Career
A Peek Into the Life Of… Creative Director – Chuma Obum
We made a call for BellaNaija readers to be a part of a new exciting feature series called, ‘A Peek Into The Life Of‘ which the Team has been working on. {Click here if you missed it} We’ve been very excited by the feedback we’ve received and we’re happy with the submissions we’ve been receiving. It feels so good to get to know our readers better – what they do. So far, we’ve had four interestingly diverse features. ‘Deyemi Okanlawon, Chinedu Anarado , Jennifer Akporehe , Tosan Iwere, Adetomi Imoteda Aladeokomo, ‘Tito Balogun , Taiwo ‘Taiyel’ Lawanson, Martins Lawrence Akande , Yetunde Odugbesan-Omede and Chisom Ogbummuo.
This week, we get a chance to meet Chuma Obum. The motivational speaker and writer has expressed his passion for touching lives in a positive way.
What is your Job Title?
Founder & Creative Director of TrueWords Integrated Services
What you do specifically?
I’m a producer of gift items, a motivational speaker and a published author who is deeply passionate about touching and uplifting lives through inspirational words whether written or spoken. To this end, I recently released an inspirational book and a spoken word MP3 album titled: Healing Words for the Soul, and Inspirational Tunes for the Soul, respectively. While the book is a quick read resource of motivational support and information that presents self-help strategies that you can use to pick yourself up and achieve a lifetime of success for the glory of God and benefit of humanity, the spoken word MP3 album is an inspired collection of lyrical expressions and positive confessions taken from the book and carefully put together by the me to enlighten, entertain and empower listeners greatly.
What are your Core Responsibilities?
I’m chiefly responsible for providing the Company with its creative direction on a day-to-day basis. Also I’mresponsible for the conceptualization, customization and/or personalization of our inspirational gifts items in order to meet and satisfy Clients’ demands or requirements. But most importantly, I’m responsible for maintaining and managing the relationships with our various clients by ensuring that we achieve excellence in all our project executions.
How long have you been this job?
This is my 6th year so far.
Highlights of the job
Without thinking twice, the highlights of my job is whenever we get a positive review or a testimonial from someone who has been deeply touched or motivated to take appropriate actions as a result of reading our inspirational messages. I once got an email from an unknown Lady in Johannesburg, South Africa, telling me how she has been waking up and looking forward to my motivational messages or picture quotes for a very long time. In truth, these types of feedback keep me encouraged and elevated to continue to share my knowledge and God-given wisdom.
Downsides of the job
Hmm I tell you, being an entrepreneur or self-employed is not child’s play in Naija. I can’t count the number of times that my creative flow was or had to be broken due to the fact that we have been running on generator for a better part of the work period. It is so stifling and frustrating. But my passion for writing inspirationally keeps me going.
If you weren’t doing this, what will you be doing?
Well I’m a professionally trained and certified Security Manager, so it makes a whole lot of sense that I’ll be in the Security Industry if I was not doing what am doing now. However, I strongly believe that I’ll still be doing what I’m doing now somehow, someway, because it’s a calling that must be answered. It is my purpose in life.
On a scale of 1-10, how would you grade your skill-set on this job?
I hate to brag but I truly feel that my skill-set on this particular job is flawless because when you discover, develop and deploy your God-given gifts/qualities for the benefit of all, you cannot struggle. Suffice to say that my skill-set on this job is 10/10…like Naeto C, lol!
Are you living your Career dream, Yes/No?
Absolutely Yes!
Here’s a peek into an average day in Chuma’s life
5:30am-6:00am
Wake up. Thank God for the gift of life briefly, and then go for morning jogging during which I continue to hum positive confessions underneath my breath all the way through and fro. This really helps to energize me, as well as to put my mind in a great place where I can bring forth my best self to face the day positively in spite of the inevitable chaos and challenges.
5:30am-6:00am
Shower, dress up and get ready for the day ahead
6:30am-7:00am
Say a more detailed prayer with my wife where we commit the day into God’s care and grace.
7:o0am-8:00am
Check all my online messages and emails, post positive and motivational messages/picture quotes to motivate my loved-ones, well-wishers, friends, fans and followers across various social media networks,
8:o0am-9:00am
Have breakfast with my wife, where we also have a chit-chat about our individual plans for the day. By so doing, we are able to help ourselves fine-tune each other’s plans as well as put things into proper perspectives before eventually heading out- so helps us God!
9:00am-10:00am
Head out for work
10:o0am-10:30am
Settle in into the office by reading at least a chapter from a great book.
10:30am-2:00pm
Put in some work, create contents, develop tunes, write business plans or company profiles, review books, write articles, meet and consult with people, attend to speaking engagements, and generally just do what needs to be done.
2:o0pm-3:00pm
Lunch Break
3:00pm-4:00pm
Observe siesta or a quiet time that is if I have no important AP already scheduled.
4:o0pm-5:00pm
Research widely and surf the Internet for latest news and trends, as well as to keep myself abreast with important issues, whether job related or otherwise.
5:30pm-
You need to see me rushing back home to my Wife, for she is the highlight of my everyday and the best companion that money cannot buy. So whenever I get home, it is strictly wifey time till sleep comes knocking. But in most cases, an inspiration to write something positive comes unannounced and interrupts, still she understands that it is a call I must answer to.
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For more information about Chuma Odum -author: Healing Words for the Soul: 09094625531 or 08024529500 | [email protected]
