Come Up To My Hood

by Ryan Leslie

This past weekend, I had the honor of receiving the 2010 Vanguard Award from the Aspiring Minority Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs of Harvard College. The award was presented during the group's annual Spring Career Conference, and there were roughly 100 students who had come there to be mentored by professionals in the areas of Entertainment, Marketing, Fashion & Media.

I finished this visual piece when I returned from the conference to illustrate that creativity is fueled by ACTION. Even while I was shooting this on the staircase of the building next door to my own, I was stopped by a young man who asked me - 'how do I measure my creative potential?'.  I responded to him the same way I responded to similar questions from the students at Harvard: 'create, collaborate and share your art with the world - and do it now.'

The internet provides an incredible outlet for both emerging and established artists to communicate with their audiences. I firmly believe that when your art is truly remarkable, people will be inclined share the experience they have with what you've created by passing it on to friends, family and new acquaintances.