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.

Sookey Farkas | Hair Stylist/Hair Care Specialist

I didn’t go into the working world thinking I would be an entrepreneur and own my own business. I started on the opposite end of the spectrum, in science, specifically biology. I had dreams of doing biological research and spent the first half of my twenties trying to find my niche in the academic world. After many years in several jobs from retail pharmacy, microbiology, and chemistry, I remembered a college professor told me to find something you love and that you’re good at, and success will follow. I’ve always loved doing hair! So I decided to enroll in beauty school. Halfway through school, I landed an internship at Mario Tricoci and finished their cutting and styling internship in 2009. In a twist of fate, that same year Tricoci left Columbus and I found myself on my own. I quickly found the new and up-and-coming SalonLofts and with the last $600 I had, I put it all into this new endeavor. Due to many learnings, fumbles, gracious clients, and their feedback, I started building a clientele. Through that I knew it was essential to set myself apart, and offer something unique to my clients, by means of specialization. So I thought why not bring my two loves together, science and hair? And from there the concept of Scientist gone Stylist was born. Read more>>

 John Gibson | Professor, Storyteller, and Imperial Stormtrooper Dropout

Of all the roles I have, I think being a parent is probably the most important — tied with being a husband.

In both of these roles, there’s been successes and failures, for sure. But, I think the most important thing I’ve done as a parent to impact my children is to give them a consistent message. It’s a message I’ve told them since probably even before they were ever able to talk, but as they’ve gotten older (Emery is 9 now; Silas is 11), I’ve tried to reinforce it even more. Read more>>

John-Edward Heath | Professional Athlete

Risk-taking is very scary, as humans we are used to security and the known. Risk-taking is what helped with my career and I would not be here if it was not for the risk I took on myself three years ago. The hardest part is going into debt and betting everything on yourself because security makes you feel safe and when making a decision that could potentially leave you without money some may not have the courage and the fear of risk-taking can take over. When I look back on many risks I have taken I would not take them back. The development it played in my personal and professional career will always remind me that it was the right decision to make. We need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable is a saying we see all over social media, but I truly believe true character development is in that space. Read more>>

Francesca Colombara | Illustrator and 2D animator

Being a freelancer working in the creative field, I feel quite used to risks and uncertainty, haha. While it can be a huge source of insecurity, taking risks can, on the other hand, open up opportunities you never imagined and contribute to personal growth. Personally, I’m a optimistic person, which makes me more inclined to take risks. Read more>>

Andria Aeschliman | Photographer

Staying consistent, setting personal goals and mapping out a plan to achieve those goals. When plan A doesn’t work go to plan B but never quit or give up. Work hard but work smart. Read more>>

Lance Self | Car sales leader & Community Planner

Serving my community. Serving my community is truly a passion of mine, and by giving back to my community, the community has taken care of me/my brand. Read more>>

Alex Johnson | Actor, Writer, Producer, and Mascot

Working on the set of a film. Whether it’s acting, directing, running boom, there’s nothing that fills me with joy quite like being on the set of a film. It’s a magical place and I’ve been lucky enough to work with amazing people on every set I’ve been on. Read more>>

Kalyani Sapkal | Fund Development Consultant

One piece of conventional advice that I respectfully disagree with is the notion that one must accumulate extensive experience within larger nonprofits/companies to be considered a great consultant and to be taken seriously in the field. While this advice may have merit for some, it limited my own professional growth for a period of time. Read more>>

Rance Robinson | Portrait Photographer and Realtor

I’m a native of Memphis, TN. That’s the city I take the most pride in claiming even though I left there when I was eight years old because the city had an identity. Especially for black people. Staxx Records was founded there. Issac Hayes made his name there. Whether you understood it completely or not, you couldn’t help but feel like Memphis is important. From the BBQ to the musical impact. When I was a kid, Graceland and The Lorraine Motel were places we had to pass by to get home. My parents and my big brother would talk about the meanings of it all. I’d ride past Graceland and see Elvis’ airplanes. I remember being at church one time and Al Green happened to be there. Read more>>

Gwendolyn Rehm | Music Instructor & Educator

Work life balance is such a huge part in the season of life I am in. As a 32 year old small business owner, AND mom of 2 children who I am homeschooling I am very protective of my time at home with them. Growing my own business after leaving the formal teaching world was a leap of faith, but word of mouth has filled my studio and I am now looking to add additional teachers to serve the community who is looking for high quality music education for their kiddos of all ability levels. I’ve learned to not let my email box control me, to schedule my work time for after bedtime or when my husband is home with the kids, and to remove the commitments or distractions that are not adding value to our lives. Helping others understand my schedule is not traditional, but having the flexibility to decide when I’m working has been game changing for work life balance. Read more>>