We are so excited to have David Harris join us as our February speaker on CLIMATE. Grab your tickets right here!

CMSEA: How do you define creativity and apply it in your career?

DH: I define creativity as the ability to reveal and uncover new and useful perspectives. I work for TAF (Technology Access Foundation) where we create connected learning opportunities for non-dominant youth to pursue personal interest in not only their academic learning, but also their communities. My work deals with creating solutions to urgent and complex social inequities, and there are no silver bullets. This requires my colleagues and I to think out of the box, “How might we create high impact opportunities in a resource-constrained environment?”

CMSEA: Where do you find your best creative inspiration?

DH: I find my best creative inspiration from from being present. It is so easy to have what seems like a million thoughts running through my head and many things happening around me. Its not until I stop, breathe, and really listen to what is being said to me at that moment - even when there might not be any words.

CMSEA: What’s the one creative advice or tip you wish you’d known as a young person?

DH: When I was younger I used to sketch, but somewhere along the way I made it out to be a less valuable skill. One of the first classes I took in my graduate program was User Centered Design, and sketching was one of the activities that we practiced and read about the most. Once I realized that my sketches didn’t need to be masterpiece drawings I was able to see the extreme value and context they provide. Now when I work with students, I encourage them to sketch as well.

CMSEA: Who would you like to hear speak at CreativeMornings?

DH: I’d love to hear Otieno Terry of the group Hitek Lowlives speak at CreativeMornings. He is not only a great vocalist and storyteller, but he has also created this character, Brother Damien, that you just have to experience at a live show.

CMSEA: What’s the most recent thing you learned (big or small)?

DH: My fiancée is Ethiopian, so everyday she teaches me a new word in Amharic - one of the languages spoken in that country. I’m slowly getting better. I think I have the vocabulary of a 3 year old now, and that’s betam tiru (very good, በጣምጥሩ).

CMSEA: What books made a difference in your life and why?

DH: One of the many books that had a great impact on my life was the science fiction novel, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. It is an afrofuturistic account of what the world could be in the coming decades. What I took away from this book was the importance of empathy and hope in trying times. 

Another book that impacted the way I see the world is Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam. 65% of us are visual learners, and this book taught me to hone my visual thinking skills and communicating skills.