The art of life: Lessons from a Disney screenplay writer

It is often said that life is the best teacher, and I couldn’t agree more. I spent the first decade of my life in Nigeria, and at the age of 12, I moved to my homeland — Chennai, India. This was when I used to live by myself and grasp different stories each day through interaction with the community, watching television, and reading books. 

Eventually, I realised that I have a flair for writing as my creative pursuits evolved. Over time, my writing speed and structure advanced, and I had my work published in various journals and publications. 

Writing stories, indulging in storytelling, and exposing myself to varied cultures and concepts triggered a euphoric rush in me.

So, when people ask me to narrate my experiences of being an Indian girl screen-writing in Hollywood, I am filled with a gush of memories. 

I co-wrote a short film, titled Kanya, which essentially shed light upon menstrual taboo in India, specifically in Chennai, where I witnessed these taboos for myself. Eventually, through improv and standup, I also discovered that I can build upon ‘comedy’ as a genre. Life teaches you the art of widening your horizon by exposing you to challenges.  

Through various experiences and journeys, there is one thing that I truly believe helped me shape my skill set: a thirst for knowledge. Here, I take you through some of the inestimable lessons I’ve learnt through the course of my life. 

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Don’t limit yourself

I have lived in various countries across continents and explored the nuances of culture, heritage, language, etc. To cut the long story short, one should not stay limited and confined, especially when it comes to exploring different cultures, places, topics, and subjects. 

Growing up in Nigeria, I also watched a lot of cartoons, and borrowed a lot of books and video cassettes from the British Council Library. Learning never stops; there are so many sources one can refer to, whether digitally or offline.

Learn to unlearn

While life gives us a zillion chances to learn a lot, we should figure out what we need to unlearn and weed out from our lives. Being an engineer and a restaurateur helped me write characters who had unique jobs and skillsets. 

Running a restaurant made me realise that I never want to run a restaurant ever again. While, obviously, I did acquire plenty of life skills, like how to manage, delegate, and multitask.

Explore lingual abilities

Learning numerous languages at an early age is pivotal for effective storytelling. It’s often said that thinking is different across different languages, therefore it really helped me to know Tamil and Hindi. I have watched a lot of Indian shows both in Tamil and Hindi, and this increased my interest in physical comedy and bigger characters.

Humility and the eagerness to cherish the most minute experiences in life help you think profoundly and in turn narrate better stories. 

Make gratitude your GPS 

Gratitude is instrumental and crucial; we need to cherish, track, and credit our journey. We sometimes may forget to be thankful for the fortunes that the universe provides us with. 

I always say that I have been very fortunate to work with some of the most amazing people over the course of my career whether it’s Becca Topol and Sascha Paladino on Mira Royal Detective or Mike McMahan and Josh Bycel on Solar Opposites. 

Reality check

It’s always important to take every experience in life, with a pinch of salt. While we narrate and carve out a story, we should not forget to link its nuances and peculiarities with reality. 

Life is always stranger than fiction and sometimes, I definitely feel like I have to tone down some true stories to make them make sense, but that’s just part of the fun of being a writer. There isn’t much room for coincidence in writing a script, unlike life. 

Self-confidence is key

Confidence and belief in one’s tenacity should never be underestimated. It’s essential to work on yourself and be confident. This industry is super competitive and incredibly tough. 

Like most people, I’ve worked extremely hard and I’ve had wonderful mentors and friends to guide me through this. What kept me going in times of despair is the self-belief that I am a really good writer and my work and my skill speak for themselves.

Hang in there

The vital lessons that I cherish the most are those of never giving up. I believe that in all spheres of life, a person comes across numerous hurdles which are won by being strong and determined. Some battles are won silently, where one needs to fend for oneself and keep going.

I believe that fighting for our dreams rather than chasing them is a priceless lesson, which one learns as time passes. 

If there is an idea or a skill that one truly believes in, it should be pursued even when the people around us frown upon our choices. The life we dream about can be realised only when we show conviction and resilience towards life’s challenges. 

Turbulent times will make us weak, but one should never give up. After all, hope can move mountains.