My mom died so that I could live. My name is Patrick “Patcasso” Hunter, and I am a STEAM
Ambassador. By day, I’m an engineer. By night, I’m a live performance painter. I grew up
throughout the 80’s and 90’s in an economically challenged area of Detroit; but like my
friends, I had dreams of greatness. As a child I was fearless. I didn’t know any better. I was
guided by my curiosity of a scientist and my expressiveness of an artist, which allowed me to
transform my surroundings into a limitless realm of possibilities and promise. My desires to
innovate and change the world came from my passion for art, but as I grew older my
innocence as well as my confidence in actualizing my full self chipped away. I began to see
the glass as half-empty and focused on what the world dictated I could achieve, rather than
continue to dream. Not seeing any role models who looked like me doing what it was I truly
desired to do placed seeds of doubt within my head that blossomed and took hold like wild
weeds. I suddenly put pressure on myself to make a choice, thinking I had to. And so, I
made the “safe” choice and pursued a career in engineering- locking the artistic side of
myself away deep down within. It wouldn’t be until ten years later, at the desires of my top
supporter, my mom, that I would stage my comeback as an artist by honoring her last wish.
Since my rebirth, I’ve been on a relentless mission to engage and encourage others to tap
back into their child-like fearlessness and desires - to trust their dopeness. I demonstrate to
adults how to rid themselves from fear. I show them there’s a whole world of innovation
under their noses that harmonizes critical thinking with creativity to bring about more
happiness and fulfillment with their lives. They don’t have to choose one sensibility over the
other, or feel that they can’t do something because they’re presumably “not wired that way.”
I encourage young minds to never lose their imagination in the first place- to keep coloring
outside of the lines.….
Imagine a world in which everyone’s potential is actualized. The ripple effect of courage,
instinct, optimism, and insight would truly innovate the world, bringing us all together as one,
advanced race- the human race. STEAM education, the merging of Art with Analytics, is the
pathway to that world.