We asked some of the brightest folks in the community to open up to us about the most important lesson their business or career has taught them. We’ve highlighted some of those responses below.

Benjamin Neumann | Guitarist & Photographer

Being creative has always helped me get my mind off of everything. Getting so lost in making a song or a video that I stay up all night and accidentally see the sunrise has been my favorite thing to do for over half of my life now. I’ve yet to make multimedia creation my primary source of income, but to be honest, when I was younger and messing around on the family computer, I didn’t have an income in mind. I’ve done photography for money, and I’ve recorded songs for people for money, but if I won the lottery tomorrow, I would still be taking pictures and making music. Read more>>

Sarah Perez | Dancer

I’m Pursue an artistic career cause for me to Dance, is to be apart of time, to be in unison with the universe. It’s to be a sound, a vibration and to travel beyond the clouds beyond the stars. Dance is a way of living, it’s a rhythm of life, it’s to question oneself to go deep inside oneself. Read more>>

Lili De La Cruz | Maker and Creator

The most important lesson my business has taught me is that it’s not for everyone and THAT’S OKAY. I remember at first I was trying to please everyone and create things others would like but once I got in tune with what I liked to create and realized that it’s not for everyone it actually gave me more confidence. I now make things I enjoy and I I’ve found my tribe that appreciates what I do and supports every launch. Our business won’t be for everyone and THATS OKAY, we will continue showing up for our “internet tribe/besties” anyway. Read more>>

Luiza Carvalho | Interior Designer & Artist

Ever since I could walk, I have been painting and drawing. There is an old video of me painting in our backyard, which I think I already knew at two I would live a creative life. For a career, I wanted to do something tangible but also artistc. When my parents hired an architect to remodel our home, I saw her perspective rendering of our kitchen and I knew immediately I wanted to be an interior designer. Read more>>

Chelsea Johnson | Freelance Graphic Designer

People have always said to me, “Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” I’m not sure where that quote came from or who quoted it, but it has genuinely affected the way I view the career path I have chosen to follow from just over the past couple of years. Growing up, I have always had some type of artistic skills from drawing pictures to writing short stories for fun to dancing on the drill team in High School. Being creative has always been something that has just “stuck” with me. Read more>>

Janaia Bell | Licensed Nail Artist

Initially, I didn’t. I graduated with honors receiving my Bachelors of Science in Merchandising and Business then went on to the workforce like I was expected to. I did nails on the side in college for myself out of desperation and necessity. It wasn’t until 4 years later that I decided to take on the role of a “Nail Artist”. I realized that not only does my well-paying corporate job care next to nothing about me, they also take joy in stifling my ideas, creativity and personality at every opportunity. One of the few, small things I had left to myself was my nails and I flourished there. So I decided to take it further. Read more>>

Kalena Parker | Press-on nail artist

I chose to pursue an artistic career, because I’ve always been into arts and crafts for most of my life. As a child, amongst many other subjects, one of my favorites was art. I was always making crafty things in my spare time. I am at my happiest when I can simply create. It took me some time trying to find my way, but ultimately, it’s a no-brainer for me to make this a way of life. Read more>>

Jasmine Mahogany | Licensed Manicurist

In this short amount of time I learned that vibes and energy are real things. That can affect you in so many ways both negative and positive! But what it taught me was that in your business you want the energy that you carry to rub off in everything you do. So when people come to you they know what they are walking in to. I have a few clients that will literally vet people before sending them to me because of the energy I carry and they don’t want that in my suite. Read more>>

Asha Dukkipati | Director of Pegasus Film Festival

When my film teacher asked me what my favorite films were, I rattled off titles like Rocky, Forrest Gump, and Karate Kid. “Oh, you like The Hero’s Journey!” Ms. Curiel introduced me to Joseph Campbell’s theory that all heroic stories follow a similar structure. Campbell’s thinking helped me view my journey in film as a heroic one. Read more>>