Having worked with companies such as Black Enterprise, United Masters, and Revolt, Dev T. Smith is a content strategist, multimedia producer, and writer. Born and raised in North Carolina, Dev always aspired to optimize his creativity while contributing to the lives of those around him.
In this episode of our Take Ownership Podcast, Dev chats with us about owning our ideas, advocating for creativity, and The Live Inspired Project.
Owning Our Ideas...
“We have to own our ideas or we have no leverage” says Dev. “Independence is the new normal. It’s the new standard. It’s not a foreign concept. United Masters is here to operationalize independence.” Dev also shares his thoughts on Steve Stoute. “I think that Stoute is a genius because he understands the importance of catching up to the times” says Dev.
Advocating For Creativity…
“Creativity to me is very simple” says Dev. “Creativity is human nature. We create. All of what we see was designed by somebody. Creativity is everywhere.” Dev also goes on to mention that he has always been a creative. After watching Kanye West’s “Through The Wire” video, Dev persuaded his mother to purchase a sketchbook for him. “I would go sneak into my mother’s room to take the family photo album and sketch the pictures” says Dev. “When I got to high-school, I built a collage in my room and that’s when I realized that I had a skill-set.”
The Live Inspired Project…
The Live Inspired Project is a curriculum created by Dev where he has students engage in career development through self-discovery and creativity. “Each lesson enables students to talk about what they love to do” says Dev. “The schools metric for success is not necessarily benefiting the students.”
Dev is currently working with Brookline High School and The Boys and Girls Club of Boston, MA to facilitate The Live Inspired Project. “This problem will not get solved unless we work with the kids” says Dev.
Be sure to check out the full-episode HERE and CONNECT with us on social!