has to be followed.

What are you studying right now?

Creative writing. A masters degree. I had my Bsc. in Accounting in Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria

Hmmm…Interesting. Why the diversion?

I've been a friend of the pen and paper for as long as I can remember. When I was in primary school, my mother would drop my siblings and I off at the library on holidays and Saturdays. She would pick us up in the evenings. We read almost all the books and novels at the children's section.

I think my romance with reading and writing originated from that phase of my life. I studied Bsc Accounting but I couldn’t help feeling I was not in the right profession. However, I kept at it. I am a very restless girl and when I started working in Seed Media, Lagos after my youth service, it was a big deal, sitting by a large office table filled with books, frolicking with boring numbers. So I decided to pursue my passion – writing, and add a professional flavor to it.

So what have you written so far? Have you written any books?

I am almost done with my first book, which is a collection of short stories. They are all set in Nigeria. It is my way of telling our stories to the world. Our culture, our triumphs, our fears, our tears, our pride, those things that make us proudly Nigerians.

And how do your stories usually end? Tragedy? Comedy? Optimism? Hope?

I’ll say I write more of optimism and hope. A re-affirmation of a do-able tomorrow. Breaking forth through the barriers that are seemingly encompassing in everyday living

Hmm. Cool. Now tell us, why do you write? This is a deep question. Sort of like asking you: What is your personal mission statement, your passion, your inspiration, your drive?

Well I can’t say I have only one reason for writing. It is more like a salad of reasons. I write because that is the best way I can express myself. I write because in centuries to come, I will be gone but my writings will remain. I write to answer pertinent questions in life – who and what are we? I write to find peace with whatever I am passing through, like a sort of therapy. And sometimes, I write when I am bored – just for the fun of it.

This is all so nice. Personally I think it is important for creative people to showcase their work and not hide it somewhere, like it is something to be ashamed of. So how do you showcase your writings? Any blogs, websites or publications?

Yeah I write for two magazines and I also feature regularly on a ladies website. I write for In His Steps magazine. Their website is www.inhisteps.8m.com, and I am an Editorial Assistant at Naijastories.com.

You can also find a few of my works on clayladies.wordpress.com, and I'm a columnist on Bridals and Events Watch a maiden bridals magazine to debut in October.

Any other things we should know about you Ireti?

I act movies as well, and there's a new release which I featured in - 'Never Happened' currently showing on Africa Magic and Movie Magic stations.

Wow!. Interesting. How did you get into movies then?

My Mom is a memeber of ANCEDRAM (All Nigerian Christian Drama Ministries), which the likes of popular christian drama groups like Mount Zion and EVOM are part of. I followed her for meetings. On one of the days, I was auditioned for the role of Folake in 'Never Happened'. The director was impressed with my performance and they decided to give me the role.

That is really cool. I will be looking forward to seeing you on the big screen and reading your books. Before we are through, we would like a peek at one of your write ups. Any one you'd like to share?

Here is a short piece I wrote when I heard I was going to have a baby girl. 

EUPHORIA

                                    Ribbons and Barbie doodles,

                                                                        Coo’s and cuddles

                               Pink roses and fairy wands.

                       Thoughts of you

                 A soothing relief

       Like chilled soda

         And a pack of nuts,

                     to a farmer

                               On a sunny day.

  Girl’s Saturday nights’ out,

                        Makeover and secret wishes,

        Lipsticks on thin lips,

                          Looking forward to holding you

             Loving you all there is.

             It’s a girl so says the scan.

                                I’m shouting!!! Baby is a girl

Impressive. But I believe we haven't seen the best of you yet. Like I always believe, the best is yet to come.

So there it is. What inspires you about Ireti? What talent do you have that is struggling to find expression? How important do you think it is to give your passions and creative talents expression? Feel free to comment on this post and answer the questions.

Remain Inspired.