We were fortunate to catch up with some brilliant artists, creatives and entrepreneurs from throughout the Houston area and they share the wisdom with us below.

Katy Schlegel | Healer, Travel Intuitive, Podcaster & Founder of Mariposa Skies

This whole idea of my online boutique- Mariposa Skies started with a series of happenings- what seemed like those insignificant moments but that all lined up in the end. Read more>>

Gracie Santos Guce | Baker and Owner of grayseas pies

I am what some people call an “accidental entrepreneur.” At the start of lockdown during the pandemic in 2020, I decided to bake pies, something I had never done before, to cope with the stress of staying indoors and not being able to see my family or friends. The first pie I ever made was a strawberry rhubarb pie. It turns out I had a knack for baking pies! I started an Instagram account just to document the different pies I was making and when people started to get word that I was making them, there was all of a sudden a demand. I started baking as coping mechanism, not to start a business. But as demand grew, I quickly realized that turning it into a business was a natural step. Read more>>

Kristine Domingo | Fiber Artist, Advocate, and Creative Mentor

Inspiration comes from my life with my family, my experiences in my community, and mostly revisiting memories from the past. I don’t necessarily believe that inspiration can come from just one entity. As an artist, you create what you feel in the moment, what drives you, what message you want to say. It’s never singular. It’s finding an expressive way to overlap life and experiences with your current voice. Read more>>

Amy Bernard Bryant | Ceramic Artist and Interior Designer

I’m inspired by my daughters who since the start of my career as a full-time ceramic artist, have always expressed their pride in me, however big or small my accomplishments have been. They inspire me daily by being positive and hard-working woman themselves. My art is a reflection of my pride and love for my family. Read more>>

Lisa Chen | Freelance Graphic Designer & Owner of Lisa Chen Design

My design studio actually started on an accidental basis. I initially started my Instagram @lisachendesign in 2018 as a place to display my work as a portfolio platform. This was a time where businesses, especially freelancer graphic designers weren’t really on Instagram trying to seek business off the platform. I then started receiving enquiries for Branding projects for small businesses which was something I never expected. I then started using the platform to share the work I was doing for these small businesses. Then covid came, and this changed everything. As most small businesses had to shut down, this gave them more time to shift their focus to their business and restructure or re-market their brand, ready for post covid. The enquiries for new Branding and Websites started fluctuating. During this time, I was still working full-time at an advertising agency as a graphic designer. Once I finished my 9-6 full-time job, I would immediately log onto my freelance clients. I worked around the clock, working up to 6 hours a day after my full time job to try keep up on the demand and meet deadlines. The best part was, I always loved logging on and working on my freelance clients as I really love what I do and the type of projects I get to work on outside of my full-time job. Read more>>

Ian McNair | Songwriter & Data Analyst

I feel like no one really knows anything for certain so I think I disagree with most conventional advice (haha). Actually practicing that through action is a different story… but I do think convention helps with being accepted in society or as a form of insurance on our decisions. From a more general standpoint I think our convention of over-analyzing and trying to come up with the best plans before doing things is pretty disagreeable. It’s like exercise, or investing – just getting started will get you 90% of the way there. Easier said than done though, obviously. Read more>>

CBD Marie | Entrepreneur and Advocate of Holistic Healing Practices

Ditch the idea that everything’s got to be flawless before you kick off, and make peace with the fact that your original plan might go through loads of changes when starting a business. The real deal is staying open to learning, being adaptable, and keeping that curiosity alive. In the ever-changing professional scene (as well as life), being flexible and bouncing back from challenges is what sets you up for the long-haul success and growth. Read more>>

Jenny C. Cohen | Outside In Master, Speaker, Author

I was “made in Taiwan” and grown in the United States. We immigrated to the States when I was almost 6 years old.
My family lineages are farmers from the middle and most southern areas of Taiwan.
My parents were the first to marry by choice instead of the traditional arranged marriage. Read more>>

Kevin aka Qvo | StudioQ/Image Consulting

I grew up in a rigid, disciplinarian environment so Ive noticed that many (if not most) of my Ideas or Conversation Pieces were denied by my community. Read more>>