10 Practical Ways To Unlock Your Creativity in 2025

I want you to be able to look in the mirror and feel incredibly proud of the person looking back at you. This is to everyone who is committed to growing, refining their craft, and elevating their art, 2025 promises to be even better for you. Let’s dive into some practical steps to make 2025 your most creative year yet.

Unlock Your Creativity For 2025

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There are some things that I did in 2024 that I’ll work on even harder in 2025.

1. Self-Reflection

The first step in creating something remarkable is taking a step back to reflect.  

Why it matters:

• Understand where you are and where you’re coming from.  
• Define where you want to go next.  

Self-reflection is your compass—it reveals truths about your journey without sugarcoating them. As I worked on every project, I constantly asked myself:  

• Am I creating work I’m proud of?  
• Is this the path that aligns with my full potential?  

These reflections helped me refine my direction and focus.  

Meanwhile, AMAKAMEDIA PRODUCTIONS produced her very first movie. Go watch it on YouTube. 😊

2. Outline Your Creative Goals

Your ideas need structure to thrive. Once you’ve reflected, it’s time to turn those thoughts into actionable goals.  

Remember:

- Write your goals down. Ideas in your head are just dreams until they’re on paper.  

- Set goals that align with your creative vision, not to impress others.  

- Include timelines, action plans, and milestones.  

- Be honest about your capacity and priorities.  

3. Commit to Reading

Reading inspires creativity, expands your imagination, and improves your discipline.  

 I immersed myself in books about Self-Mastery, Parenting, storytelling, and business. Those books didn’t just inform me—they fired me up in various ways. 

Create a reading list for 2025. Include books, articles, and even scripts that challenge and inspire you.  

Major Takeaway from the ‘Just Us Girls’ Conference 2023

I am so happy. No, happy is an understatement. I am overjoyed! This year’s Just Us Girls Conference themed ‘WOWMAN’ was brought together specifically for me, right in this season. Wow! Like, I mean! 

I’m really loving how God has been so intentional about me this year (and this month, in particular). Thank You, my Sweet Jesus! 

WOWMAN Conference 2023

I am big on attending conferences, and I derive satisfaction in sharing my key lessons and notes with you. Remember when I shared my highlights from The Spirit-Life Conference in 2017? How about my notes from a Ruth-Naomi Meeting in 2018? And my lessons from the Excellent Leadership in 2019? Aha, you see! 

I have always enjoyed attending events that are geared towards my growth — mentally, socially, physically, and most importantly, spiritually. As long as I am led to attend, I prepare myself to receive everything that God intends to pour out into me. 

Like a butterfly, I am consistently and constantly living in a state of evolution. 

I practically live on knowing that there is an atmosphere that I need to be brought into right before my next upgrade. It could either be at a prayer meeting or a conference or from a place of pain and rejection. I am always looking out for where and how my heart can be stirred and my spirit will be lit up. I am always looking out for the WORD that will make the babies in my womb to leap. The Amaka you knew six months ago is MOST POSSIBLY not the same Amaka you will meet today.

Never Ever Write “My Husband Said” In A Professional Email

If you are reading this paragraph right now, just start laughing at me already. Just laugh. I didn’t know how funny the mail sounded until those who heard it started laughing about it. Lmho. 

Avoid Personal Reference In An Official Email

If you have been an ardent follower of Heart Rays, then you’d know that I share from real life experiences. I make it so raw that you can almost feel the emotions pouring onto the page. Yeah, I get that feedback from my readers A LOT. However, today is not going to be so emotional because I just want to get it over with. It’s 23:47 and I need to go to bed because I have to host a virtual brainstorming session with my team tomorrow morning. 

So, here’s the gist: Nigeria just concluded her gubernatorial election which brought a lot of tension in my local area due to tribal conflicts and electoral violence. It felt unsafe going to work today (Monday). My husband vehemently insisted that I stay back home with the girls as well. 

So I sent a mail to the HR stating that “my husband said...”. 

Please, laugh at me.

I don’t even know what I was thinking! 

Don’t be like me. Here are some reasons why you should AVOID using personal references in your professional emails:

1. It undermines your Credibility

When you're communicating in a professional setting, it's essential to maintain impartiality and avoid introducing personal biases or opinions into the conversation. Relying on someone else's opinion or authority in a professional setting suggests that you're not confident in your own knowledge or ability to make decisions. This can undermine your credibility in the workplace.

3 Lessons I Learnt From Losing A Contract Job

For the risk of over-sharing (and, perhaps, I would) I decided to make this a CAREER post and not a ‘Dear Diary’ entry. 

When you lose a contract, a job or a business deal, the last thing you typically feel is positive.

