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.

ZaLonya Allen, PhD | President/CEO of National Entrepreneurs Association

Taking risks is what entrepreneurship is all about. One of the reasons risk-taking is such a big part of entrepreneurship is because statistics have shown us time and time again that most entrepreneurs will not experience the success that they want in their businesses. If you’re going to be an entrepreneur you have to become comfortable with taking calculated risks meaning, do your homework, do your research and then based on that research make your move with confidence. Preparation is the key to believing in yourself and your ideas. I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 20 years and to this day I still find myself making decisions that cause me to have a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach but despite that feeling I do things that I believe will pay off in the end. It’s natural to feel nervous when you have a lot on the line with no guarantee that it’s going to work out. One of my favorite quotes is by Nelson Mandela and it simply says, I never lose, I either win or I learn. I think that’s how entrepreneurs have to look at risk taking. If you try something and it works, great! However, if you try something and it doesn’t work then you have to ask yourself, “what can I learn from this experience?” Then try again but with a new level of understanding. Read more>>

Liz Fackelman | Collectibles Advisor & Certified Productive Environment Specialist & Professional Organizer

Trust. My clients trust me. I put my clients’ best interest first. So I get a lot of referral business. Read more>>

Robin Boguslawski | An outside the box creator of home decor

Not listening to the people and noise that told me I couldn’t do it. Those who would say “oh isn’t that cute she makes stuff but it will never go anywhere.” Read more>>

Stephanie Fazekas | Children’s Author (S.F. Hardy), Mixed Media Artist, and Librarian

Creating makes me happy! Whether it is writing stories, painting, designing candles or crocheting, I’m most at peace when I am able to bring my visions to life. I find creating cathartic, but it also gives me the opportunity to share with others, albeit gifting my crafts, teaching someone else or displaying for others to enjoy. Read more>>

Lucas Trompeter | Photographer

Being a photographer brings me immense joy as it allows me to express my creativity and vision through the lens. The process of framing a scene, adjusting settings, and capturing the perfect shot is a fulfilling and satisfying experience. Moreover, each photograph becomes a peek or unique look into that individual. The ability to find beauty in ordinary people and share those perspectives with others adds an extra layer of happiness to my passion for photography. Read more>>

Samuel Van Wagoner | Musician

Stay true to your version of success and set achievable goals. When I decided I was going to be self-employed, I defined that success would be to make a living playing music. I was never going to be a millionaire but I have been able to use my talents to pay my bills, build a comfortable life, and to travel the country with my family. After being a working musician for the past twenty three years, my sustainability and consistent work has helped reinforce my idea of success and led to self-fulfillment which is important in a career. Read more>>

Kristin Hussey | fine artist

I was raised in an artistic household and was always encouraged to be creative; whether it was painting artwork, building tree forts outside, writing music, or designing houses for my barbies. For as long as I can remember, I couldn’t picture my life without creativity being a focal point. I loved the idea of having a career that encouraged seeking out inspiration and beauty in the everyday moments, allowed for creative freedom, and I also added more beauty to the world. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do something that I’m passionate about as my career. Read more>>

John Taylor | Entrepreneur & Artist

Ever since I was young, I’ve always seen myself as being creative. Whether it was with art like drawing & coloring when I was in elementary, to creating music in middle school. In middle school, I was on the marching band and played the bass drum. After learning how to read music and listening to the band as a whole, I started to mentally create my own songs. It was such an amazing feeling to know that I had learned the music well enough to want to create my own. Then with the advancement of technology, I was always around a computer. In high school, I was able to learn programs like AutoCAD & Photoshop. During those classes, we had the ability to be very creative with our projects. That was essential for me because it helped me figure out how to tune my creativity in a way that was different from everyone else. While growing up, I was able to notice patterns in people and used that to my advantage when it was time to stand out. Read more>>

Jeryse Kelly | Wedding/Event Planner at MJK Events

My work-life balance changed with the seasons of my life. When I first started my retail career after graduating from Arizona State University (BA in Clothing & Textiles with a minor in Business), I had a lot of time to devote to my career. Yes, I was newly married but my husband was also busy working. It was the time to build our careers and we didn’t have a lot of family to try to spend time with. I worked many hours, including overtime hours, without any guilty thoughts of whether I should be home or doing something else. Read more>>

Bobby Streng | Saxophonist, composer, arranger, and music director

I had to start with this one when I saw the question on the list. I have a few close friends that I talk about this with at length on a regular basis. For me, I have found that a good work life balance is an unfortunate myth. Whatever I do in life, I want to do it my best and give it my all. When I’m feeling really good about my performance abilities, I don’t feel like I’m there enough for my kids. When I feel like I’m really putting in the time to be a good father, I know that my music is suffering. Before kids, my work, hobbies, interests, obsessions, friends, travel and social life all revolved around music and gigs. There was no need to consider a work life balance, because work was life. My whole existence pointed in one direction. Proving the myth of balance wrong is a quest that I won’t give up on though. There are long stretches where I know work takes me away from my family, and maintaining a high level of performance requires a lot of dedicated time. I try to balance that out with time off the best that I can. If I find a better way to crack the code, I’ll be sure to let you know. Read more>>