Keynote Commencement Speaker - "The Art of Nursing"

I was deeply humbled and honored this past weekend to be invited to deliver the keynote address at the Pinning Ceremony for the University of California Irvine School of Nursing. It was a wonderful two days spent with the next generation of nurses.

How did this come about? Ms. Lori McGee, an executive I had known since my time at the Innovation Institute in Charlotte, NC in the early 2000s, discovered that I was a nurse while also pursuing an art career. She suggested to Dean Mark Lazenby that I could share insights on balancing my dual careers in nursing and art. My speech focused not on how the two influenced each other, but rather on how they mirrored one another. The fundamental principles of nursing and the core tenets of creativity align and are reflected in every aspect. A slideshow of artworks corresponding to each pillar was presented. I spoke for less than 15 minutes—I didn't want to bore anyone!

Delivering the keynote address at the Univ. of California Irvine Pinning Ceremony

Univ. of California Irvine Pinning Ceremony

Here's a sample of the speech:

This slide accompanied the final portion of the speech concerning Cultural Humility

And finally, the eighth pillar—Cultural Humility—is for me, the most personal As an African American man, I'm part of a group that makes up less than one half of 1% of registered nurses in this country are African American men. In this current age od dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives - what we must realize is that representation in health care isn't about optics . . . it's about valuing equity. i

This means understanding that identity, race, class, faith, language and orientation - shapes not only how people experience illness and healing, but also how they interact with those delivering care. That same humility is equally as essential in the creative world. Artists who believe they have all the answers often miss the heart of their work. We don’t create because we know—we create because we’re searching. Because we’re listening. Because we’re trying to understand something larger than ourselves.

When I begin a new piece, I don’t start with a declaration. I start with questions. Whose story is this? What is my place in telling it—or not telling it? What might I be missing? That, too, is cultural humility. It’s the recognition that your voice isn’t the only voice—and that honoring difference doesn’t weaken your work, it deepens it.

So when people ask me—as they often do—how one of my professions influences the other… whether nursing has shaped my art, or whether art has shaped my nursing… my answer is this: They don’t influence each other so much as they mirror each other. Both call me to notice. To listen. To stay open. To remain curious. To lead not with ego, but with empathy. And most of all—to keep my hands, and my heart, open. Because in both healing and creating, what we offer the world is only as powerful as our willingness to be transformed in the process.