African Creatives and the New Meaning of Rest
Rest is no longer an afterthought, it’s becoming a deliberate choice. A quiet revolution is taking place as African creatives rethink their relationship with work, wellness, and what it means to live well. A shift is unfolding. It’s rooted in the desire to slow down, reclaim time, and choose rest as a necessity, not a luxury.
This cultural reset, popularly referred to as the “soft life” movement, has become more than just a social media trend. It reflects deeper conversations around mental health, burnout, generational expectations, and the limitations of hustle culture.
The Burnout Backlash
For years, African millennials and Gen Zs (particularly in the creative industries) have navigated unstable work environments, limited infrastructure, and high societal expectations. Many have worn overwork as a badge of honour. But the emotional and physical toll has led to rising cases of burnout, anxiety, and creative fatigue.
Nigerian content creator and wellness advocate Kemi Onabanjo spoke recently on a panel about the unspoken pressure to “constantly create to stay relevant.” Like many others, she began to reframe rest not as laziness, but as a strategy for longevity.
“There’s this guilt when you’re not busy,” she said. “But I’ve learned that pausing is part of the process. You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
Rest as a Creative Tool
Creatives are now building wellness into their routines. South African designer Rich Mnisi, known for his bold, high concept collections, has openly discussed how intentional breaks fuel his creativity. Ghanaian writer and artist Akosua Hanson integrates meditation and silence into her creative flow. In Nairobi, collectives like The Nest have structured their projects around flexible timelines and non extractive collaboration models.
The shift isn’t just personal. It’s structural. Some creative agencies now offer “no meeting Fridays” or mental health stipends. Others are hosting retreats or turning to nature based residencies for inspiration and reset.
Digital Detoxes and Offline Joy
Social media may have helped popularise the soft life aesthetic; poolside brunches, slow mornings, curated skincare routines, but many are now choosing to experience rest offline. Creatives are carving out “tech free weekends,” engaging in analogue hobbies, or reconnecting with their local communities.
“Sometimes, soft life is just sitting in your mother’s garden with no agenda,” says fashion entrepreneur Halima Musa, who took a year long sabbatical from Instagram. “There’s rest in being unproductive.”
This embrace of presence and slowness is quietly radical in a world that rewards urgency.
Culture, Class, and the Cost of Rest
It’s worth noting that soft life is not accessible to everyone. For many, rest still feels like a privilege. The cost of slowing down in economies where most are struggling to get by cannot be ignored.
But some African creatives are beginning to bridge the gap by reimagining wellness through a culturally relevant and accessible lens. Across cities and online spaces, there’s a growing movement to normalize simple, restorative practices (like breathwork, movement, and ritual) as valid forms of rest. Instead of chasing luxury retreats, more people are embracing community care, ancestral traditions, and low cost tools that fit into everyday life.
Soft life is evolving beyond aesthetics. It’s an ongoing negotiation between ambition and well being, between reality and desire. But the core message is simple: we are allowed to rest. Burnout is not a flex.
