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.

Cassy Laessig

If it fuels you, keep going. If it drains you, give yourself permission to try something new! Not everything that doesn’t work out is a failure. Sometimes it just means it’s not meant for you at that stage in your life. Read More>>

Krista Nicole Sartin

This is such a fantastic question! Simply, the hope story of people. I am a storyteller, and stories heal. I didn’t know what Kantha embroidery was until a friend gifted me a scarf with the stitching. I have always loved handmade things and stories. It was months before I was able to find out what this fabric was. Read More>>

Heidi (HiD) Schwartz

The most important factor behind my success, and the success of Paint Your Event, is staying true to my voice as an artist…while never losing sight of the human connection.
My work lives at the intersection of fine art and real-time storytelling, and I think people respond to that authenticity. I’m not trying to paint a perfect replica of a moment; I’m capturing the emotion, the energy, and the creative story behind it all.  Read More>>

Mark Taylor

First, I’d like to say thanks so much for having me today. The music industry is really tough. People don’t realize how 10 years can be considered an overnight success, and that’s often a big challenge to overcome. They call Nashville a 10-year town because it legitimately takes 10 years to meet everybody, write the songs you need to write, and to make the connections that need to be made. There’s no rushing that process, even the folks who claimed to be an overnight success usually have some sort of activity happening behind the scenes that the average person does not know about. Read More>>

Mackenzie LaRoe

As a mom to four young children, a business owner, and a community advocate, work-life balance has often felt like a constant juggling act. In the early seasons of my career, I wore “busy” like a badge of honor—overcommitting, overachieving, and pushing myself to the point of burnout. In trying to do everything, I began losing what mattered most. Read More>>