About Me
Professional Bio
Adebola Oshipitan is a multidisciplinary scholar and creative visionary, recognized as a Watson Fellow '22 for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Through extensive ethnographic research, he explored global Negrophilia, unraveling intricate cultural dynamics. As a former psychology research assistant at Harvard University's Nock Lab, his contributions to groundbreaking studies in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy are notable. He has assisted psychiatrists and conducted research for the Norman and Ida Stone Institute of Psychiatry for Northwestern Memorial Hospital as a medical intern. Amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as an Emergency Medical Technician, demonstrating unwavering dedication in crisis situations.
Adebola's academic pursuits seamlessly blend with his artistic ventures, creating a synthesis that transcends conventional boundaries through writing, directing, cinematography/photography, modeling, and fashion. His deep engagement in unraveling the complex tapestry of Black narratives in Asia and Europe, alongside his early initiative in founding the NPO Uniform Party Ministry at the age of 13, reflects some of his ongoing commitments to effecting tangible change on global and local scale. Rooted in West African and Daoist philosophy, Fanonian psychiatric theory, and Jungian psychology, Adebola's holistic perspective challenges traditional paradigms. His unique blend of scholarly rigor, creative innovation, and unwavering commitment makes him a transformative force in every endeavor he undertakes.
About Adebola (say Ahh-day-bo-la)
I am an alchemical storyteller, weaving narratives that bridge cultures, challenge ideological monoliths, and pave a path to Afrofuturism with the wisdom of a medical researcher, the creativity of an artist, and the empathy of a humanitarian, reshaping the essence of Black existence. Although I majored in psychology but expanded my academic horizons by engaging in photography, writing poetry, producing music, and studying film. This duality in my life reflects a deeper truth about my identity—the porous boundaries between academia and creativity. These boundaries are meant to be traversed, deconstructed, and reassembled.
I am not a fan of specialization but it dominates the age. I see great worth in being generalist with depth. As a multipotentialite and future polymath, I don't fit into boxes or niches neatly since I'm Mr. Do It All–I like to do it all. I prefer fumbling through life with grace and getting distracted and motivated by whatever comes next. I'm not aimlessly wandering though since I am guided by Yoruba Àse or the "lifeforce" or "energy" in all living and non-living things. It's an internal principle that underpins my life and creations whether artistic, academic, or otherwise. I create life for life's sake and not art for life's sake. If you get it, you get it and if you don't...the ability to make creative work for me is to fulfill both the practical and conceptual aspects of being. Inside of that, I'm probably picking up a hobby or interest that I have no time for but will somehow make time for. At the moment, it's producing and curating music and collecting vinyls and vintage copies of National Geographics.