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.

Kunu Bickal | Fashion Model & Social Media Influencer

Definitely quitting basketball. I envisioned how I wanted my life to be lived and I gave myself two options: either be all in with basketball or be all in with fashion and content creating. Read more>>

Luis Perez | Founder

At Remoov, our mission is to reduce waste by promoting reuse and helping our customers reclaim value from their items. In today’s world, accumulating clutter has become all too easy with the convenience of one-click online shopping. However, recapturing the value of these items and ensuring they don’t end up in costly storage or landfills can be overwhelming and time-consuming. That’s where Remoov steps in. We simplify the process of reclaiming your space and obtaining value for your belongings while minimizing waste. Read more>>

Emily Egan | Founder & Textile Artist

I never wanted to start a business unless I was going to be doing something different and benneficial for our community and world. wildflower wurld was created as a reaction to the current world of mass-production and meaningless consumption. I wanted to create a new world, a “wurld” of low-impact, like-new up-cycled products that inspire my community to express their unique style through sustainably produced fashion. I find unique vintage items, restore, sometimes rework and always hand-embroider them with my signature free-hand stitched designs. I only source items that are comfortable, durable, and able to be restored to like-new condition, but sometimes the items I find have small holes or stains. Most thrifters would pass on the item, or sell it damaged at a lower price, but I want to save these items from the landfill and make sure they stay out of the garbage. So, I make sure to restore the items I source to like-new condition, and visually mend the imperfections by hand-embroidering designs all over. I am passionate about creating the best quality products for my community, ensuring their new-to-them piece has a long new life. It’s the mission of wildflower wurld to “decorate the wurld with wildflowers”, to spread positivity through sustainable fashion and leave our home better than we found it. Read more>>

Dezirea Contreras | Founder of DiscoverUAcademy Microschools

I want to leave a legacy that no matter what life threw at me I was able to get up, dust myself off and march forward with a smile on my face. I want people to remember me that when my name comes up, they will say, ” I knew her! She loved her family. She inspired my kids to follow their passion… she inspired me to follow my passion”. “She had a lot of information to share!” Read more>>

Prudence Zuzero | Entrepreneur

That God was my driving force. That more times than not, I allowed my children and grandchildren to flourish and develop in an open and supportive environment. For those that I met-regardless of how brief- on life’s journey, that hopefully I saw and said something to them like words and/or gestures of thoughtfulness and kindness. Read more>>

George Mevawala | Real estate agent & investor

The most important factor behind my success as a real estate agent is building and maintaining strong relationships with clients. By truly understanding their needs and delivering exceptional service, I foster trust and loyalty, which often leads to referrals and repeat business. This personalized approach not only helps in achieving successful transactions but also enhances the reputation of my brand in the market. Read more>>

Amy Collins | Entrepreneur, business owner

As a startup in the food & drink industry, way back in 2015, we made a conscious decision to focus on the authenticity of food & drink offerings in our homeland, Australia. Our business, “Cup of Joey AZ” began as a food truck operation, successfully negotiated the COVID epidemic & then expanded into a cafe in a brick & mortar location. Read more>>

Jason Higgins | Sauce Boss- Jupiter Rings Buffalo Sauce Owner

The most important lesson my business/career has taught me is that perseverance pays off. No matter how many roadblocks or setbacks I have faced, I have learned to push through with unwavering determination and belief in myself. Every challenge has only made me stronger and more resilient. I have learned that success is not always easy, but it is always worth it in the end. It is crucial to stay focused on your goals and never give up, no matter how tough things may seem. Through hard work, dedication, and a positive mindset, I have achieved things I never thought possible. This lesson has truly inspired me to keep striving for greatness in all aspects of my business and career. Read more>>

Trenton Brisco | Award Winning Film Producer and Screenwriter

When you have a creative mindset and you’re not in a creative career it’s like you’re not yourself. You’re bottling up who you are. You must let you creativity flow or else you will die with in. Die from suppressing your creative powers Read more>>

Ryan Hopper | Artist and Art Instructor

Art has always been my calling, I was drawn towards it growing up as a child on the Navajo Nation. My earliest memories span from picking up a stick and drawing in the sand. The art allowed me to escape into my feelings and express myself even as a child. We couldn’t afford much art materials growing up on a sheep camp. Most times everything went towards raising the animals from sheep, cattle, horses, cats, and dogs so I had to made do with the materials around me. Within, my elementary years of school is where I started joining more art competitions and learning about art from a young age. Also, being around my paternal grandmother who made Navajo rugs. From a young age, I started drawing the animals and things around me and my interest. At the time, Power Rangers was my obsession, things of pop culture, and my love for music. Also, observing my uncles when they would created beautiful art pieces, mostly from oil paintings of eagles, teepees, Navajo baskets, corn and etc. They would normally sell them around outside our local trading post and the flea market. In seeing this gave me a deep sense that my art could be something pursued in the future. Through my art, there is a lot to express and share with the world. Also, allowing me to get it out on paper or whatever medium that was in my hands. Read more>>

Grey Salazar | Freelance Illustrator & Art Educator

As a freelance illustrator, it was difficult at first doing projects that didn’t fuel my personal interests. I took on a lot of work that I just didn’t enjoy doing which led to such an unhealthy balance. I rotated a warehouse day job while freelancing and dreaded the moments in between – it almost felt like I was going down the wrong path. Fast-forward a year and I quit that warehouse job and began pursuing teaching at local city art centers and working in non-profit. I also veered my freelance work into a direction more enjoyable, going from realistic traditional portraiture to fantasy character art. Work suddenly didn’t feel like work and my art became collaborative and delightful. Nowadays, I make sure to rotate between my day-job and my freelance artwork, making sure to never do both on the same day unless deadlines are tight. I also make sure to give myself time to go back to my roots and draw for fun working on personal art projects to continue my motivation. Read more>>

Cameron Macneille | Salon Owner & Hairstylist

I love this question! I like to think I keep a healthy work/life balance. I have a separate phone for work (my salon phone) that I will leave at home during personal time and it has set hours for “Do not disturb”. I only respond to clients and inquiries during my work day’s & business hours. It’s been an amazing change I made a few years back. Read more>>