#nuthnlab
#2020
WHY WE DO
WHAT WE DO
Creatives can either be rebels with or without a cause, and I have found that most things we do are geared towards a cause that benefits the elites. I mean, we have to eat and fend for ourselves, right? I believe it typically starts with a noble intention, but it almost always ends up for the elite if it is really that good. So at nuthn LAB, the aim is to use our creative minds, acquired skills, and the tools we have built along the way to make the world more balanced. As an architect, I spend most of my time creating beautiful spaces, scrutinizing my mind to get the best for my clients, who are 99% Caucasian.
On January 1st, 2015, I had a rude awakening after the police in Savannah, GA, killed my cousin. This experience shattered my understanding of life, and I should have seen a therapist, but that wasn’t included as part of the package for litigation, nor could I afford it, so I poured myself into work. I am a minority in my industry. I only knew a handful of black architects, and unfortunately, for me, I was at war with myself about my profession. Architecture is a fascinating occupation, it bridges the spaces between your personal and professional life. It is hard to call it a job; it is more of a lifestyle if you ask me because it takes all your body, mind, and soul to create at high levels. So I forced to rethink my lifestyle.
The reoccurring question was simple:
What the fuck am I doing with my life?
Who else is going through this issue, that is also an architect?
Why am I continually improving the lives of people that have allowed this to happen to my cousin?
How can I be part of the solution? Because I currently feel like I’m part of the problem.
What can I do for my people?
If design and art are food for the mind, why aren’t there any cool looking architecture buildings and museums that inspire the brain in the hood?
I have learned over the past 10 years in architecture how to process complex problems and collaborate with the right people to solve them. Here are some problems I have noticed:
#1
“Basic education”
I learned that education was a significant problem in our communities that to be able to approach solutions, people had to understand the problem, and the issues are very complicated. Therefore, you need a certain level of education to grasp the nature of the beast.So how the fuck am I going to solve America’s educational problem?
🤷🏽♂️#2
“Tech for all”
I realized there was a significant problem with technology. Tech interventions are substantial but are really not for everyone. I mean, how could they be? Tech companies are businesses, and even unicorns have to make a profit someday, but the urban poor aren’t a significant target market, so we are an afterthought.Case in point, motorized scooters are literally everywhere, except in the hood. Yes, I understand your assumptions; they might steal them, or maybe they can’t afford it on a daily basis. These are all valid excuses until you start asking the real questions about who the scooters could really have a life-changing impact on?
Is it the guy/gal that owns two cars and makes 150k a year or the 21-year-old mother of two who makes 32k a year and has to walk a mile to the metro daily at 6am? This may not be the best way of running a business in a capitalist nation. I get that, but these are fundamental questions for humanity. At nuthn LAB, we are obsessed with answering some of these questions. The challenges ahead of us are significant, like climate change. If we cannot tackle the underlying human issues at these levels and bring everyone along to the future, the problems will only get more challenging to solve.
#3
“Rethink everything”
Why are people still dying of issues that can be resolved; police violence, hunger, and diabetes, etc.? I believe, as a society, our priorities are off, and the solutions currently associated with most human problems are outdated. We don’t really care about these issues unless it affects us personally, but I want us to start rethinking everything. How can we get better at working together, support one another and create the space for the greatest minds to come together, without feeling like they have to give up on their own dreams? Hence, the motto“Prototyping ideas after-hours.”
I believe the opportunities in this space need to be human-centric, followed by purpose before profits. We are building a team that has fallen in love with the problems around us, who challenge the quote quo in every medium to continue pushing for human-centric solutions. And will one day make a dent in some of the issues in the world at least before we make it to Mars.
Please never underestimate the humble nobodies...
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