Ntsika Daki is a Xesi born Art Director, Creative Strategist & Xhosa Copywriter. He is passionate about Youth & Rural development. He is also the Co-founder of DIFTP & the founder of I And Friends.
My Definition Of Success | Success means being satisfied with your daily contribution towards your ultimate dream. Part of that is being able to influence the people around you and sharing some of your experiences with others which will hopefully help them achieve more. It has changed over the years because I’ve grown up & started making my own decisions and definitions.
I Am Driven By | My Story and where I come from. Growing up eXesi was wonderful and I really loved it, but we weren’t exposed to a lot of things with regards to education and just growing up in general. To help my imagination and dreams cross the boundaries of Middledrift, I had to read magazines, newspapers and watched TV. I basically went for anything that published information about places far away from where I was. Just thinking back and looking at how far I’ve come keeps me going.
The Difference Between Good And Great | People who are good at what they do have the potential to be great at what they do. The difference is the amount time they’re spending on their craft, their love for it and their attitude towards it.
Dealing With Doubt | I’m a person who likes proving a point and because of that, I’ve had very little time to doubt myself or let negativity get me down. Others have done that for me because I appreciate the challenge it has helped me in having less time for self-doubt. Fear exists in our lives, it’s something one has to accept and just try not to let it take up most of their time.
About a year ago I had someone tell me to stop trying to design clothes and leave that to my peers who were already working for established brands. A year later the same person was showing interest in wanting to sell some of the clothes I designed.
Lessons I Have Learnt | I’ve learnt that the journey of life has setbacks that we haven’t planned for. I don’t have a very specific answer to how you should deal with them when they come but I know that if you believe that you can and want to overcome them, you will!
My Future Dreams And Ambitions | There’s a lot that I still want to achieve, but the most important thing right now is hosting a Creative Conference/Expo back at home for high school kids. The idea is to help expose them to creative careers. I’ve done a few presentations already to smaller groups of young people and some high school kids, but now I want to do it for a number of schools at once and somehow have them experience these things. I also want to have them hear from people who are already successful in the creative industry.
Principles I Live By | Remember where you come from, be nice to everyone and always try to be a better person.
I Am Inspired By | African stories, the youth of this country and our struggles inspire me. My mom is my role model, I’ve lived to see her sacrifice so much for her children, making sure that we were happy and well taken care of even though she really didn’t have much.
The Legacy I Would Like To Leave | I just want to play a big part in uplifting the youth of rural South Africa. I want to help in exposing them to resources that will allow them to express themselves and tell their stories creatively.
