What happens when an ultra-competitive systems thinker walks away from a comfortable tech career and decides to build something real, messy, and human? Blake joins us to unpack how a failed $40k app, a seasonal toy, and one conversation with an 83-year-old shop owner sparked a thriving fabric business built on brand-name textiles, creative financing, and the infinite game of community. We dig into the scrappy playbook: validating demand before spending a cent, pre-selling through social medi...
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What happens when an ultra-competitive systems thinker walks away from a comfortable tech career and decides to build something real, messy, and human? Blake joins us to unpack how a failed $40k app, a seasonal toy, and one conversation with an 83-year-old shop owner sparked a thriving fabric business built on brand-name textiles, creative financing, and the infinite game of community. We dig into the scrappy playbook: validating demand before spending a cent, pre-selling through social medi...
What happens when an ultra-competitive systems thinker walks away from a comfortable tech career and decides to build something real, messy, and human? Blake joins us to unpack how a failed $40k app, a seasonal toy, and one conversation with an 83-year-old shop owner sparked a thriving fabric business built on brand-name textiles, creative financing, and the infinite game of community. We dig into the scrappy playbook: validating demand before spending a cent, pre-selling through social medi...
What if your creative practice wasn’t a side note, but the reason you get out of bed? We sit down with Hara Allison—graphic designer, photographer, and founder of Dream Studio—whose mantra “make love and make art” is both a rallying cry and a roadmap. She talks candidly about living with incurable cancer, why she declined more chemo after it stole a year, and how choosing creativity brought her back to herself. Hara opens up about trauma, responsibility, and the moment she began to parent th...
What if the most powerful upgrade to your creative life isn’t a new tool, but a new identity? We’re expanding our platform with a third pillar—becoming—and opening up a candid, behind-the-scenes conversation on choosing who you grow into and why that choice changes everything. We unpack the myth of arrival and the trap of quick fixes, then move into the deeper work that actually sustains craft and community. From self love as a daily practice to sharpening the saw for true creative flow, we ...
Ever feel like you're creatively stagnant, pulled in different directions, and overthinking every possible path forward? You're not alone. In this vulnerable coaching conversation, we sit down with Sabrina, a graphic designer searching for greater fulfillment while struggling with perfectionism and the pressure to have everything figured out. The session reveals how many of us approach career decisions like marriage commitments when we should treat them more like trying on shoes... exploring...
What if everything you thought about creativity was wrong? Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, senior research scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of The Creativity Choice, challenges our assumptions about what it means to be creative. Forget the notion that creativity belongs only to artists, designers, and “creative types.” The biggest misconception limiting our potential is believing creativity equals art. Engineers solving problems, parents inventing dinner solution...
From the Paris Opera Ballet School to circus stages and fine art photography, Laetitia Bouffard-Roupe’s path defies convention. Born in France but belonging “to the world,” she shows how saying yes to the unknown can transform your life. At just nine, Laetitia left home to train at the Paris Opera, where strict discipline built resilience but left lasting wounds around body image. After experiencing the darker side of ballet, she took a leap—accepting an acrobatic role with zero experience. T...
From the confines of his grandmother's office—the very space where his creativity was first nurtured—Douglas Lewis takes us on a transformative journey from bullied youth to fashion revolutionary. Douglas's story begins with childhood memories of assembling photo albums alongside his grandmother, absorbing fashion history that would later become his creative foundation. When thrust from the strict uniformity of private Christian school into public education, Douglas faced merciless bullying ...
Creativity rarely follows a straight line, and David Powell’s story proves it. From self-taught web designer to craft cocktail bartender to digital project manager overseeing 20+ bars, his journey is a testament to following curiosity even when it leads to surprising places. David opens up about the fear of sharing work publicly, recalling how his first poetry reading left him physically ill with anxiety. “The hard part for me is never the creating, it’s having the guts to put it in front of ...
Elisha Oliver's path from classroom teacher to Executive Director of Texas Folklife offers a masterclass in following creative curiosity. When standardized testing drained her passion for education after nearly twenty years, Elisha found herself at a crossroads that many creatives face: continue the safe, practical path or risk exploring long-buried interests? What followed was a "happy accident" – discovering anthropology as the perfect discipline to embrace her love of cultures, communitie...
Andrea Holmes didn’t always believe art could pay the bills. After stints in catering, restaurants, and even TV, she embraced her true calling as a muralist. Now known as “the Bird Lady,” she supports herself and her daughter through her art, traveling internationally to paint vibrant murals that spark joy in communities worldwide. What sets Andrea apart is her openness about the business of art. She shares that corporations like Starbucks invest $20,000+ in her murals, breaking the “starving...
