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.

Antonio Lasanta

Well, to begin with I never really had the brain for maths or other STEM fields. My thoughts always felt kind of amorphous and frenetic, which kind of made numbers and mathematical concepts hard to crystalize. I always hoped it would make sense, but my mind tends to shut down whenever confronted with things like formulas. So pursuing those fields was out of the question for me, pretty early on. It just wasn’t going to happen, unfortunately. Read More>>

Carolina Aguilar

I pursued a career in DJing because music has always been the one place where I felt seen. Growing up my love for music helped me through the good and bad times. Before I ever touched turntables or a DJ controller, I played guitar and piano. Playing instruments gave me a voice when I didn’t have the words, and that led me to wanting to share that same freeing feeling with others. Music brings people together! Whether you’re at a concert with thousands of other people or you’re at a small bar supporting a local artist, everyone is there for the same reason and that’s so beautiful to me. Read More>>

Emissary Quartet

One of the biggest habits that has helped us succeed is staying organized and goal-oriented. As a chamber group, we’re constantly thinking about both the big picture and the small steps it takes to get there. For example, we regularly map out long-term projects and then set deadlines for the smaller tasks that will make them possible, whether that’s applying for grants, programming concerts far enough in advance to learn the repertoire deeply, or planning collaborations with other artists. Read More>>

Harold Guerra

Respect! I’ve always believed respect is a key component of everything we do. It means honoring people’s calling, vision and who they are. Respect creates a culture where individuals are valued, heard and empowered. In business, respect always produces the best results because it allows productivity and creativity. It fosters growth by acknowledging people’s thoughts and abilities. If you value respect, you’ll gain a good reputation. Ultimately, I think, a respect driven business will always lead to a model of sustainable success not just one big momentary peak. Respect teaches you to treat people well, and it builds resilience. Read More>>