Losing A Contract Job

I am not ready to job-hunt but I am ever-ready and willing to put my skills to work and make some cool money. Having spent almost half a decade as a creative freelancer, I pride myself on being good at what I do. I'm thoughtful about managing communication and relationships, clear about my rates and scope of work, and good at under-promising and over-delivering on results. 

Generally speaking, my clients are always happy. While some show their gratitude with words, others do by referrals. 

Wait, I’m losing focus. This article is not about how good I am but how TERRIBLE I am at NEGOTIATION.

I like being liked, and I tend to feel uncomfortable getting into a squabble with someone over money. So it caught me off guard when this contract went south.

As awkward as it was, I learned quite a few lessons that I hope can help you too. They are:

Personal Development Tips For Every Year And Everyone

Why do you want to improve yourself? Perhaps you want to learn new things, replace bad habits, become more productive, find emotional balance, or improve your relationships? Whatever it is, be sure to find these tips very helpful. 

30 Personal Development Tips For 2022

#1

Make friends with successful people and occasionally buy them gift and surprise them with lunch because successful people always give and hardly get, so when you give them, they value the gift a lot.

#2

Get a mentor and follow his instructions and respect the relationship. Never beg your mentor for money or disrespect his or her privacy.

#3

Make new positive friends as often as possible and ensure you keep the communication line open. Create a network of friends and not just connections.

6 Unusual Life Lessons From Last Year

Happy happy New Year, sweethearts of my blogosphere! Woohooo! 2021 was a uniquely transformative year for my life. And as you already know how I do, I track the changes. 

Life Lessons From 2021

At the end of every year, I sit down and reflect on what I learned. There is no specific aim or purpose to the exercise—the goal is to put on wings, fly up to 10,000 feet, and assess myself and the year that has passed.

2021 was a uniquely transformative year in my life. The year I evolved into a MOTHER. What! It was a year! I was in a haze for the most part of the year but I will do my best to bring my lessons into light for you.

Links To Blog Posts That Will Inspire You

Happy New Week, Sweeties! By this time last month, I was celebrating my 30th birthday milestone with close friends and family. Apparently, I am thirty years, one month and one day old today. Lol.

In case you missed it: shortly before I got to 30, I devoted time and effort to sharing lessons from my 20s. Here is a recap.

Excerpts from TWENTY PIECES

Lesson 1: How To Navigate An Extra Year In The University READ HERE


Lesson 2: Will You Regret The Things You  Do? READ HERE


Lesson 3: My First Clubbing Experience READ HERE

Are You Thinking: "Would I Miss Being 20-Something Again?"

It's 3 days to turning 30. Whoop-whoop! Do women get excited about growing old. Lol. I must be weird like that.

Saying Goodbye To My 20s

20s feel like they started yesterday. I have great memories about everything I felt from my 20th birthday up until now. I think it's because I am very intuitive.

I feel things deeply.

I am fully aware of what I feel when I feel it.

Heartbreaks Never Last Forever

Hello again! My name is Amaka and I will be 3 and 0 on June 26. I decided to share my lessons from being a 20-something just before my journey into 30s begins.

This post is the seventh of twenty. I hope it inspires you in some way. Happy reading!

Heartbreak Empowers You

My biggest struggle in my 20s wasn't having an extra year at school. No. My greatest weakness was boys, boys and boys!

I was a sucker for love.

I wanted to love and be truly loved.

But I wasn't lucky in love.

I was recovering from one heartbreak after another.

This Is What You Will Learn From Your First Full-time Job

Happy New Week! Trust your weekend was great. I will be 30 on the 26th day of the coolest month of the year. And so I have decided to share my lessons from being a 20-something just before my journey into 30 begins.

This post is the sixth. I hope it inspires you in some way. Happy reading!

First-time Employee

My first official job was a call centre agent.

Thinking about it now, this role also played out in my second and third jobs. I was always handling calls and managing incoming or outgoing information for each organization/brand.

I will tell you about my other jobs in subsequent posts. However, let's focus on what I learned from my first job.

That You Will Be Scared

Nothing beats the feeling you get when you receive your first employment letter. After applying and going to the interview, getting the job is one of the best feelings in the world. You will be filled with anxiety and excitement all together.

The first time is always potentially terrifying. It can be impossible and daunting, but some people make it possible and learn the ropes. I did.

Admitting Your Mistakes Is A Sign Of Strength

I love Fridays. Yay! We're still on about the amazing fact that I will be hitting thirty on the 26th. And I am sharing my lessons from being a 20-something just before my journey into 30s begins.

