Is love easier when it’s with a fellow creative?

Photographed by @solbela_ An editorial for @metal_magazine With @kialakanzi & @selassiethefuerst ft. @1plus1isequal

Love, dating, relationships are unsteady areas to navigate for people of all professions but the risks and rollercoasters it comes with seems to amplify when it comes to creatives.

I have been writing for the past 4 years and the journey to where I am right now has been as tumultuous as my relationships. The first partner I was with back when I started writing gave me an ultimatum to either keep writing or end the relationship. His reason was that I was basically writing porn and he does not think he wants to be with someone who is so open about their sexuality.

Photographer name: Hameed Akinwande @harmeeyd_photo Creative Team: Model male: Daniel @emerald.xv Model female: Deborah @deborah.amenawon Stylist: Ingrid Mutoni @ingridmutoni Asst: iintwari @iintwari Country: Australia

He loved my sexual energy, he just did not understand my need to tell stories around them, stories that are meant to make other people feel good. He was insecure and had no confidence in my feelings for him so his answer for that was to stop me from doing what I clearly enjoyed doing to boost his ego. It was a trying time because this was someone who ticked so many boxes on my “list”. Willing to make the relationship work, I decided to give up writing. I deleted all the posts I had on my blog and deactivated the account. Foolish right?

Unfortunately, this is a reality that resonates with a lot of people in the creative space; creatives who have set out to break boundaries.