How Culture Influences Creativity, Enduring The Late 90's As a Gay Filipino Immigrant, And The Importance Of Authenticity

Michael Dumlao is an artist, author, brand director at Booz Allen Hamilton, and activist who is equipped with twenty years of advancing diversity, equity, and social justice through award-winning brand management, digital marketing, and creative storytelling in corporate, federal, academic, and non-profit environments. A sought-after speaker on audacious authenticity, brand elevation, and social equity, he is the author of “Wisdom of Guncles: Living Life from a Queer Perspective” to be published in Summer 2021.

In this episode, we talk about how his journey from the Philippines to Australia to California to Washington DC shaped his identity and creativity by being influenced by different cultures; how his upbringing as a Filipino immigrant and coming out as a Gay Asian person in the late 90’s in a heavily white town was incredibly tough and how creativity helped him deal with trauma; the importance of maintaining authenticity with your identity to build trust with people and client; and we talk about his upcoming book which elevates LGBTQ stories that haven’t been told and the wisdom that they share from their experiences.

Learn more at TheCreativeHaven.com