"In order to live your dream, there\u2019s a lot of sacrifice that has to be made."\n- Jeff Staple\nStreet culture has been around for almost 20 years, but it's still evolving and growing. A combination of hip-hop, punk rock, and skate culture, the discipline is a perfect amalgamation of creative, independent lifestyles.\n\nNo one knows this better than Jeff Staple, the founder of Staple Pigeon, Staple Design, and Reed Space. Jeff is a front runner in New York City street culture, and today, I've got him on ONKEN RADIO to share his story with you all.\xa0\n\nIn this week's episode, I talked with Jeff about how he went against the grain and risked disappointing his family to start his businesses. Jeff is a brutally smart businessman with an adventurous spirit, and that comes across in his wise words about work and life.\xa0\n\nThis is an episode you're not going to want to miss, and who knows \u2014 it might inspire you to quit your day job. Let's dive in.\xa0\nWho Is Jeff Staple?\xa0\nJeff Staple is a creative visionary with work encompassing graphic design, street culture, fashion design, footwear design, and brand marketing. If you know anything about New York street culture, then you know that his brand, Staple Pigeon, is one of the original brands in streetwear.\n\nIn 1997, Jeff founded Staple Pigeon, the NY-based pioneering streetwear brand with the now-infamous "Pigeon" logo. He also founded the experiential lifestyle boutique, REED SPACE, which is located in the lower east side of Manhattan, in 2002. In addition to his own projects, Jeff has worked on creative projects from startup brands to Fortune 500 companies.\xa0\n\nJeff is also the host of HYPEBEAST's popular podcast The Business of HYPE, and is one of the most prominent teachers on Skillshare. He is also a frequent moderator, lecturer, and keynote speaker at industry panels & conferences.\xa0\n\nDespite his massive success in the art world, Jeff's future didn't always look so creative. Growing up in a strict Asian household, Jeff struggled with his parent's expectations. While they wanted him to pursue the medical field, law, or finances, Jeff wanted to pursue the arts. In this interview, we talk about that struggle, what success really means, how his near-death experience changed his life, and what street culture is really about.\n\nJeff is an extremely hardworking creative, and I have massive respect for the person he is and his craft. I'm so excited to bring this interview to you, so let's get started!\nPursuing Your Passion Despite Other's Expectations\nJeff was born to Chinese immigrant parents who lived in New Jersey, just 45 minutes from New York City. From a young age, he had an obsession with the NYC energy, and always saw himself going to college at New York University:\n"I just was infatuated with the energy since I was really, really young \u2026 [I] was just trying to get into as much trouble as possible in the streets of New York. \u2026 [In] middle school, I told my mom, 'I'm going to New York University.' [And she was like,] 'There's no way [you're] going to a New York City-based school."\xa0\n- Jeff Staple\nI have a lot of Asian friends with immigrant parents, and in many of those cases, there's a struggle between the job the parents think is best for their child and what the child desires to become. I asked Jeff to share a little bit about what this struggle was like and what it taught him:\xa0\n"I hate to sound like a pessimist, but in reality, you're really not going to make them understand. \u2026 They didn't have friends who [were] artists or designers, [and] there was no concept of making a living from being creative or following your dreams. \u2026 So trying to get them to understand that [was] very difficult. And eventually, you just have to decide to make a break."\n- Jeff Staple\nAfter years of trying to make his parents understand, Jeff realized that he was hitting a wall and that it was time to "make a break" for it. When he decided to pursue art school,