‘I can’t run to save my life’, ‘I am a sweet tooth’, ‘numbers are just not my thing’, ‘that is Kenya for you’, ‘my family has always…’, ‘ It is impossible to achieve that in this economy’, ‘These millennials are just…’, ‘ I am just being real here, you can’t expect me to…’, ‘you cannot get a tender in this country without…’ The new kid on the block is ‘ rust is cool’ which I stumbled on a VW Beetle when reversing into a parking spot one late evening. What is cool about rust? Someone, please explain that.
My November has been littered with reflections on identity. I have confronted a number of “rust is cool” narratives I held close to my heart and mind to justify why things have unfolded in the past and why the future needs to embrace the harsh ‘truth’. The ‘truths’ we make up to get away with failure and settle for mediocrity while the people around us beat the odds to achieve excellence.
Rust is not cool. I have work to do as a son, brother, husband, friend, mentor, teacher, recreational runner, creative, brand strategist, Kenyan, custodian of an Africa-wide vision and global citizen.
everyday brands 