We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chinyere M. Ugokwe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Chinyere M., appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
By listening deeply and often to the world when it’s loud and when it’s quiet. I keep my creativity alive by letting life’s fluidity rest in my hands as I mold it like clay— by letting every experience—grief, joy, love, rage, silence run through me like a current, not something to control, but something to witness. I don’t wait for inspiration to strike. I live in a way that makes inspiration inevitable.
I write every day, not always to publish, but to breathe. Writing is the way I process the world. I write poems in the steam on my mirror, verses on the back of receipts, and story ideas in my Notes app while waiting for water to boil. I do not separate my art from my life. They are one and the same.
I keep my creativity alive by staying close to simplicity. I pay attention to the unnoticed—the way my mother folds her wrapper before sitting, the way children ask questions without shame, the way silence fills a room after someone leaves. These are poems. These are songs. These are portals.
And above all, I keep my creativity alive by protecting it from noise that seeks to define success by metrics. I choose presence over pressure. I let my creativity evolve without asking it to perform. That’s how it stays alive—free, fluid, and deeply mine.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Growing up in Aba, Nigeria, I was surrounded by raw hustle and unfiltered beauty. Aba is a place where survival sharpens your instincts and imagination is currency. As a child, I was drawn to the colors, the noise, the textures of life all around me. I was already writing poetry by the age of seven—torn scraps of paper filled with stories I couldn’t speak out loud.
But everything changed in 2006. My father was assassinated in Abia State, and nothing prepared me for the weight of that loss. That single event cracked my world open. My family moved to the U.S. the following year, and I started over in Atlanta at thirteen, carrying my grief in one hand and my dreams in the other. I didn’t know then that I would turn pain into poetry, but I knew I had to find a way to survive it. Writing became that way.
By the time I was fourteen, I was already performing in poetry contests. Poetry gave me language when the world gave me silence. It was through social media that my words began to travel, finding people in different corners of the world who saw themselves in my verses.
But I’ve never been just one thing.
In college, I studied science because stability is the gospel many immigrant kids are handed. But while I was dissecting cadavers and memorizing chemical reactions, I was also building a fashion empire with my sisters. We started DashikiPride with just $150. We wanted to correct the narrative—show the world the vibrance, elegance, and royalty that Africa holds. The brand exploded, and today, we’ve shipped to over 70 countries. Icons like Remy Ma, Monica, Jidenna, and Blac Chyna have worn our pieces. Still, what moves me most is when everyday people wear our designs and stand a little taller.
My next chapter was creating AfreekMoji, the first Afrocentric emoji app—because representation shouldn’t stop at fabric. I wanted people to see their culture reflected on their screens. It became a top-ranked app, not because it was trendy, but because people were drawn to heritage.
I also use my expertise in the tech world, scaling and building cloud infrastructures as a tech engineer—to keep creating spaces that are reliable, accessible, and global. Whether it’s through fashion, apps, or digital platforms, I want to make sure our stories travel and last.
Music has always been a sanctuary for me, a realm where emotions find voice and stories find rhythm. Drawing from Afro and Drill influences, my compositions aim to mirror society’s pulse. Tracks like “GBOS” dive into pressing issues like governance and social justice, echoing the sentiments of many who seek change. Yet, amidst the calls for reform, my melodies also celebrate life’s nuances, aiming to uplift and connect.
But my heart has always beat for home. That’s why I founded Diaspora Nigerian, a nonprofit that helps Nigerian youth launch small businesses by providing funds, tools, and training. I’ve seen firsthand how a small push can change the trajectory of someone’s life. I don’t want to just create art or fashion— I also want to create opportunities.
Right now, I’m working on ChinnySoldiers, a creative social club, movement and leadership space for youth across Nigeria and the diaspora. I’m also finalizing my upcoming book, Obianuju, a blend of prose and poetry that examines patriarchy and identity— named in honor of my mother, who has carried unimaginable weight with unimaginable grace.
What I do is not just about business or art. It’s about memory. It’s about healing. It’s about taking the shattered pieces of my past and molding them into something people can hold, wear, read, or listen to—and feel less alone.
That’s my brand. That’s my calling.
And I’m just getting started.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
If I had to name the three forces that have carried me through every chapter of my journey, they’d be adaptability, tenacity, and storytelling.
Adaptability
Life has never followed a straight line for me. From immense grief, to starting over in the U.S. as a young teen, to navigating different spaces. I’ve had to learn how to adjust, not just to survive, but to grow. Whether I’m building cloud infrastructure as a tech engineer or switching gears into poetry, music, business or fashion, adaptability has helped me stay rooted while moving forward. The only constant in my life has been change, and the ability to adjust without losing myself has kept me going. Life will rarely follow the path you planned. What matters is how you respond when it doesn’t.
Advice? Build your identity on something deeper than titles. That way, no matter what season you’re in, you know who you are and that’s what will move you forward.
At the heart of it all, stay curious, stay grounded, and remember: your journey is not a race. It’s a story. Let it unfold.
Tenacity
Nothing I’ve built came easy. I’ve faced loss, bias, burnout, doubt—even from myself. But I’ve never been able to sit still in defeat. Even when I paused, I never stopped. Whether it was launching DashikiPride with just $150 or continuing to write and create in the middle of chaos, I’ve learned that perseverance isn’t loud. It’s quiet, consistent motion.
My advice? Don’t wait for motivation. Build discipline. Let your “why” be bigger than your obstacles. And when doors don’t open, build your own.
Storytelling
Everything I do is rooted in story. It’s how I’ve connected with people across cultures, industries, and continents. From poetry to product design, from nonprofit campaigns to songwriting—storytelling has always been my tool for truth-telling.
My advice? Know your story. Own your voice. The world will try to shrink you, rename you, rewrite you. But when you hold your narrative with confidence, you become impossible to ignore.
These three have shaped my life—not just professionally, but personally. If you can master them, or even begin to lean into them, you’ll discover that there’s no environment you can’t thrive in.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
It will always be my mother.
Obianuju. A woman whose name means “born into wealth,” though her wealth was never measured in money, but in strength, faith, and sacrifice.
The year before my father was assassinated, she too almost died—riding home with him when they were both ambushed. She survived that night by a thread, but the next year, she lost everything: her husband, her voice, her home, and her livelihood. She had every reason to break. But she didn’t.
Instead, she chose us—her little kids. She chose to keep going.
I’ve watched my mother rise with swollen eyes and still find a way to smile at us. I’ve seen her do backbreaking work with elegance. Her resilience taught me not to fold in the face of adversity. Her tenacity showed me that rest is earned, but purpose is sacred. Her selfless love is the blueprint behind everything I create—every poem, every garment, every cause I champion.
Her pursuit of excellence is unmatched. Her spiritual depth? Unshakable. She prays with her whole chest and works with her whole body. And when others are in need, she doesn’t look away—she steps in. That kind of heart, that kind of humanity, shaped the woman I am today.
Shoutout to Obianuju—for being a legend, an icon, and the original force behind everything I do.
If I am fire, she is the spark.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chinyereugokwe.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chinyereugokwe/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/@ChinyereMUgokwe/
- Twitter: https://x.com/chinyereugokwe?lang=en
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chinyeremugokwe?si=oh0QCViR8XqvKgAn