This post is the fifth lesson. I hope it inspires you in some way. Happy reading!

Own Your Mistakes

You may be tempted to say, "If only”. If only I did this differently? If only I made a better decision here? If Only. . . If only. . . If only. . .

Don’t go there.

If you made mistakes, learn from them. If you need to apologize, do so. But don’t build a home in the past. The past is a point of reference, not a place of residence.

Once you identify mistakes, come back to the present. Immediately. If not, you will live in your past rather than learn from it. When you live in the past, you’re next door neighbours are regret and bitterness. And they visit everyday.

Don't Do Things You Will Regret Later

I will be hitting the big three-0 on the 26th day of the coolest month. And like I told you last week, I will be sharing lessons from being a 20-something just before my journey into 30s begins.

This is the second lesson. I hope it inspires you in some way. Happy reading!

Do It Anyway 

I was a good girl.

I had always been a good girl.

My parents trained me in the way that I should go. But it was my choice whether to stay in or to depart away from that way.

For two decades, I stayed in the path. I didn't do what I shouldn't be caught doing. I remained obedient to them. Obedient to God. And obedient to the Spirit within.

At 21, I wanted to have a glimpse of what life could be as a bad girl.

Navigating Extra Year In A Nigerian University Humbles You

Hi sweets. Welcome to the coolest month of the year! You don't have to argue. June is the coolest month of the year. Say "kool" and then, say "joon". Got you!

I will be hitting the big three-0 on the 26th day of the coolest month. And like I told you last week, I will be sharing lessons from being a 20-something just before my journey into 30s begins.

This is the first lesson. I hope it inspires you in some way. Happy reading!

Extra Year Experience

At 20, I was to graduate from the university of Nigeria, Nsukka but I failed two final-year courses that kept me back in school.

I still claim to have graduated at 20 whenever I'm asked because technically speaking. . .yeah?

Nearly all my course mates had graduated and were moving on for NYSC when I found myself in the exam hall with a pen and paper writing ACC411 and ACC401. (Or, was it ACC402? I can't even remember. Lol). I am laughing about it right now but it wasn't funny at 21.

DIARY: These 20 Things I Learnt In My 20s Are Blockbusters

Hi people! It's exactly a month to my 30th birthday and I have thinking a lotttttt! In a good way, though. Yes! And I realized that the lessons I learned all through my 20-somethings are blogblusters, actually.

I'm going to be taking you on a very large explosive-bomb journey. Get ready!

20 Lessons Before 30 Begins

We all have secrets.

Secrets that are very deep and some that are not so very intense.

Some secrets are shared when the right time comes while some will never ever see the light of day.

I will be hitting thirty on Friday, 26 June. And the time has come for me to share some of my secrets with you. I will be using the last few days of my 20s to share things you definitely haven't heard me say. And even if you were among those who were affected, you would have never read it from me in a manner such as this.

My secrets, which would be both inspiring and entertaining, will be shared daily from Monday June 1 until the day before my birthday, Thursday June 25.

Here is a sneak peek of my life at 20s:

6 Powerful Lessons From Mike Bamiloye's Biopic, The Train: The Journey Of Faith

What a movie! This is one to remember! The story of Evangelist Mike Bamiloye is so inspiring. My God! Almost everyone in my age bracket who lived in Nigeria grew up watching his movies.

Watching his biopic which was recently published on Youtube was a roller coaster ride. I laughed and cried. I felt the move of God at some point. Something sure leaped inside of me.

Lessons From The Biopic Of Mike Bamiloye

I know that I will never be the same again after watching this movie. The Train gave me a new direction, light and encouragement on my own journey. I want to tell you some of the things I learned from the movie. I am actually telling myself too, because I would want to revisit these lessons.

1. The Vision Is For An Appointed Time

This movie has strengthened my resolve to follow God's plan for my life. No matter what life throws at me, I should always be of good cheer.

The vision is for an appointed time, and at the end (not at the beginning) it shall speak. This tiny seed (dream, vision) God put in my heart will eventually become a mighty tree, as long as I commit to the journey of faith with obedience and patience.

3 Huge Lessons From Last Weekend

Happy New Week! We are already 27 days into 2020. The year seems to be going pretty fast, or what do you think? I've got a couple of personal lessons to share with you today. I hope they inspire you in some way.

Lessons From Last Weekend

I'm one who is very passionate about growth, whether slow or fast. I’ve tried to stay so open to the education that comes from growth and the pain that follows. I desire to LIVE this full life that God has provided me — on every level. Even as I make mistakes (and I make lots), as long as I promise to learn from them I consider it a win.

So, off the top of my head, here are the top three things I’ve learned over the weekend.


