I am not good at chess. I play a little and can hang in there through a game but I don’t take the game seriously. I’ve never touched a chess book as some people do. I do like to think ahead five or six moves and develop options based on possible moves from the opponent. I do the same when I fight. I plan my moves and plan my reactions to possible attacks but remaining flexible and alert to any surprises. I play chess very fast too. I don’t like to be there thinking for too long what my next move is going to be. Some people take so long to make a move a just bring my sketchbook with me and doodle while they think. People have their way of playing and I respect that.

During my stay in Kampala, Uganda we played chess from time to time. One of the guys was slightly obsessed to beat me since his first nine attempts didn’t prosper. I went to Rakai for a few days and upon my return to Kampala my friend was waiting for me at the gate with the chess board in his hands. He told me about his nightmares during those nights and how he figured out how to defeat me. Honestly, he was so much better than me at the game and also takes chess very seriously. His tenth attempt ended in his defeat yet again. At that point I had to reveal my secret: “You are defeating yourself. You are trying to play my way. Play your game not mine”. We played for the eleventh time and after two hours and twenty five minutes, and many sketches, he won.

Sometimes we get distracted from achieving our goals because we are trying to play someone else’s game. Each one of us have specific goals sustained by specific values and desires. However, sometimes we try to adapt our ways and end up losing ourselves. I’ve been asked by a few people to change my art to something more ‘commercial’ so I can sell more. People is always recommending to do things in a certain way as if one size fits all. On the other hand, some people try to do things the way I do things. Doing things the way I do things entails that you have to become me and that might not work for you. I am not a fan of either one.

We can share knowledge and we can learn from each other. These are two different processes. We share knowledge all the time. Right now as you read this I am sharing knowledge with you. We transfer or give information. Learning is about ‘making sense’ and ‘finding meaning’ of the information in ways that we can apply, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize in new ways to create new things or thoughts. Learning is not about copying, reproducing actions, or repeating what somebody else’s said. Learning is experience through applied knowledge. Use what you learn to play your game.