Community Highlights: Meet Thomas Marable of Space 6 Studios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Marable.

Hi Thomas, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I”ve decided to give you my story in five brief snapshots of my life in the following areas Young and early childhood
Teenage years
Extended education years
Professional Years
Current professional and focus interest

Young and early childhood
The age of 8 or 9 years old is where I can clearly remember ongoing events better than I can at a younger ages, and because the years before 8 to 9 years of age was indeed complicated and require far more time and space than this interview could provide. Therefore, I will start my story at that specific point in my life. My story start at being raised by a divorced single parent that accomplish the herculean tasks of raising me and my six siblings, post-divorce. Needless to say, we were forced to live variously at or slightly above the poverty level. However, my mother, miraculously, for the most part, seem to provide housing and shelter several levels above the poverty level housing conditions. And though the food supply was regularly low, she never allowed it to descend to the starvation level.

Mother, always the warrior, got a third job at Hot Shoppes, Jr Hot Shoppes, and then at KFC, where she would work the last shifts of the night. I remember waiting up late some nights, extremely excited to see what she would bring home, Mighty Mo, KFC fried chicken, orange freeze, etc. My favorite was the Mighty Mo sandwiches. This was no doubt an almost constant worry for my mom that we would have adequate food, we now call that food insecurity! She managed that aspect of our upbringing well.

As I mentioned, this was the third job she held simultaneous to her jobs as a full-time Licensed Practical Nurse (what a proud moment for her and me) and her private duty assignments. I believe her late-night coworkers at KFC and Hop Shoppes had to admire her dedication to raising her seven children, which is a herculean challenge, so I am sure they offered her the excess cooked chicken/food that they used to routinely throw away at the very end of the store day closeout. And this is one of the seven children who appreciated what was not only essential food for several days, it always served as treat based on our economic status at that time; we simply did not have the resources to eat at the burgeoning fast-food establishments during that time. And I will get back to notion of a single mother working three jobs later in this interview, unbeknownst to me at the time, it would immensely impact the trajectory of my life during some of the most critical years of my teenage and young adult development.

My mother after her divorce from my father, went on to shoulder all the of the financial responsibility required to house, clothe, feed, and send to school seven children. Consequently, it required that we moved often, and for the most part, we always moved to safe and good communities, however, being totally oblivious to her main ever-present need to maintain her family, I foolishly begin object to the news that we had to move once again, and it would require a transfer to a new school because we were moving essentially out of state, and this was by the age of 11. At some point, I had surprisingly convinced my mother to let me go stay with my paternal grandmother so I could stop the need for frequent school transfers. Finally, she agreed to this arrangement. Funny, although I passionately requested that she let me stay with my grandmother, shortly after I moved to go live with my grandmother, I quickly begin to harbor some serious internal resentment toward my mother for letting me go. Hey, I was only 11 years old. That resentment was initiated by the fact that the move to my grandmother quickly proved to me to a whole new set of family and social challenges within the influence of major family dynamics that was far worse than what I had imagined.

Teenage years
While living with my grandmother, I remember at the age of 12 or 13 being asked by my Geography Teacher at the end of that school year, to the entire class to individually to state what they wanted to be or study after graduating from school. A standard question in that time. At that moment, I felt an internal compulsion to acknowledge one of my favorite pass-times as a young child, so once my turn came, I said that I wanted to be an Architect. It felt like then it was the one thing that naturally came from my Mouth. This idea was apparently subconsciously brewing in my head since I had started to watch a sitcom called “Mr ED” the talking horse. One of the lead actors was an architect (military), and I realized that I had always looked forward to enjoy watching scenes that included his architectural model displays.

Honestly, I surprised myself, I had joined the school marching and concert bands, and even made it to become Drum Major during my senior year in Jr High School, so the whole architect and images clearly made an impression on my subconscious along with a new sense of purpose to escape the economic level in the aforementioned. In retrospect I realize God’s role in the whole preparation for my vison would come to fruition. An architect, so there I was thinking big, where did that come from considerating the backdrop of my upbringing under the aforementioned environment. There was no logical reason that I should have had the temerity to think of attending school beyond the required K thru12 grades, much less attending college or securing a professional career. There were just no roadmaps, examples, guidance or resources, etc. to assist with the fulfillment of these aspirations. Zero!!!

