ELECTROACTIVE POLYMERS : How I went from one big science discovery to becoming an 'F' student in Uni

Electroactive polymers are smart materials that change shape, size, or properties when exposed to an electric field or voltage. Think of them like artificial muscles.They can bend, stretch, contract, or expand in response to electrical stimuli. They’re lightweight, flexible, and energy-efficient, making them perfect for innovative applications like my project from last year that would've possibly taken a whole decade and Elon Musk level investment to get off the ground.<img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/1000377690.jpg"/>Now you're probably wondering how we went from writing poems about the devil, to writing about science research.That's just a little taste of the person I used to be.If you'd asked me who I was a year or two ago I'd have introduced myself as an aspiring fashion designer and introduced my many creative explorations along with that.If you ask me that exact question now... I really wouldn't know how to answer. Maybe I'd just say my name.Or maybe.... Maybe I'd say my full name and say I'm a student. That's pretty much it, right?What else could I be? What else am I supposed to be?I went from believing I could become the most recognised fashion designer in the whole world to not knowing what it's like to hold a needle in my hands.Where'd this all start? Let's take a little stroll down from the very beginning, shall we ? My love for fashion design began about 8 to ten years ago, if I'm not mistaken. But before that, I remember always drawing things on every paper I could find. I would draw these ugly people with fine clothes.<img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/1000377703.jpg"/> Yes. That's actually what I used to do. I remember I used to draw a lot on my siblings books and textbooks and whatever form of paper I could find , really. The people were really ugly, I would say but the clothes were something. I used to write stories a lot too.Oh I wrote loads and loads of very interesting stories as a young girl. I remember my first Ghostwriting gig being in 2018 from two of my secondary school classmates in JSS2. They'd paid me to write for them and I remember how good it felt just making money off of my abilities. Knowing that I could buy whatever I wanted from that without asking for money from my parents. And of course my first purchase was food. Fuel for the soul. And my writing hands.Back to my love for fashion designWell I evolved from drawing ugly people to sewing nice dresses on my dolls.And then sometime around 2016 through 2018 or so , I remember I used to spend time at a tailor's shop right across from our house. I'll never forget that place. Going back there feels like going back home , because that was where my love for designing really began.I would sit there and watch them sew. And even when her apprentices would go off for their break, I would sit back and watch her add stones , as they're called, to dresses. That little process of beautifying clothes would've seemed basic to anyone else, but for me it was mesmerising. Just watching that bit of art come to life was mind-blowing for me. And from just watching her do that, I started doing the same on my mom's clothes when we moved to a new neighborhood.I think I got to sew my very first tiny cloth by hand in 2017 or 2018. It was pretty much dollsized , but different from anything I'd ever made for a doll. And that was where I began sewing by handWe moved to a new place in march of 2018 , and I started drawing dresses at about that time. Or maybe 2020. I can't precisely remember now.And then around 2020 or 2021 , I joined Facebook and I started posting some of my drawings.<img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/1000377707.jpg"/>I connected with a Portuguese designer sometime after and she became my second mentor. Miss Paloma P. Brito was her name. She taught me a bit of Portuguese but what really stuck was the things she taught me about sewing.She was the first person who told me about sewing by hand. She said I didn't need to have a sewing machine and told me how she became a fashion designer herselfOne thing she told me that I'll never forget is "work done in a haste has terrible consequences".Paloma told me how she used to go to tailor's shops and pick up leftover scraps and fabrics and put them together.I didn't know any tailors or designers at the time that I could get those from. But I did have clothes that I was no longer in need of. And there. I pulled apart some old clothes and pieced them together to make a dress. All I had was a thread or two, a needle, a broken pair of scissors and absolutely no experience sewingI finished the dress and showed it to Paloma and SHE WAS STUNNED. According to her it was even better than the first dress she ever made and she loved it. I even somehow made it to a post on her Facebook feed.I continued on with this and my love for fashion grew. It went from just being something I loved to being my whole life.Fast forward to 2022 I told my parents I didn't want to go to the university like everyone else and get the degree we're all used to. I wanted a degree in fashion design. Yes. That's what I wantedI didn't care about what the world would think or how people would feel about it. I wanted it because I felt deep in my bones that fashion design was the path for me. It became a back and forth debate and after three years of being at home after secondary school graduation, I finally caved and took a course in History and International studies at the Lagos state University (LASU).And the moment I stepped foot on the school grounds, my entire life became my worst nightmareYou're probably wondering why. It's just school isn't it? Is it because I didn't get to study fashion design?I can't say either. But I know my life did change. I don't write a lot anymore. But I do hope to release a few posts, sequel to this, explaining all of it. If you've read this far, I want you to know that it means a lot to me that you stayed and you read it all , up to this point. Everyone has a story. We might never get the chance to see the other side to the people we know. This is just my little way of sharing the sides to me that no one else gets to see. The broken and the failing, the failed, and the one who despite everything, gave life one more chance.Please leave a like and a comment. I'd like to know your thoughts, maybe your story too. Ps: a tip would be lovely to keep me writing and to help fund my newest projectAlso I'd like to know if you want my four-part series written or voiced. See you on my next oneAnd remember, if you're not dead yet, then there's still something left to fight for and there's still so much waiting to be achieved in your life 😉

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