{"id":14882,"date":"2023-05-02T11:42:44","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T10:42:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/?p=14882"},"modified":"2023-05-02T11:42:44","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T10:42:44","slug":"creative-living-naledi-modupi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/creative-living-naledi-modupi\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Living: Naledi Modupi"},"content":{"rendered":"

When do you feel most creative?<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s always the evening for me. After experiencing the beauty of my surroundings all day, my mind becomes alive with ideas and inspiration. This is the time when I feel most connected to myself, and also in tune with the world around me. It’s like everything comes together and becomes clear, and I am able to express myself in a way that feels authentic and true. The peacefulness and stillness of the evening allows me to tap into my creativity.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Courtesy of Naledi Modupi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tell me a little about your relationship to deadlines? Do you meet them easily? And do you need them to motivate you?<\/b><\/p>\n

In all honesty, meeting deadlines is a struggle for me, it’s probably the thing I dislike most about myself. I’m a creative person, and I love working on my projects when inspiration strikes. But unfortunately, due dates don’t always align with my artistic musings, which has caused me to miss out on a few opportunities and ruin some relationships in the past. However, I’ve realised that prioritising deadlines is very important to achieving my purpose as an artist. So, even though it’s tough, I continue to push myself to meet those deadlines!<\/span><\/p>\n

Meeting deadlines is a struggle<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Do you need routine? <\/b><\/p>\n

I think the more I try to establish a routine, the more anxiety I feel about it. For me, it’s all about embracing the unpredictability of life. I absolutely love waking up each day not knowing what kind of experiences are ahead.  This doesn’t mean I’m completely unprepared. I always have my to-do list, just to keep me on track and make sure I don’t get completely swept up in the chaos. I find it kind of liberating to just go with the flow.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Courtesy of Naledi Modupi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How much do you adhere to a \u2018conventional\u2019 9-5 working week?<\/b><\/p>\n

I’ve found that dedicating a solid eight hours a day to the admin side of things helps me establish a \u2018routine\u2019 and stay on top of my deadlines. Of course, those eight hours don’t always fall neatly between 9-5. Some days, I might find myself working from 10-6, or even 12-8, depending on what else is going on in my life. But regardless of the specific hours, I’ve found that setting out this time for the not-so-creative stuff is necessary for keeping my work flowing smoothly. <\/span><\/p>\n

Do you work on the weekends? <\/b><\/p>\n

I do a lot of creative work on the weekends. Like take photos for inspiration or references, or do some paintings. Simply because I find this fun and quite fitting for the weekend. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Courtesy of Naledi Modupi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do you try to draw a clear line between \u2018life\u2019 and \u2018work\u2019 or does it all blend into one? <\/b><\/p>\n

To me, life and work are one and the same. As a creative, I find that my identity and interests are deeply intertwined with what I do on a daily basis. I can’t help but be drawn to projects and activities that allow me to express myself creatively and fulfil my need for self-expression. <\/span><\/p>\n

On days when you hit a creative block, what do you do to get past it?<\/b><\/p>\n

I used to try to force myself to keep going, but I realised that just made the block even worse. Now, I take it as a sign to rest, and to take a break from trying to create and focus on other things. Hanging out with friends and family, binge watching my favourite shows, sometimes even going out for a change of scenery. It’s crazy how, after just a few days of this, my brain starts to gather new info and get excited about creating again. <\/span><\/p>\n

Life and work are one and the same<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Courtesy of Naledi Modupi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How has your relationship with your practice evolved over the years?<\/b><\/p>\n

Over the years, my relationship with my art practice has definitely evolved. At first, I saw it as just a hobby, something to do in my free time. I never really had the confidence to see it as work, to put in the hours and really make something of it. But as time went on, I started to see the importance of creating art. I put more respect into what I do and started to invest more time and effort into my art. My newfound effort paid off. I have started to believe more in my art and my abilities. I can now imagine even more for my art and I have a deeper appreciation for it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read More: Creative Living: Bebhinn Eilish<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here, for our special Creative Living series, Modupi discusses learning to live with deadlines, the value of rest and why life and work is all one for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":14885,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14882"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14882"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14927,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14882\/revisions\/14927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}