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By: Sophia C.
Jason Boyd is a secondary art teacher, who dares to pursue not one, but two dreams. He studied both science and art in high school and switched his major from engineering to art at the University of Washington. He studied drawing, painting, and digital art. Yet, he is also a restaurateur.
Within the walls of the American International School of Guangzhou, one secondary art teacher merged paths that go by opposing directions.
For the past 19 years, Mr. Boyd managed to find stability and fulfillment in his art career. He taught 3 years in Honduras, 3 years in Croatia, and 13 years at AISG. However, in 2018, Mr. Boyd made a U-turn, becoming the investor of a Mexican restaurant in Guangzhou: Bandidos.
The core of Mr. Boyd’s unique journey is the spirit of risk taking. “I was looking for something new and exciting to do,” he reflects on his decision when stepping into the food industry.
The motives of his path were simple. “I had a dog that was named Taco, so it must have been fate that I would some day be part of a Mexican restaurant!”
Though, Mr. Boyd’s spirit of risk-taking did not end with the opening of a restaurant. He took the spirits of risk-taking into classrooms, extending his impact to his students. An 11th grade student under the guidance of Mr. Boyd for four years, was doing an assignment where she had to rank artists from 1 to 10. She liked an artist named Caravaggio, someone who drew pictures of decapitation.
“Most people felt it too bloody and gave Caravaggio a low ranking, I gave him a full mark but was kind of embarrassed because it sure is very bloody. Mr. Boyd saw that and encouraged me for taking the risk and expressing my own opinion,” said the 11th grade student.
While some criticized the student’s bloodiness, Mr. Boyd praised her boldness. Little did he know, this empowering experience laid foundation for the student’s further artist exploration two years later.
Risk taking is not the only factor that triggered Mr. Boyd’s investment on a restaurant and influenced his teaching style. His dual identity and educational career are also related.
Mr. Boyd used his expertise in graphic design to design the Bandidos logo. Mr. Boyd used his knowledge on photography to take photos for the Bandidos drink menu. “I’ll usually share [progress] with my graphic design class when I’m working on projects, so they can see what design is like in the real world.” By saying so, Mr. Boyd passed the mindset of practical application on to his students.
Mr. Boyd’s colleague Mr. Bose said, “he brings a unique perspective to the classroom, drawing on his experiences in the culinary industry to inspire creativity and encourage students to think freely. […] He had his students make Cereal Boxes, challenging them to explore the relationship between food and art.” Mr. Boyd did not only spark creativity through his innovative combinations of culinary and art, but also provided insights of the interconnectedness in art and real lives.
“He encourages us to find ways of making money by doing art. […] And it also shows us how many possibilities are out there, at least I heard that he once trained dolphins and delivered pizzas as a career, which is inspiring to see how many opportunities there are in life,” said a 11th grade student.
Yet again, Mr. Boyd shared a possibility and unraveled numerous more.
Mr. Boyd’s true-life story of successfully combining two opposing paths inspired students to follow their dreams yet making them practical. “A restaurant can be a nice form of passive income, or it could be a finical black hole.” Though Mr. Boyd followed his heart, he still mentioned, “always do your research before making any major financial decisions.”
As an artist, teacher, and restaurateur, Jason Boyd sets a guiding example that breaks the boundaries between art and cuisine, creating inspiration for his students to merge passion and feasibility.
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