Although my mother is my gold standard for hard work, dedication, and perseverance, she was never going to be able to accomplish the impossible tasks of performing three jobs and raising seven children, and to be some Wonder Women who could also provide the highest level of early childhood educational support as well. Not in the pre-technological era.

However, my grandmother, with only a second-grade education, also added her enormous influence in my life through her constant display of hard work, love, compassion, and wicked skill set in cooking, and this is where I acquired my love of cooking. And I loved her dearly until she passed. As I matured through the years with my grandmother, I finally realize that the resentment I felt toward my mother was severely misplaced. So, I lived with grandmother for approximately 6 six to seven years until I was due to graduate a year early from High School. To be sure, this marked the very moment that I actually realize that everything that I could dream, wish or hope for would take an enormous effort on my part. To start, it took a full summer of extra classes to achieve the goal of graduating early, which I set for myself at age 15 or 16. Imagine a teenager giving up an entire summer for the goal of graduating early as if I had some master plan or the resources to make it happen. At this point, I am totally operating and existing in my mind on pure faith.

Nevertheless, before High School graduation, I had already been working a couple of years parttime at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington DC. In my senior year tenure as Drum Major I signed up for Youth Summer program preceding my first-year attendance at High School, and because of their appreciation for my work ethnic during the period of the summer jobs program, they offered me a part-time job while I was attending High School. Remember I graduated early from High School. I agreed to work a 4:00pm to 9:00pm directly after school during my two years in High School, and I also played in the marching, jazz and concert bands so I had to fit practice and homework time into my regular schedule.

I am forever grateful for my High School counselor, who apparently sensed my desperation and desire to further my education but without the resources to do so. I made sure I kept my grades high so that it wouldn’t be an excuse not to pursue this area for my educational development. I would be the only sibling in that space to ever go to college, much less obtain a degree in a professional industry. The counselor worked with me to apply to community college, and because I had a part-time job at the hospital, I was able to secure payment for my own training and education beyond the High School level. At this point in life, I finally felt some control over my own life’s trajectory.

Extended education years
After graduation from High School, I did go back to live with my mother for about approximately a year and a half before moving out on my own (age 18) for the first time. It was starting a path to something that was truly unknown and strange in my orbit, and that was to attend local community college for a two-year architectural engineering degree. And the beginning to fully display the traits of my mother’s work ethnic and persistence. And here’s where I pick-up on my earlier statement about the whole working two to three jobs thing while still having and pursuing higher educational/training aspirations was clearly manifesting itself in my life, and clearly a seed planted by my mother that is still bearing many good fruits.

At this point in my life, I now realize that I was firmly set on making that “Mr. ED show” vision come to fruition. And okay, other than a trusted uncle (my mother’s brother) I had no father in my life, no father figure, or immediate/extended family to even discuss issues of attending college, selecting a career, and the financial resources, etc. Armed with very limited language and communication skills at this point, I focused on the constant opportunities ahead to get better I these areas, and sure enough, as if literally no time or appetite to focus on things that I lacked from my earlier childhood but rather to focus on those opportunities.

I am a native Washingtonian who graduated early from high school to go on to obtain an associate degree in architectural engineering from the University of the District of Columbia, a five-year Professional Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Howard University. I also came within six courses of obtaining a bachelor’s in construction management before turning my full attention to obtaining my architectural license, which I indeed obtained at the age of 27. Now I was armed with an architectural license, an architectural engineering degree, a five-year professional degree, and about five years of professional working experience with a few architectural and engineering firms. Now, graduating earlier from High School all made sense! And was clear that God was turning my ashes into beauty

Professional years
As it turned out, the 5th oldest kid to a group of seven siblings, with very limited family or other resources, and limited communications skills due to the earlier educational disruptive patterns to even begin to ponder anything outside of breaking free from my early childhood economic and family challenges found a way to:

Become a Licensed Architect for over 24 years
Increase my skill sets to be thoroughly knowledgeable about all facets that interfaced with architecture, therefore, I acquired over 20 years experience as a Program, Project, or Construction Manager,
Manage private practice over 20 years
practice to comprise over 35 years of combined professional experience in the Washington DC Metropolitan area, Maryland, Virginia, and aboard
Worked on, managed or developed projects throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, and abroad, including Japan, Korea, Guam, Portugal, St Lucia, Jamaica, Bahamas, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.

