How Women’s Creativity Saved Our Upbringing: Jill Scott’s mother is a master at it

I am on a blogging marathon promoting of my upcoming 3rd book (28 October 2015), The Anxious Entrepreneur. Pre-order it at up to 40% discount.

The theme of my upcoming book, The Anxious Entrepreneur, is anxiety defeats creativity and creativity defeats anxiety.

Anxiety and creativity cannot exist in the same space; one must make room for the other.

The other day I was preparing food. I wanted something different to what I usually make or can make. Given the kind of food available, it was a bit tough to think an unusual dish. Plus, my creativity is limited in the kitchen.

August is women’s month in South Africa and this connected to a story I heard Jill Scott share about her mother and upbringing on an interview with Mapaseka Mokwele on KayaFM.

They didn’t have much growing up. For some reason there were always potatoes in their house. Her mother would always amaze her with her creativity. Today she would make fries, the others wedges, soufflé, potato mash, etc.

Such creativity!

It is tough and troubling for a parent when there is no food in the house. They work with whatever is available, usually staple food, in a South African context it could be maize meal. They think all out to make different dishes with the same food type on different days.

They get their mind away from the stress of no food and step into a realm of creativity.

This morning it is normal maize-meal soft porridge; the following morning it is maize-meal sour soft porridge (bogobe bja ting). Add some vinegar it is a different porridge for some other day.

Creativity saves any day. It trumps and chucks anxiety away.

Let’s thank our mothers, and all women, for always being creative and whipping interesting dishes even if it is of the same food type.