Episode 5: Creativity and Innovation in the Immigrant Experience (feat. Augie Boadi, Tino Chow)

Speaker 1  00:05

Bell, welcome to from ideas to impact the show where students, professors and professionals seek to understand the overlap of creativity, innovation and a love ethic in various industries. I'm Jocelyn Bell, the professor of the human spark class at Bryant University, a class formerly known as the sociology of innovation and creativity. And we're in the segment of the podcast when we hear student reflections on and analyzes of the themes and ideas that emerged over the course of the class. Sometimes they used this final assignment as a chance to imagine what an episode of their own podcast would sound like. Other times, they put the episode together as part of the larger story of the class. One thing that's consistent throughout this segment of the show is that each student invites you into their thoughts on the overlap of creativity, innovation and Bella.

Speaker 1  01:20

In the previous episode, you all had the chance to hear Aug as one of the CO facilitators for Cynthia Mendez is visit in this episode, you all will hear his reflections on the discussion with Tino Chow.

Speaker 2  01:40

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Ico Podcast where we explore the intersections of innovation, creativity and love. I'm your host. Augie Wadi, an international student from Ghana, currently studying at Brian university in the United States. I'm also a student at Dr Bell sociology class. Today, we are diving into what it feels like to live between two cultures and how that experience connects to creativity, innovation and love. I will be sharing my own story as an international student and drawing connections to the broader immigrant experience. I'm so happy you are here with

Speaker 2  02:35

us. Our discussion today is inspired by reflection from Tino Chow, a designer and an entrepreneur who shared his experience as an immigrant, and this is what he had to say.

Speaker 3  02:50

And one of them, kind of like fully described the experience of being a immigrant that I never thought about until that point is that you become a foreigner. No matter where you go. You become a foreigner when you go home, because you have changed enough when you go home and say, Oh, you're not, you're not, although you're from here, but you are not really from here. And as an immigrant, you'll always feel, in one sense or another, a foreigner. So I think how that's the way that that best sums up. I feel like I'm with the maybe not culture shock anymore, but just the need to just being a comedian, kind of between the two cultures. As

Speaker 2  03:36

an international student from Ghana, what Tino Charles said about about experience of of immigrants deeply resonates with me. The feeling of being a foreigner, no matter where you are, whether in the US or back home, is something I'm constantly dealing with, but never quite have the words for when I return home to Ghana, even though I'm from the people often, often see me as someone who has been, in quote, Americanized. I have adopted certain values, habits and ways of thinking that create a subtle distance is between me and them, and yet in the US I'm still not fully seen as in cooked American this sense of duality, where you belong everywhere and nowhere is exactly What W, E, B, Du Bois calls double consciousness, and what Nella Larsen explores so powerfully in her novel, book passing this feeling of foreignness, reminds me of a book I read in high school called passing by nella Larson. Jocelyn, which I mentioned earlier in this book, the main character clay, a mixed race, black woman who passes as a white lady to find acceptance in the 1920s and as a way of survival, Clay changes how she acts and how she is seen just to survive in a racist society, she wants to fit in. By the end, ends up feeling like she belongs nowhere. In the novel, both Claire and Irene, the novel's other main character, constantly shift how they present themselves depending on their environment. They showcase different versions of themselves depending on the space they are in, not just to survive, but to be accepted. Their decision to pass as white reflect the experience of immigrants who adopt dominant culture define belonging and acceptance in society.

Speaker 2  06:13

This way of living is creativity in its own way. It takes emotional intelligence, adaptability and self awareness, qualities that are often overlooked but essential to navigating life between two different cultures. Du Bois concept of double consciousness helps us understand this experience even better, it means seeing yourself through two different lenses at once, how you see yourself and how the world sees you, especially in a society where being different is a disaster, You're constantly aware of how others might judge you. It's like living with two minds in one body, always intention. Immigrants and characters like Claire live in constant tension between who they are and who they are expected to be. I have felt this in moments when I wonder, Am I being true to myself or just doing what I think others,

Speaker 2  07:41

that constant question of oneself, am I being true to myself or just doing what I think others expect of me, that internal negotiation, should I do This or not? This invisible labor takes creativity and courage. Creativity in everyday life, for immigrants like myself is not just about making art or writing books, it's about building a life between two different worlds, and for some many it's how we blend languages, manage microaggressions with a smile, dress to fit in, or even translate our culture for others without losing it ourselves, this chameleon way of Living that child talks about isn't weakness, it's survival, it's power, and it's something we as immigrants do all the time without even thinking. But because our society often only values visible results, we rarely talk about this emotional and cultural labor, but by talking about these experiences and sharing our stories like child does and like Larson does in a book passing, we start to break the silence, and that too is a creative act, and it's love in itself, one that turns lived struggle into creative understanding. For me, overcoming the foreigner feeling means staying rooted in my culture and staying rooted in my own personal values and building supportive communities and finding ways to tell my own story, whether through writing or public speaking or even simply having a chit chat with a friend. So if you're like me, balancing different parts of yourself. Us just know that your experience is valuable, your experience is powerful, and your experience is love. It might feel hard, but it can also be a source of strength and creativity. So keep going. You.

Speaker 2  10:25

In today's episode, we explored how the immigrant experience is a form of love in action, the ongoing effort to adapt, to create and to connect, even in the face of systematic barriers. We also talked about concepts like double consciousness and how they help us understand identity and how they are performed and shaped in complex ways, despite the challenges immigrants and international students continuing to inspire innovate and build new ways of being, they are not just surviving. And I say it again, we are not just surviving. We are innovating, we are creating and we are loving so to wrap up, whether it's an immigrant finding ways to belong or miss a child navigating his own identity, or even a character like Claire in person, trying to figure out who she is, we can tell that creativity and love are deeply tied To the system we live in. The people who live between two cultures aren't just adopted. They're constantly creating new paths, and that is something we can all learn from today. Thank you once again for tuning in. I hope this episode helps you reflect on your own identity, and it helps you to think about innovation, creativity and love in a deeper way. See you next time. Peace you