Faces of Entrepreneurship FT. Constance Crompton
Constance Crompton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa and Canada Research Chair in Digital Humanities. She co-directs the Lesbian and Gay Liberation in Canada project with Michelle Schwartz from Ryerson University.
She serves as vice-president (English) of the Canadian Society for Digital Humanities/Société canadienne des humanités numériques and as an associate director of the Digital Humanities Summer Institute, the largest digital humanities training initiative in North America.
What does entrepreneurship mean to you?
Entrepreneurship is all about understanding other people’s problems and blockers and then finding solutions to those problems (sometimes, it’s even worth monetizing the solutions). Studies show that art, literature, and history help entrepreneurs understand other people’s point of view — a critical skill for anyone who is trying to build a client base.
How are you entrepreneurial?
I am armed with the super power of the humanities: understanding the past to better plan for the future. I use my knowledge about where the modern education system came from to help my students navigate the system the way it is now (and, of course, I am always hustling to keep funding research projects, research assistants, and my lab).
How does an entrepreneurial mindset contribute to your life?
Learning to iterate and to level up by taking on new projects has made me less frustrated in my life outside of the university. From filing taxes to organizing a brunch, knowing how to imagine the needs of others and how to iterate over finding solutions together makes for a good time all ‘round!
*This feature was published as a part of the Faces of Entrepreneurship Campaign, 2020.
