Meet Eric
Every professional step has brought me closer to understanding the human experience—how we create, feel, heal, learn, work, and connect.
People are often baffled when I talk about my personal and professional background.
↪︎ Theatre Actor/Director and Performance Artist ↪︎ Hospitality/Events ↪︎ Massage Therapist ↪︎ Licensed Acupuncturist ↪︎ Workplace Experience Manager ↪︎ Workplace Strategist ↪︎ A.I. Artist, Writer, and Digital Creator
While it may look like the meandering journey of a textbook dilettante, each opportunity has added another layer of self-awareness and expanded my worldview.
Every professional step has brought me closer to understanding the human experience—how we create, feel, heal, learn, work, and connect.
Exploring Artificial Intelligence.
It was the end of Summer 2023 when I jumped headfirst into the world of Generative AI. Taking Dror Poleg's Hype-Free AI course was the perfect introduction.
My exploration of AI has brought me full circle, back to my creative roots.
Designed for people with non-technical backgrounds, it explored AI's practical applications and the broader implications of making it more accessible to everyday consumers.
From generating code using ChatGPT, creating images with Midjourney, and replicating my voice using ElevenLabs', it was clear that these tools would force us to rethink how we learn, work, and create.
In many ways, my exploration of AI has brought me full circle, back to my creative roots.
It has enabled me to start writing and producing visual work that I have never been able to do with traditional tools.
Since October 2023, I have logged 1200+ hours using AI tools and created over 9,000 images using Midjourney.
Check out more of my work on my business Instagram page!
Visit my Instagram profile for a few more selected images.
Practical Applications
Anyone who knows me knows that I love to talk, a lot.
Acting on stage from an early age and competing in speech and debate on the state and national level, I've never struggled to speak in front of a crowd.
Writing is a different story.
Ever since I was a kid, I've been terrified of writing.
I get inundated with ideas, and the overwhelming feeling can easily derail me and cause me to shut down.
I didn't know how to organize the chaos in my brain. Using AI to address this initial blocker has been profound!
Read about my experience of using AI to organize my thoughts before writing.
Eric Kerr
Check out this article to learn more about my childhood experience.
Sometimes you need to talk it out
Since I find it easier to talk out an idea before beginning to write, I've begun using ChatGPT's voice-to-text or speech feature to do a brain dump.
Getting all my thoughts out in a long-winded, rambling stream of consciousness until I have nothing else to say. At that point, I'll ask ChatGPT to make sense of my ideas, find patterns, and draft an initial outline for me to use.
Instantly, the chaos in my mind becomes a clear and comprehensible outline for me to continue to refine.
From that point, I am off to the races.
Straight Lines Do Not Exist in Nature
My professional journey has been a series of twists and turns, sometimes lacking in direction but always forward.
If I were to divide my life into professional segments or volumes in a series, this is what they'd be.
The Artist
I grew up in North Carolina and attended UNC-Greensboro, where I earned a BA in acting, directing, and dance.
After college, I jumped around. I lived in NYC for a year, worked in hospitality and event production, and then—on a whim with $200 to my name—flew to San Francisco with a friend. I never left.
SF was home for eighteen years. During that time, I continued to pursue theatre, acting in 1-2 shows a year, which averaged around 20 hours/week for 3 months per show.
The Acupuncturist
A couple of years after moving to San Francisco, I decided to study bodywork and earn my massage therapist certification.
The plan was for this to be a stop-gap solution, a way to earn income while I did theatre. After all, my undergrad experience set me up for success, giving me a strong foundation in movement and kinesiology. Studying Japanese theatre, I was drawn to the Eastern modalities (Shiatsu, Thai) more than traditional Swedish or sports massage.
While earning my certification, I had the opportunity to earn practice hours working out of an acupuncturist's office. This choice was a pivotal moment that would change the trajectory of my life.
The experience led me to grad school, where I earned a Master of Science degree in Integrative Medicine (AIMC, Berkeley) and became a licensed acupuncturist (California).
In my acupuncture practice, I specialized in men's health and also partnered with tech startups to develop employee wellness programs,
In 2014, I decided to close my practice and shift to the tech sector and I was hired as an office manager for a healthcare technology company called Omada, a virtual-first chronic care provider.
I was at the forefront of a shift in workplace, quickly establishing myself as an office experience manager. This broadened the scope of my role and was the first time I was able to utilize a combination of skills: theatre and holistic medicine.
Check out this interview to learn my secret to enabling company culture!
The Workplace Strategist
Over the past ten years, I've gained a wealth of experience and influenced the Future of Work as a Workplace Strategist and Experience Designer (Omada Health, DoorDash, WeWork, FutureAdvisor/BlackRock).
Taking a holistic approach to workplace experience, I've partnered with business leaders, collaborated with workplace technologists, led change management initiatives, supported corporate compliance and data privacy, and advocated for healthier work environments.
In 2020, conversations about the Future of Work had yet to pick up traction. I seized the opportunity to take the conversations I was having with colleagues across the globe and launched A Holistic Workplace Experience Podcast.
In each episode, I invited two guests from different fields to share their insights on workplace-related topics like hospitality and office design.
Almost four years later, most of what was discussed is still being talked about (the source of my frustration with the industry).
Episode 9, DEI and the Return to "Normal" (Guests: Kim Crowder and Sabrina Meherally), continues to be my favorite episode and the most significant conversation I had on the podcast.
I put the project on hold when I started my strategy role at DoorDash. It may return, but I'm not making any promises.
I'm fortunate to have found ways throughout my career to infuse my creative spirit into my work.
I've led the design and construction of over 300,000 square feet of office space, working with an amazing group of architects, interior designers, furniture brands, and technology professionals to build the Future of Work.
A New Start
After eighteen years of calling San Francisco my home, I moved to Los Angeles in August 2022, mainly to be closer to friends after my partner of sixteen years, and I decided to part ways amicably.
I'm writing about my experience with divorce and plan to share my learnings at some point in the future.
Tossing even more change into the mix, I departed my role as a workplace strategist with DoorDash in June 2023.
There is much to say about that, but I'm still processing it.
Oh yeah, I was also diagnosed with ADHD at the beginning of 2024. To which I say in my forties:
This course has been extremely grounding and the community very supportive.
What's next?
I am currently exploring new creative opportunities across industries, with the goal of further integrating my vast professional experience and skills.
In addition to consulting, I've been furthering my exploration of AI and working on a few smaller projects related to A Human in the Loop.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.
– Eric
