Smoke Breaks & Story Boards

Today marks officially two months since I joined this 9-to-5 madness, working as a copywriter at an ad agency. Sounds fancy, right? Trust me, it’s every bit as chaotic as it is creative.

Day one: I took a smoke before walking in, just to calm my nerves. Came back chewing gum like I was covering up state secrets. Thought I was slick; fresh breath, new guy confidence; only to find out smoking is the least of the concerns at the office;  my boss smokes too. All that mintwork for nothing.

The office? It’s a damn sitcom. You’ve got good-looking people with wild ideas, smoke breaks, music blasting, and brainstorms that sound like therapy sessions. Somehow, someone always says something ridiculous that ends up on a billboard.

And the team… bro, the team is a show.

Kagame, the man, flirts with oxygen. If confidence was a currency, mandem would be set for life I swear. Joanne, my fellow reggae geek. We bond over riddims and rebellion (iykyk), same wavelength.

Peace and Jojo the cool moms of the office. Always calm, peaceful Aura, always composed, and somehow manages to make everyone chill down when things get tense. 

Then there’s Prince; my guy also the other half of the copywriter duo. We go way back. He’s a real life comedian, so you gotta expect killer one-liners from time to time.

And Spe, the soul of the place. Cleaner by title, therapist by energy. Always around to get you your “Calm down” treats from HONEST, a cup of coffee or tea when deadlines start throwing hands, or high on ideas. You can tell life attempted to, but didn’t break her; it just gave her stories.

Maurice, my boss, is basically a marketing monk. Every time we go over a brief, it’s like a masterclass. He talks about storytelling in ads the way musicians talk about melodies; there’s rhythm, emotion, and logic. Guy’s sharp.

Bruce, quiet most of the day. Then everyone leaves, and suddenly he’s the funniest guy alive. Lowkey bully, but you can’t even get mad because you’ll be too busy laughing.

Maya, one-half of the MTN social media duo. Always locked in, always focused. You might think she’s mean until you catch her working late; or maybe out late; then she’s all jokes, energy, and on some dope blues.

Happy, the other half, is a burst of sunshine. Always camera-ready. Also got a lot of friends in common, meeting her felt like that overdue linkup.

Carole; too cool for her own good. Found out she watches POWER, and that was it. Certified G.

Kelcie, the quiet type until you’re on set with her. Then boom, she’s hilarious, opinionated, and brutally honest in the best way.

Anaelle, the makeup queen with celebrity energy. Once turned my face into art, and honestly, I didn’t even hate it.

Thomas and Lion, the designer duo. Both are insanely good at what they do, and when it comes to pool table, they both think they’re better than the other. I swear, we need a pool tournament to settle it once and for all; Kagame can join, too.

And Ed… cool motherfucker; with a hairline that makes me question my genetics.

Cyrus the Virus; built like discipline itself. Every time I see him, I picture the version of me that doesn’t smoke or drunk argue philosophy at 2 a.m. Walking motivation.

Jovanie gives serious energy at first, but crack one joke and suddenly she’s your favorite person.

The video team? Absolute maniacs; in the best way. Moise will crack a dumb joke mid-shoot, Davis starts doing his TikTok moves out of nowhere, and Emmy just laughs through it all like he’s watching a sitcom. No one’s safe, not even the clients.

Patie, the flower queen. She keeps getting random bouquets. I don’t even ask questions anymore; she’s just living in her own rom-com.

Moreen, the quietest person in the office, is pretty too. I only learned her name recently and instantly felt late to the party.

There are a bunch more characters, each with their own thing going on. The whole place feels like a playlist where every track somehow fits. No skips.

Now I’m two months deep in this thing, writing TV scripts for brands I used to manifest working with six years ago. Back then, I was just scribbling rhymes and talking to the universe. Now, the universe is answering back in PowerPoints and storyboards. Wild.

And somewhere in the middle of all this creative chaos, I kind of stopped performing and recording. Spent a whole month without picking up a mic. At first, it felt like something was missing. But then it hit me; maybe this is what falling back in love with your art feels like. That distance made me crave it again. Now, every chord, every bar, feels sacred.

I guess this is what balance looks like. Writing ads by day, writing my life by night.

Two months in, and I’ve learned one thing: Even in a 9 to 5, art doesn’t fade. It just puts on a lanyard, clocks in, and keeps vibing.