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.

Jeff Pollard

There were many reasons why I started my (marketing) business, but at the heart of it I truly like to help people. I live by the motto, “don’t make it harder than it has to be.” If you can help, then help. If you can’t, just be upfront about your limits. A lot of success comes down to simple communication. My YouTube channels HeyHeyJeffPollard and HeyHeySouthBay, along with my Instagram @JeffPollard11, are free simple marketing tools to help your businesses be seen further.  Read More>>

Daisy Collingridge

That’s a nuggety question, and one I wish I had the answer to. I think to be able to define what success means to me would be a success in itself

On one hand, having shifting parameters of success keeps me striving, not just for more, but for variety, breadth, depth. On the other, chasing an ever-evolving ideal can be a recipe for restlessness and anguish. Read More>>

Chang Su

As a filmmaker, I’ve come to appreciate the saying that filmmaking isn’t purely dictatorship or purely democracy. Recognizing and consciously applying this idea to each decision I make has become extremely important to me. Previously, my approach tended to swing between two extremes: sometimes overly stubborn and convinced that my vision was unquestionably correct, while other times hesitant and insecure about expressing my opinions. Read More>>

Might Delete Later

The voicemails that I receive on a daily basis. To be honest, every time I feel a little down or unsure about something, I just pull up that folder where all of them are stored- go through them and I’m back to the “hustle mode” again. It’s just incredible, the stories that people dare to share through the phone. Read More>>

Charles Almero

As a Creative, I’m inspired by many things. It could be what I embark while running an errand, or it can be when I place myself in isolation. I’m drawn to what my feelings gravitate to, and I think that’s where I’d like to take my audience. I’m a Filipino-American that migrated here in the States at the age of 6. I come from a very strong family background from both my Mom & Dad. Both have made sacrifices to give their children an opportunity here in the States, and through them, I carry that pride knowing where I came from. And that’s what inspires me. Read More>>

Brian Oliva

Do what makes you happy.

I heard it growing up, and I still hear it today. Though, I don’t think it’s bad advice, I think it’s horribly incomplete.
Happy is an emotion that tends to wear down after you the dopamine high from all the likes and positive comments from your Instagram post of telling your friends your will be leaving your corporate job to chase a passion! Read More>>

Kadie Chronister

One conventional piece of advice I don’t agree with is the idea that you should “do what you love” for work.

That’s just not how it works for everyone. For many people, the reality is that you do what you have to do to pay the bills — and then you find time to do what you love on the side, even if it never makes you a cent. Read More>>

Cat Halbeisen

Of course I can’t speak for everyone (though I think this is relatable!) but I will spend hours and hours mulling over and tweaking every detail, no matter how simple the finished product ends up being. Every illustration that turns into a sticker was obsessed over, or put aside for weeks—more likely months—before I deemed it “ready.” Art can have these details that seem so small but feel so necessary and important to making something feel finished. A little dot here, a little blending there. It all matters to me! Read More>>

Engjell Hasula

One thing outsiders are probably unaware of is how much emotional labor, vulnerability, and constant balancing go into both teaching and writing—especially when those worlds seem so different on the surface.

As a professor, people see the classroom hours, but not the quiet, unpaid work behind the scenes: the lesson planning at night, the grading on weekends, the emotional weight of worrying about students long after the bell rings. Read More>>

Cesar Osorio

One of the most difficult decisions was having to leave from the Los Angeles Police Department, 1 year short of securing my pension. Read More>>

Gabriela Bonet

I’ve learned that pain is my biggest and most honest friend.

It’s the one that floods me with e-motion—a catalyst to keep going.
I’ve learned that I’m always going to strive for more… and when I get there—then what? Read More>>

RJ Jackson

I grew up in upstate New York in a home filled with love, faith, and purpose.

My parents were a beautiful example of what it means to live with integrity. They loved God, they loved each other, and they loved people intentionally. They didn’t just raise us—they led us, by example. Read More>>

Lay Hak

I am from Pomona, CA filmmaking wasn’t big in my household, but growing up I watched YouTubers like Wong Fu Production and RocketJump, and through them, I learned a lot about storytelling and how creative people can be through filmmaking combined with storytelling. I remember falling into the rabbit hole of short films amazed and captivated by the stories people had to tell. Read More>>