One of the most important lessons we learned is that our lives and our businesses will teach us along the way.  We don’t need to know everything on day one because the challenges we face on day will likely be ones we are already equipped to handle.  As we overcome challenges we get better and better and as the challenges increase in difficulty so too does our ability to tackle them.

We asked members of the community that we admire to share important lessons their business or career has taught them and have shared some of those responses below.

Craig Wisner

As a lifelong public educator, I’ve come to truly value the interconnectedness created through the school community. A few thousand students have come through the doors of my ceramics program at Culver City High School and it’s an honor to have played a small role in so many individual stories. While teaching is very much about giving, after decades in this career, I begin to wonder if all of my students have not given me more.  Read More>>

 Haoqian

The most important lesson my career has taught me is the value of adaptability. In the film industry, especially as a Production Sound Mixer, no two projects are ever the same. Each set comes with its own unique challenges—unpredictable environments, last-minute changes, technical issues, and creative adjustments. I’ve learned that being flexible and staying calm under pressure is just as important as technical expertise. Another key lesson is the power of collaboration. Read More>>

Yujin Han

Because improvisation is unpredictable by nature, we can’t fully prepare for the unknown. The best approach is to appreciate the moment and find ways to respond to it.

While studying at Berklee, my mentor, Danilo Pérez, introduced us to fear training. It is about facing unexpected, unplanned situations with trust. My experience with it was to listen deeply to what was happening and decide what the music needed. Read More>>

Laila Hazel

If I had to describe the most important lesson my business has taught me, it would be that it is okay to go back to the drawing board. This can be a considerably broad statement. My business began in 2020 at the age of sixteen years old, without any formal business training there were a few lessons I had to learn through experience. Read More>>