Current professional focus and interest
My current professional career endeavor is to finalize the infrastructure required for the ongoing operations of a new and innovative initiative, known as the Coastal Communities Initiative. It will promote the sustainability of coastal region communities without significant reliance on forces outside of their control – public emergencies, disasters, and climate change preparedness. I am managing the overall implementation of the Coastal Communities Initiative as a nonprofit entity to manage ongoing, global training and execution of this initiative. And simultaneously finalizing the establishment of the Space 6 Studios to provide technical assistance, advanced research, planning design, engineering, and program management of the international collaborative partnership, and real estate development of a prototype Sustainable Urban Villages (SUV)/Enclaves. Please refer to our website at www.space6studios.com where highlight our initial sponsorship

One of the primary parts of this initiative includes year-round Pop-up spaces to support the majority of his community-specific small and micro-business training, year-round agricultural gardening and healthy food production, international cultural exchange, and the practical application of easy-to-apply, sustainable technologies. The intent is to implement disaster-resistant design & construction initiatives that will include the immediate practical application and the basic education/training of easy-to-apply disaster resistance, design/construction techniques, including the primary use of Geodesic Dome technology.

In addition to developing the Coastal Communities Initiative, we are simultaneously seeking to develop a prototype real estate project for a Sustainable Urban Village (SUV)/Enclave. With a keen focus on establishing meaningful collaborative partnerships to promote making our communities far more prepared for the increasing occurrence of natural and man-made disasters, environmental challenges, and the lack of robust, sustainable community education and training. I have labeled this effort a prototype “Hub within the Village,” real estate development.

Integral to this development is the development of collaborative partnerships that will support better knowledge and training in the practical application of easy-to-apply sustainable technologies within community-specific pockets of underserved/undeveloped or highly developed urban, rural, coastal, and adjacent communities – worldwide. I have developed a strategic approach that is augmented by an international collaboration between universities, academic and research specialists, professionals, small and large business corporations, entrepreneurs, and local governmental, quasi-governmental, and international stakeholders.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
To the issues of obstacles, I have learned that there are always challenges. The decision whether or not we choose to meet or exceed them usually lies within ourselves. I start by immediately not identifying obstacles or problems, it causes us to think past the real issues and solutions. And to borrow one of my son’s sayings, “work the problem.” I subscribe to the belief that “the road to success is always under construction.” To be sure, focus, dedication, perserverance and discipline at an early age will be at the top of things required to have in your toolbox, and remember that there is comedy in patience.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I have included the following paragraphs at the end of the above “Your Story” section as well.

Current professional focus and interest
My current professional career endeavor is to finalize the infrastructure required for the ongoing operations of a new and innovative initiative, known as the Coastal Communities Initiative. It will promote the sustainability of coastal region communities without significant reliance on forces outside of their control – public emergencies, disasters, and climate change preparedness. I am managing the overall implementation of the Coastal Communities Initiative as a nonprofit entity to manage ongoing, global training and execution of this initiative. And simultaneously finalizing the establishment of the Space 6 Studios to provide technical assistance, advanced research, planning design, engineering, and program management of the international collaborative partnership, and real estate development of a prototype Sustainable Urban Villages (SUV)/Enclaves. Please refer to our website at www.space6studios.com where highlight our initial sponsorship.

One of the primary parts of this initiative includes year-round Pop-up spaces to support the mority of his community-specific small and micro-business training, year-round agricultural gardening and healthy food production, international cultural exchange, and the practical application of easy-to-apply, sustainable technologies. The intent is to implement disaster-resistant design & construction initiatives that will include the immediate practical application and the basic education/training of easy-to-apply disaster resistance, design/construction techniques, including the primary use of Geodesic Dome technology.

In addition to developing the Coastal Communities Initiative, we are simultaneously seeking to develop a prototype real estate project for a Sustainable Urban Village (SUV)/Enclave. With a keen focus on establishing meaningful collaborative partnerships to promote making our communities far more prepared for the increasing occurrence of natural and man-made disasters, environmental challenges, and the lack of robust, sustainable community education and training. I have labeled this effort a prototype “Hub within the Village,” real estate development.

Integral to this development is the development of collaborative partnerships that will support better knowledge and training in the practical application of easy-to-apply sustainable technologies within community-specific pockets of underserved/undeveloped or highly developed urban, rural, coastal, and adjacent communities – worldwide. I have developed a strategic approach that is augmented by an international collaboration between universities, academic and research specialists, professionals, small and large business corporations, entrepreneurs, and local governmental, quasi-governmental, and international stakeholders.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Need more understanding of the question.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.space6studios.com