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How Rich Tu Turned Frustration Into Fuel – Art, Identity & the First Generation Burden

How Rich Tu Turned Frustration Into Fuel – Art, Identity & the First Generation Burden

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🔥 Watch this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast featuring Rich Tu – artist, designer, creative director, and host of First Generation Burden.

Want to build a creative career rooted in identity, culture, and purpose?


This episode is for you.

🎧 Rich Tu shares how he went from comic book–obsessed kid to leading design at MTV, Nike, and now Sunday Afternoon. He gets real about being a first-generation Filipino-American in a corporate world that often lacks diversity, and how he uses creativity as a form of resistance, storytelling, and community building.

If you’ve ever felt like an outsider in the creative industry, this conversation will remind you why your voice matters more than ever.


💬 In this robust conversation, we cover:

The immigrant excellence mindset

Navigating Oregon during the Trump election

Turning frustration into podcasting

What makes a great creative leader

The impact of First Generation Burden Using art to create real-world change

Designing the ACLU x Nike collab

Mentorship, identity, and full-circle moments at Adobe AI, new tools, and what scares creatives most

Legacy, gratitude, and building spaces for BIPOC creatives

Quickfire round: comic books, dream collabs, and creative fuel


🎯 This episode is for you if:

🧠 You want to lead with cultural authenticity

🎙️ You’re building a podcast or platform for underrepresented voices

📐 You’re a designer pushing against boundaries and burnout

📈 You’re ready to merge identity with impact

💡 You want real talk on creative leadership, AI, and career longevity

🔗 Connect with Rich:https://richtu.com/https://www.instagram.com/richtu/https://www.firstgenburden.com/

🎧 Subscribe to The Art School Graduate Podcast for more conversations with boundary-breaking creatives

🎨 Follow @artschoolgraduate_podcast on IG

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