1. Red Lipstick Doesn't Hurt

Isn't that a weird lesson? Yes, it is. And no, it isn't. It’s taken me most of my adult life to learn. . . to be less self conscious (my anxiety never helped with that!), and I’ve found this to be especially challenging in my professional life. But last weekend I really saw how much better I've grown when I stopped being too self-conscious.

Back in the day, I'd say "makeup makes me nervous. . . Yada yada yada. . . " But last weekend, I realized I can feel good wearing makeup. It felt good knowing I am still being authentic to myself and proud of who I am, as a person, even with my lips painted red.

Personal Keynotes From Excellence in Leadership Conference 2019

John Cage said, "We only hear what we listen for" and I totally agree. I attended the Excellent Leadership Conference today to listen to what I needed to hear.

This is me sharing what I heard with you. May something shift inside of you as you read. Amen.

Notes From ELC2019

First of all, I heard about the Excellence in Leadership Conference via one of my favourite WhatsApp groups. The group admin invited us (more like motivated us) to attend ELC2019 as part of our capacity building activities. Who wouldn't want to hear from this line-up of speakers? I just had to. So glad I did!

ELC2019 themed 'Great Leadership' is a two-day conference hosted by Daystar Christian Centre which started today and is to end tomorrow. The speakers slotted for today were; Rev. Sam Adeyemi, Pst. Nike Adeyemi, Dr. Joe Abah and Ali Baba.

Now let me share what I reflectively gleaned from each speaker. . .

Driving Little Starts

Weird title, I know. I’m at that point where more people get to ask you whether you can drive. I have friends who can drive, and I’ve definitely heard my closest peeps hinting that I should learn.

So I went to a driving school. 😁

Little Starts

I'm learning how to drive. Like really, d-r-i-v-e. I'm not talking about driving a car with an auto gearbox, but I'm talking about driving a manual car with three pedals: clutch, brake and accelerator (in that order, left to right).

And boy, it's been few weeks on this journey and I'm yet to get a hang of the clutch pedal. It is obviously the thing that makes driving a manual car more difficult than an auto.

The brake and accelerator pedals are pretty simple — press the brake to slow down (the firmer you press it, the quicker you’ll lose speed), while using the accelerator increases the engine’s revs and causes you to speed up (the firmer you press it, the quicker you will speed up). But the clutch? Let's not go into too much detail.

Can You Choose What To Forget?

For a very long time, remembering whatever we choose has been almost effortlessly done so well. However, forgetting whatever we choose seems almost impossible.

This year, I am making a decision have made a decision to INTENTIONALLY forget what should be forgotten.

Choose To Forget

Every day. In each moment. Life is constantly giving us opportunities to make choices as to what we remember. Each day holds many different moments; some painful, joyful, confusing, happy, peaceful, angry and loving. It is up to us as to which ones we remember.

Our memories can't hold all these moments, so the ones we choose to remember are important, for we will learn and grow from them. It is a little like selecting the best picture from a stack of proofs.

Easy but not very simple.

Or, is it just me? Do you tend to also have clearer memories of the moments you really really want to forget?

What Are The 7 Wonders Of Life According To You?

Hi, hi! It's been a minute. Working a 9-5 job as well as planning a wedding (in fact three weddings. A court wedding, a traditional wedding and a church wedding. Phew!) have been taking the biggest chunk of every twenty-four hours I get. Happy I can squeeze out time to write a post here. May we never lose our wonder in the passage of time. Amen.

The Seven Wonders Of Life

You have heard a lot about the seven wonders of the world, and may have even visited few or all of them. But have you ever given a thought about the 7 Wonders Of Your Personal Life?

I mean, have you?

Life in itself is a wonder. Life is full of wonder. But sometimes we get carried away by the busyness of our life and miss out on the things that make life wonderful for what it is. I've continued asking people the same basic question. How do you stay fully present, fully-engaged, fully-alive? I've also asked my private diary like a beggar asking for scraps of wisdom , "how do I not lose myself in all of these?" And the answer is astounding:

"never lose your childlike sense of wonder." (Thanks to Bethel Music. Yo!)

So, what is wonder? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, wonder is a feeling of amazement and admiration, caused by something beautiful, remarkable, or unfamiliar. Oh, I love this definition. Wonder gives depth to our passion. Wonder reignites our faith. Wonder asks us to live with eyes wide open to God. Wonder invites us out of the shallows and into hallows of the divine.

The wonders about life are relative. Because we all look at the world around us differently, so what strike wondrous to you is unique to you.

I'll share a few wonders about my life (perhaps I should say as at today, they could change, right?) while you share yours in the comment box: