The Reminiscence Of the Football Shoes (boots) Campaign Back in 2004

Name: Johnmark Gachucha
Current profession: Cinematographer at Bauhaus Ltd.
Industry: Filming industry

For the better part of my life I have lived in Mathare North, a cosmopolitan estate where I started playing soccer as a young boy without football boots and the grounds were not conducive for any child to play but for the love and passion for football was burning in me like an inferno.

We watched our local stars rising from the same circumstances later to play in the Kenya premier league and other leagues abroad. One time while still training at Drive-in Primary school, one of the football legends that many admired his achievements was watching the training session like anybody else from the estate, well when we were done, his brother came to me and a colleague by the name Odongo accompanied them to their house which we followed together with great anticipation

The moment we got to Masaka's house, Odongo received a pair of black and predator Addidas soccer playing shoes; he was filled with joy and gratitude all over his face. Well, I was happy for him because I knew my day was going to come, this was in 2004.

One week later Wilson Masaka is also known as ‘Maja’ like we used to call him then, called me in his house where his brother and sisters were present, Banda his younger brother said '' hebu pima hizi'' try this one's out!, and this was a pair of black Addidas Mundial for me.

I could not hide my joy and I could not stop thanking him for this was my desire to play football with professional shoes, especially in secondary school games which was ongoing at Ruaraka high school we were playing in the quarter finals and I was the only student from form two in the school team which was a rare opportunity. We went on to the Nairobi final only to be defeated 2-1 by Hidden Talent academy who were later disqualified for filling premier league players who cheated to be their students.

All in all Maja gesture boosted my morale and the urge to be a professional player and the better part is that I was not the only neither Odongo but many youth have received the shoes, uniform and balls because of his love to see football in the slums and less privileged children have at least proper gears from training and play. Though I don't play football professionally like I wanted to I have never stopped playing for fun.

Thanks Wilson Masaka you are a true patriot of football who continues to inspire many youth through the football shoes campaign and I urge everyone to join in and support the cause. One person can reach hundreds but when we are a team, we can reach millions, I invite you to join Wilsen initiative’s vision of reach many young people in our community through sports for development program.

May God bless and thank you.

Sent through email by Johnmark
28th Marc

Be the Change: Start Today, There’s No Perfect Time.

Photo taken at Umoja Center in Arusha Tanzania, creating a brighter future for Tanzanian Youth

As time goes by, we grow older every day; you only realize it when you look at yourself in the mirror or when people start calling you names like Mzee which is a Swahili word used to express respect or an elder, uncle, aunty, mama and any other related names depending with the context. Responsibilities are a never ending part in our life, we continue to receive many signals to continue the process of infinite learning as the backbone for adapting into new challenges that come with the daily hustle and bustle of life. No matter what situation we are in, change is inevitable, thus we require a sober mind, a new paradigm shift on how we approach life in general, the big balance for some of us is  work, family, investment, saving, new prospects etc.

I continue to encourage the young people to belong to something bigger than them starting with their dreams, passion, professional networks etc. These are the only swiftest way to arrive at the mastery level of developing your career, while there are many options around us to choose from, let us make informed decisions on positive paths that will move us forward as one team or nation.

Starting today, give a helping hand, donate your time, donate your resources, share your skills and experience, etc.; this may go a long way in helping someone in finding the light in the dark tunnel and misery of life. Sometimes all that we do for others seems small and we think it has no significance is their life’s, this notion isn’t true as much as there are things that can’t be measured, but that one percent contribution is what sparks that energy, connects, motivates, inspires someone to continue pursuing their dreams into 99% realization.  For example, this might be that one minute you spared from your busy schedule to reply to an email or even gave compliments to someone by saying you have this unique skill and talent in you, this is the changing times and this is what I term as the bridges towards prosperity.

Let us not forget while building our own bridges, we should also think of how many people will use it to cross to the other side while they continue to lay the same foundation. This bridge doesn't have to be something tangible, but it can be through sharing that important value you uphold and have lived to see its magic in changing your life and that of others for example teamwork, empathy, love, commitment etc. We were not born with the same values, philosophies, character, backgrounds, etc. Hence, it’s totally impossible to change people, but we may influence them to see the great possibility they have in them to trigger a positive change in others (the champion in you…) as Mahatma Gandhi puts it clearly “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.
These and many more is the philosophy I have upheld dearly to date since when the light bulb moment triggered my mind while starting Wilsen Initiative (Wi). Values are good when they are written on paper; but they are great when they are live by them, each day I strive to see myself reach the vision by leaving positive trails.

There's no perfect time, every day is a perfect time to make the right turn for positive change and create an impact. We can’t escape the challenge and problems either known or unknown to us, only through re-framing and re-wiring our system (mind, brain, feelings, wish list, purpose, thoughts, philosophies, desire, dream etc;) we will be able to convert the situations into new zones of opportunities and explorations. The biggest challenge isn't about resources, but rather the resourcefulness that will lead us to great resources. Never give up, your idea might not be new attractive to many, it still stand the chance of being a unique model by doing small things in an extraordinary ways that targets impact rather than follow trends for the sake. Listen to opposing voices; invite many voices, the supporting voices and most importantly, while making your decision never forget to listen to your inner voice calling you to take action in a certain way.

I leave you with is great quotes of inspiration;

 “The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the illusion of knowledge.” – Daniel J. Boorstin

“You have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world” – Oprah Winfrey

Brand Identity - Get Yourself Branded!

One of the things I love doing is creating a new brand identity for my fellow creative’s. We can’t have all the skills to do everything on our own, thus the need to collaborate and share skills to enable each other get a slice of the market share in our industry.

Choosing colours to use for your brand isn't easy if you don’t have one in place,  if you aren't knowledgeable you might use all the colour palette or even worse all the colours on the rainbow which might give you zero return on investment (ROI).

Many factors influence our decisions on the best approach to take, for example choosing  slogans, names, typography, images, colours just to mention but a few. There is  a big gap in creative industry especial for the start-ups who want to create great brand identities with zero knowledge and skills.

I'm passionate and I love to learn while offering my skills on the Pro - Bono basis for any upcoming musicians, fashion designers, painters, film makers, entrepreneurs etc. This quarter I'm proud to have offered solutions for Boaz Creatives and Mt. Hanang travel and tours, below is few samples of my work.


Tags: Colour, typography, logo, business cards, slogans, visual appeal and design that will last the test of time.

All copyright reserved @wilsenx