We were lucky to catch up with Micah Dawanyi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Micah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

I would create a better balance between the learning process and the grading system. As someone still in school, I can attest to the fact that your grade is pretty much always on the line when you’re navigating through classes. I understand that there needs to be some sort of metric to measure knowledge and competency, don’t get me wrong. The problem is that students can easily become more focused on getting good grades than actually learning. And when grades are the primary focus, retention of information is what ends up suffering.

I’m finishing up my master’s program right now, and it’s been a great experience, but the same problem still applies. I recently had an assignment where I was asked to develop a video script for a 60-second commercial. Learning the techniques for video scripting was really fun, but the assignment was heavily weighted, so in the back of my mind, I knew that the margin for error was slim. That put a lot of pressure on me to secure a solid grade instead of actually diving deeper into the magic behind storytelling, camera angles, audio/visuals, and how those elements influence scripts. Learning is about making mistakes, but having the room to fix those mistakes. That doesn’t apply to school when you can’t ever afford to fail at something because your grade is always on the line.

If there was more of a balance with grades, students could learn without always being consumed by the weight of academic pressure. A more authentic learning process would encourage innovation, risk-taking, and creativity, things that help with creating a fulfilling life and career later down the line.

Micah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Micah Dawanyi, and I’m an author and speaker. I grew up playing competitive sports but was forced to quit at 15 after suffering complications of a heart problem amongst other medical issues. When I lost athletics, I started to experiment with different passions, which eventually led me to publish my first book during the summer of my sophomore year of college. I got into storytelling for one reason- to tackle important issues with my books. I’ve used my writing, fiction and non-fiction, to talk about inclusivity, mental health stigmas, social injustice, and more. My most recent release is the novel “Battle Scars & Blossoms” which deals with the themes of grief, loss, and stigmas surrounding therapy and emotional expression.

What sets me apart is probably my lived experiences, which influence my writing style. In some ways, I’m the definition of complexity. I’m a first-generation American; I grew up in Maryland and South Florida, but my mom is from Jamaica and my dad is from Zimbabwe. While I grew up playing sports, I also wrote for my public school’s yearbook and opened up a non-profit training business to serve underfunded communities. My “tuition into the school of experience” serves my writing, I’d say. I don’t know if there’s anyone else in the world with the exact same outlook on life as me.

Because I use my writing to touch on important societal issues, I also speak about my work at schools, conferences, and other events. I love to connect my stories to the world; specifically analyzing how the themes embedded apply in our everyday lives. That’s the magic of it all, in my opinion.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

There was a year and a half gap between my first and second book, and in that time, I was preparing to write another non-fiction, as I did with my first. I tried maybe 10 ideas, but none of them worked. The thing about a book is that you need an idea that is complex enough to span across a large number of pages. I had a lot of ideas that were maybe 5, 10, or 25 pages in length, which just wasn’t enough. I was also running into trouble with confidentiality. I’m comfortable with being vulnerable about my own experiences, but many of the major events in my life are tied to other people, and I just wasn’t comfortable airing out other people’s business for the sake of my stories.

With these realizations, I decided to pivot to fiction, where I could essentially bend reality to my will. I ended up choosing the theme of mental health stigmas for my second book, now a novel, and I let my imagination run wild. It was such a freeing feeling that opened my eyes to the wonders of fictional storytelling. Even now, I have so many considerations for my next projects. The pivot to fiction removed all ceilings of limitation for me as an artist, which is amazing.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Definitely focusing on brand visibility. Your clientele can only grow when people actually know that you exist. I used to focus on the work, and only the work, because I wanted to be authentic as an artist. But business strategies are important as well. I use an integrated marketing approach by taking advantage of numerous digital media channels for content. I also show up to conferences and networking events, and I reach out to other creatives, even if it’s just to pick their brain on something.

When I go to speak at my own events, I make sure to take the time to introduce myself to everyone. I don’t throw marketing pitches in people’s faces as soon as I meet them, but I do greet them and let them know who I am and what I do. My belief is that if I am on your radar, even if there isn’t an immediate opportunity, the connection is there, and business can always be conducted later down the line. But if I am never on your radar, nothing will ever happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: Linktree.com/micahdawanyi
• Instagram: Instagram.com/micahdawanyi
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-dawanyi-912ab41b1

Image Credits
– OnoMedia – CribTalks