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.

Ian Skolnik | Curly hair specialist

Building the tribe one curl at a time. This quote came to me and has guided my practice over the last 20 years. It means stay in the moment focus on the client in your chair or the task at hand. Read more>>

Jian Tanedo | Music Producer

Putting myself out there was one of the most important and life-changing decisions that I have ever made. I have been making beats on various busted laptops and computers for almost 2 decades. I would share some of my work on social media sometimes back then but there really wasn’t much engagement, So I never really bothered to share my music consistently. I would think “What’s the point? No one is really going to hear it”. So I would just make a bunch of beats and have them sitting in my hard drive. It wasn’t until 2021 that I played my music in public for the first time at an event called “”Battle Bot”.  Read more>>

Gretchen Davey-molina | Owner, Groovy Ghost Vintage

Our entire business has been based off taking a risk. Both my husband and I had long term careers with a large corporation, and during Covid we took a look at our jobs and decided it wasn’t for us anymore. Steve had already been selling vintage and antiques for quite some time as a side hobby, but he knew he wanted to go into it full time. I decided to stay a little longer and finish my degree as our company was paying for it, and after I graduated with my Master’s, I jumped into the business with him full time as well. Read more>>

Danielle Wolter | Business Owner/Entrepreneur

The most important factor behind my success is keeping a positive mindset. Running your own business has a lot of ups and downs and it’s so important to stay positive in order to stay motivated to move forward, even when things get hard. AND, a positive person naturally attracts people which helps as you try to build your client base. Read more>>

Alfonso Hernandez | Tour Innovator and Experience Creator

The most important factor behind the success of Five Star Tours is our commitment to connection and experience. We don’t just provide transportation; we craft journeys that bring people closer—to each other, to new destinations, and to cultures worth exploring. Read more>>

Semarria Shoulders | Homeschool Gang

Here’s the revised and expanded version: The end goal is to become a prominent figure in the homeschool industry. I want to spearhead the homeschool movement, emphasizing the importance of community, family bonding, generational wealth, and providing children with a meaningful, well-rounded education. Read more>>

Erik De La Cruz | Writer & Poet

Art chooses you. Ideas are channeled through you and creativity is birthed once you cultivate it. I believe we’re vessels that express what is needed in the world. Words were my first love; they sparked me. From a young age, music was the gateway to poetry. Then, I discovered great poets such as Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, and Shakespeare, and I thought to myself, “I can play with words for a living.” Read more>>

Triadic Design Studio | Interior Design Firm

Work-life balance has definitely evolved for each of us over the years. Early in the start of our company, we were all about the hustle, working long hours, late nights, weekends, and constantly being “on” for clients. As we gained more experience and established ourselves, we started to realize that maintaining that pace wasn’t sustainable in the long run and it wasn’t enjoyable. Now, we’re much more intentional about setting boundaries. We’ve learned to prioritize our time better and delegate tasks when necessary. We each aim to keep after-hours and weekends for personal time, with respect to the occasional projects that require extra attention to get over the finish line. It’s a matter of finding a balance that keeps our creativity flowing without leading to burnout. Read more>>

Isabella Castillo | Content Creator & Marketing Strategist

As I have continued to grow in the creator industry, I have came across challenges in balancing work and my personal life. With time I have found that when I am truly trying to be present and enjoy moments with loved ones, not everything needs to be recorded or filmed and if it does, not everything needs to be edited and posted right in the moment. As creators we get consumed in posting content for our audience right in the moment since we have built a community of people that want to know what we are up to, but this takes away from experiencing things for ourselves as well. This also goes hand in hand on what information I choose to post on the internet. Read more>>