Creative Hustle
About this event
Human beings have always been creative hustlers. Whether it's social entrepreneurs engineering new ways to harvest renewable energy, independent musicians figuring out how to reach global audiences through social media, or our ancient ancestors huddled together, cold and in the dark, figuring out for the first time that rubbing two sticks together fast enough would spark a fire... To be human is to bleed an amalgam of imagination and ambition.
Why is creative hustle important today? We live in a world where so much is determined for us. When and where we are born, who our family is and knows, how much money is in our bank accounts, and how much melanin is in our skin—all of these factors indicate precise paths we are expected to follow. Too many of us silence our creativity and let our hustle calcify as we settle for the path set for us. In doing so, we trade our potential fulfillment and impact for a facsimile of comfort.
We all have unique combinations of gifts. This does not mean effortless talents that are bestowed upon us—in fact; they may be the very things we each work hardest to develop. Whether it’s shooting videos and shooting jump shots, or building rock walls and building relationships, these combinations of callings are our gifts to give to the world. But only if we can figure out how. Only if we’re able to identify and blaze our own new avenues where no routes yet exist.
Human beings have always used creative problem-solving to survive. It’s time to explore how it can help us thrive.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Olatunde Sobomehin is the CEO and co-founder of StreetCode Academy, a Silicon Valley-based non-profit that offers free tech classes to communities of color. His body of work has earned him recognition as a 2018 Aspen Institute Scholar, a 2019 Praxis Fellow, and a 2020 Social Entrepreneurship Fellow at Stanford University. He and his wife, Tamara, reside in East Palo Alto, CA with their four children: Olatayo, Temilola, Tatiola, and Olataiye.
Sam Seidel is the Director of K12 Strategy + Research at the Stanford d.school and author of Hip Hop Genius: Remixing High School Education (Rowman & Littlefield, 2011). He speaks internationally about education, race, culture, systems, and design. sam’s writing appears in three anthologies: Starting Up: New Schools in New Times, Imprisoned Intellectuals, and The New Abolitionists: Prison Writing and (Neo)Slave Narratives. He lives in Oakland.
This session will build upon the concepts illuminated in our Master's of Creativity series. Check out our prior talks:
"MoC 1 - Inspiration" recording on YouTube recording on YouTube and deck
"MoC 2 - Perspective Portfolio" recording on YouTube and deck
"MoC 3 - Experimentation" recording on YouTube
About the Stanford d.school
We're a group of Stanford instructors, practitioners, and designers that consistently strive to help individuals unleash their creative and innovative selves. Our Masters of Creativity series is our way to bring Stanford instruction and content to our broader global community. Check out our upcoming events!
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