There are great therapeutic benefits to writing backed by science, that’s why I have been writing a blog since 2017 and I am in good health 🙂 Before that I used to write a journal. I started writing two books, finished and published only one (it is in Italian, not a big success yet, only … More Writing is Good for Your Health
Leonardo da Vinci was the most creative genius in history. Of course, saying that I learned things from Leonardo is perhaps a bit risky, because in fact Leonardo is the very embodiment of genius. As we know, Leonardo lived in a particular era for humanity, the Renaissance, when literature, philosophy, science and the fine arts … More What I Have Learned from Leonardo da Vinci
Billy Osogo Hello September! It’s the ninth month of the year! Three more months and 2021 is a wrap! I know it’s been one heck of a year already! What with the mutating variants of COVID-19, what with the weather, what with the economy! We often set our goals for the year early in January. … More HELLO SEPTEMBER!
Billy Osogo Pointless Overthinking’s byline is: Understanding ourselves and the world we live in. Such an apt encapsulation of my experience here so far. One of the things I enjoy the most from being part of the Pointless Overthinking tribe is the richness of wisdom that manifests itself in our comment sections. It’s mind blowing! … More A FEW THOUGHTS ON WRITING FROM A FEW POINTLESS OVERTHINKERS
Billy Osogo The Olympics are often an exciting time in Kenya. That we have some of the finest athletes on the planet is not contention. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics was another time to showcase our world class talent. Watching the Greatest of All Time, Eliud Kipchoge, dominate his race was a thing of beauty. A … More GOLD MEDALS, NATIONAL ANTHEMS AND THE OLYMPICS
Billy Osogo Writing is a beautiful and intriguing undertaking. Like most things in life, it makes certain demands of its practitioners. These include monk-like dedication, soldier-like loyalty and child-like curiosity. Ideas are the fuel on which this art runs on. They are as diverse as the billions of writers on this planet. In my experience, … More The Nothingness of Writing
Billy Osogo I ponder endlessly on writing. As an art, there’s so much to it that even those we look up to as its masters seem to be just scratching the surface. I recently came across an excerpt by Kenyan writer Bivanyanga Wainana. In his book, One Day I Will Write About this Place he … More WRITING SPRINGS
Billy Osogo Last week, I wrote on the plight of South Africa. South Africa is still in my scope of focus. For good reason. Just three days ago, the world marked Mandela Day. A day named in honor of the South African-born, larger-than-life, global peace icon, Nelson Madiba Mandela. He is many things to many … More THE SATISFACTION OF SERVICE
For most non-Africans, South Africa is Africa and Africa is South Africa. Make no doubt about it, that’s as ignorant as it gets. Nonetheless, the ubiquity of this thought speaks to the prominece of Africa’s most industrialized nation. Home of Nelson Mandela. Yet, if the events of recent days are anything to go by, Mandela … More HEALING A TROUBLED PAST
Billy Osogo In my post last week I quoted Mario Vargas Llosa and made a clarion call to all writers. This week, I am maintaining Llosa as my source of inspiration and calling on all readers. In his amazing book Letters to a Young Novelist Llosa writes: “Read constantly, because it is impossible to acquire … More CALLING ALL READERS
I find writing to be an immensely rewarding investment of time. Whether it’s writing poems like my friend Ellen or plays like my friend Jack Canfora. Whether it’s journaling, writing short stories or full length novels. I came across an excerpt that struck a chord. It’s by Nobel Prize Winner Mario Vargas Llosa. In his … More CALLING ALL WRITERS: ASSEMBLE!
Billy Osogo Last Sunday was Father’s Day. A day when we stop to celebrate and appreciate the father figures in our lives. Whether biological, a guardian or someone who simply performs that function. You get the picture. I spent sometime reflecting about my Dad. Due to the nature of his profession, he wasn’t around much … More FATHERLY LOVE
Time is a funny thing. And by ‘funny’ I mean beautiful; relentless; healing. It’s always there. . . but then it’s gone. And as time passes, I see so many things begin to fade: My once vibrant head of hair slowly succumbs to a washed-out shade of brownish-gray. Sunburn. Scabs. Sadness. They are here for … More SnapDragon Speaks: On The Fade.
I enjoyed reading my buddy AP2’s post on The Pursuit of Unhappiness. In case you missed it, you should definitely check it out. It was nostalgic for me. I reminded me of one of my favorite teachers in high school. This one teacher taught Maths and Physics. Nothing exceptionally remarkable there. I know. The thing … More WHY?
Billy Osogo The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life as we knew it heretofore. It affected every facet of day-to-day life. Essentially, it forced us to adapt to new ways of living. Who thought there’d come a time when you couldn’t morphologically tell the difference between a doctor and a clown because they were both wearing surgical … More THE TWINS OF THE PANDEMIC
Billy Osogo I love creating art as much I love consuming it. There’s something surreal about participating in the process of creation. To see the end product come from almost nothing. A blank page. A blank canvass. Plain clay. A blank sheet of music. Tabula rasa. Here are a few good words to help in … More ON LIVING AS A CREATIVE
Billy Osogo A year ago, George Floyd (yes, say his name) was brutally murdered in broad daylight, by a law enforcement officer. His death was yet another addition to the long list of black people who have suffered the same fate. However, akin to Rosa Parks’ arrest or Dr. King’s assassination, it was unique in … More GEORGE FLOYD: A YEAR ON
Billy Osogo : Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles delivered one of the most beautiful pieces of art when they wrote Ikigai. Ikigai is a Japanese word that put simply translates to: “The happiness of always being busy.” The authors write on a broad spectrum of Japanese life. One of the things that’s stuck with me … More WHAT’S ART GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Billy Osogo Njia panda is the Swahili word for crossroad. Every now and then we find ourselves at a njia panda. Two opportunities arise. Too good to lose. Yet a choice must be made. Sleepless nights kick in. Pulling out of hair begins. Mental paralysis makes itself at home. The simple truth is that there’s … More AT CROSSROADS
Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso was a man ahead of his milieu. He spoke bluntly and decisively. Even though a bullet cut his life short, his words, like his legacy, have outlived even his detractors. In an interview with a Swiss Journalist, Sankara said: “You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of … More A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MADNESS