In Convo, Ep. 2 : A Short Dark Girl’s Demise. (feat. Kaothar Kadir)
Kaothar Kadir (fka ashortdarkgirl) is a writer, poet & filmmaker currently based in Ilorin. Kaothar, in her 3rd year of studying History & International Relations in the University Of Ilorin, has written a full book (which at the time of writing this, is yet to be released), over hundreds of soul wrenching poems and is nursing a growing youtube channel where she just does whatever she wants. Kaothar is truly one of the most interesting women i have ever met, and is well on her way to becoming a generational icon.
Hey Kaothar, how was your day ?
So freaking hectic man. I’ve been all over the place. In a bolt right now with two destinations in mind.
Haha fast life for real. How does that affect you, when you feel like everything around you just seems to keep moving?
It’s such a rush. I get bored real easy, so when everything is fast tracked, I’m overwhelmed. But then, the inspiration comes to me like a wave.
Is there a process behind how you translate real life experiences into your work?
There are a couple. But it really depends on the experience and it’s vessel of translation. Usually, I turn said experience on its head, and watch as it transforms. Most times it comes out grotesque but as long as it’s raw, I’ll love it.
What book are you currently reading?
Currently I’m re-reading mastery by Robert Greene. I read it a couple of months ago and I got a lot out of it. But right now, I feel like I’m in an entirely different mind frame and will get even more outta it.
Do you re-read books often?
Just the ones I’m obsessed with.
Where is ashortdarkgirl?
Inside me. All my life, I’ve always had to put a mask, terrified of expressing myself exactly the way I was. And ashortdarkgirl was just an extension of that. In the poems written by her, I’d hide behind the horrifying and the extreme.
But I’ve come to realize that there’s nothing sweeter than writing exactly what I feel and putting my name boldly on it. It’s a kind of fearlessness that gets me high.
Ashortdarkgirl will always be inside me, but she no longer represents me. Kaothar Kadir does that now… I do that now. And I couldn’t be prouder.
Tell me about the balance between your art and school? so far you seem to be doing a great job haha.
You don’t know the half of it😂, but yeah, I think I’ve got a decent grab on getting a balance between the two. I just work with my brain. I try to get the boring stuff out of the way so I can give all my focus to the interesting stuff. I really do care about my academics and I always try to keep that in mind. So I section my days, the first half for school and the second for art (or vice versa). But whatever happens, both things must get done. Oh, I have days where I do nothing but binge watch a mediocre tv series and stuff myself with junk food. I call those my ‘recharge days’.
Do you have any new hobbies you’re trying to get into?
Gosh, I’d say video editing. I’ve always been a fan of just super experimental and creative short films, functional videos and movies. But my love for it got ignited this year and I’ve been dabbling in that. Which is why I created my YouTube channel.
I don’t know where that’s going yet, but I know it’s a stream of my consciousness filled with everything ‘me’; Fashion, film, music, literature, intellect. I’m super excited about that.
Yoo shoutout the youtube. & finally, What’s something about yourself you’d like to improve on?
Oouu. Right now, I’m pretty freaking content with who and what I am. And I think that’s because I feel myself constantly evolving. So what I am at the moment is the best I can be right now. Tomorrow me is at a whole ‘nother level.