Boldness opens doors that talent alone cannot. This truth radiates through Imani Black's journey from a tiny North Carolina high school to becoming a multi-faceted creative force in Dallas. With refreshing candor, Imani shares how she transformed from the teenager who boldly announced to her entire school that she was "moving to Dallas to be somebody" into exactly that person – an award-winning photographer, documentary filmmaker, and art curator whose work has been featured on billboards in...
What happens when you grow up as "the outcast among outcasts"? Photographer Curtis Tran joins us to share how being one of only three Asian students in his East Texas high school shaped his approach to creativity, community, and belonging. Curtis takes us on a journey through his unique upbringing as a Vietnamese American in Nacogdoches, Texas, where his father—who narrowly escaped execution after the Vietnam War—brought their family to build a new life. This experience of rarely seeing hims...
What does it take to build a restaurant empire with heart? Mico Rodriguez reveals the answer through his extraordinary journey from washing dishes at age five to creating Dallas's beloved Mi Cocina restaurants. Growing up in his parents' restaurant, young Mico absorbed invaluable lessons about consistency, customer connection, and the intimate relationship between nourishment and care. His mother's dictatorial but effective management style became both model and counterpoint for his own appr...
What happens when a high-powered tech executive trades boardroom meetings for a canvas and paintbrushes? Kevin Whitehurst's journey from 33 years in healthcare technology to becoming "The Art Health Nut" reveals powerful lessons for creatives forging their own path to fulfillment. Kevin's story demolishes the myth that artistic success requires traditional routes. Instead of chasing gallery representation, he transformed his home into an exhibition space, personally inviting curated guests to...
What if your clothing choices were a gateway to personal transformation? In this conversation with stylist Carla Biasi, "The Closet Queen," we uncover how authentic style isn’t about trends… it’s about unlocking your value and beauty. Carla shares her journey from teen fashion lover to financial advisor before launching her styling business at 53, inspiring anyone who feels it might be “too late” to pursue a creative calling. As she says, “I couldn’t have done this 20 years ago because I woul...
Creativity isn't just a nice-to-have skill—it's as essential as oxygen, water, and food for meaningful human existence. Artist Patrick Williams draws from decades of experience to reveal how our natural creative abilities become "colonized" as we grow up, often leading to what he calls "creative collapse" in various domains of expression. Patrick's journey from a child doodling on church bulletins to a professional artist offers profound insights into the resilience of creativity. He shares ...
What happens when traditional artistic boundaries dissolve and diverse creators come together? Renuka Rajagopalan answers this through her groundbreaking work with the Garage Arts Project in Plano, Texas. Our conversation reveals how creativity thrives at the intersection of disciplines, cultures, and community. Renuka's journey begins with a charming childhood story from India, where as a third-grader she independently sought out a dance teacher and signed up for classical Bharatanatyam less...
What happens when we stop running from our pain and instead race toward it with open arms? In this soul-stirring conversation with artist Mark Russell Jones, we discover how embracing our deepest wounds can transform not just our art, but our very humanity. Mark's journey into authentic artistic expression wasn’t linear. Coming from a working-class background where art was relegated to "hobby status," he initially pursued more practical creative paths. It wasn’t until becoming a father that h...
What does it mean to live a life driven by boundless curiosity? Surtzy takes us on an extraordinary journey through her creative existence, where each day brings a new project and every experience becomes potential artistic fuel. From crafting avant-garde moss shoes for sustainable fashion shows to performing as an aerialist, Surtzy embodies the spirit of fearless exploration. Her story begins at just four years old, when her parents normalized creativity as "just part of life," even encourag...
"You've got to have the fire." These words from metal artist Eric Breish capture the essence of the creative journey—that inexplicable burning passion that pulls you back to your craft even after declaring "I'm done" just a day before. Eric's path to becoming a full-time artist winds through unexpected territory. From Marine Corps service to IT work to audio engineering, he eventually discovered his artistic voice through metal—creating three-dimensional works that challenge perception and ev...
What happens when an ultra-competitive systems thinker walks away from a comfortable tech career and decides to build something real, messy, and human? Blake joins us to unpack how a failed $40k app, a seasonal toy, and one conversation with an 83-year-old shop owner sparked a thriving fabric business built on brand-name textiles, creative financing, and the infinite game of community. We dig into the scrappy playbook: validating demand before spending a cent, pre-selling through social medi...
