Life, Lessons, & Legacies

Through the work we do we are incredibly fortunate to find and learn about so many incredible local artists, creatives and entrepreneurs. Their stories, the lessons that they’ve learned and the legacies they are building inspire us beyond words. Below, we have highlighted a few of those amazing folks and we hope you’ll check out their stories and their responses to some of the fundamental questions the help form the foundation of our lives and careers.

Continental T.

I’ve been doing music professionally and internationally for almost 2 decades, from crossing paths with the biggest stars to the smallest, we all played our part. In the instance of feeling if I’m wandering, it could’ve never been that, my goal has always been to dream and live. Read more>>

Damali McDowell

Definitely walking a path at this point in my life. I’ve always said people have two choices at the fork in the road…the path of DESTINY or the path of DESPERATION. If you choose destiny, you will find your purpose. If you choose desperation, you are wandering in survival mode which can be a distraction from your destiny. Read more>>

Aiden Delfin

I think I’m most proud of building up my resilience. Over the years, especially in college, I’ve had my fair share of struggles that felt like they were trying to pull me down. I had to learn how to keep pushing through and stand above those struggles. Read more>>

Celeste Gomez

Every day I show up, building my dream as an Independent Publisher with La Poeta Publications, as well as an artist surrounding my writing career. My days are filled with contracts and calendars, inventory checks and email threads, budget sheets and marketing plans. I move between creative flow and operational focus. Read more>>

Juliette Hardy

Being true to oneself and one’s desires and wants. Read more>>

Alyssa Gervacio

The fear of looking stupid. I see this everywhere, so I know it’s not just me! When I first started getting serious with my small business, I felt this all too well. I was scared to put my face and my work out there. I was scared that people would make fun of me and judge what I had to create and present to people. Read more>>

Alex Astrella

That’s a great question. I think some defining wounds in my life have definitely been my reluctance to share my autism diagnosis. I definitely stood apart from other kids throughout grade school, and often was bullied because they did not know I was on the spectrum. Read more>>

Tim McMullen

Being singled out and bullied for being different as a child was a very difficult experience and one I have had to work to overcome my entire life. The message this tells a child is that you shouldn’t be who you are, which is very damaging. Read more>>

Nikkole

The part of me that has served its purpose… and that I’m finally ready to release… is the version of myself that felt I had to shrink, soften, or over-prove my worth just to fit into certain spaces in this industry. Read more>>

Hannah Leikin

Not to be cliche, but perfectionism is the very first thing that came to mind when I thought about this question. When I was younger, the quest for perfection felt imperative and helpful. It was something to strive for, and in the very least, “quite good” was somewhere along the way. Read more>>

Eric Knight

I stopped hiding my pain during the pandemic, when everything around me slowed and I could no longer distract myself with constant movement. Losing my grandmother and stepping away from the band forced me to face a lot I’d been burying — depression, isolation, and unresolved grief. Read more>>

Matthew Kratz

I had a close friend who took her own life, and it shattered me. I did not know how to process the pain or where to put it. For a while, I tried to ignore it, but grief has a way of finding its voice. Read more>>

Tyler Sopland

Oh, absolutely, yes I’ve had those “tap-dancing to work” moments. Honestly, anytime I’m on a set, that energy kicks in. There’s something about waking up before the sun, grabbing a coffee (or energy drink sorry Mom), and driving to set knowing you get to live in a completely different world for the day. Read more>>

Bella Ehrhart

Yes, I absolutely could—and I already do. As a young business owner, I’ve learned that you have to be driven by your own standards, not by praise or recognition. When I’m designing jewelry, packaging orders, or planning the next step for my brand, I’m giving my best because I believe in what I’m building. Read more>>

D. Renay Thomas

If I’m being completely honest… no. I don’t think I’ve ever truly felt heard. Not in the way where someone sits with you, sees you, and actually understands what you’re trying to say beneath the words. Most of my life, I’ve felt like I had to shrink pieces of myself, swallow my feelings, or carry things alone because nobody was really listening — not deeply. Read more>>

Cedar Boschan

Yes – every day. Litigators and other clients hire Boschan Corp. because they want clarity, truth and expert opinions. Listening – on both sides – is part of the value of hiring us and is essential to delivering expert opinions that stand up in litigation. I also perform speaking engagements, including private training at law firms. Read more>>

DIZZIE

Actually, I stepped away from the underground rave scene for about six months. However, for I was away for so long, I took the last couple months of my absence to carefully analyze everything. I was observing what’s trending and what’s not, who to contact if I need to contact, what’s popular, what’s not popular, and etc. Read more>>

Jermaine McGhee, MFA

Yes, absolutely. I recently stood up for the Non-Tenure Track faculty at Loyola Marymount University, where I have served the College of Communication and Fine Arts for three years. As a Bargaining Action Team member represented by SEIU 721, I advocated for livable wages, fair treatment, and humane working conditions. Read more>>

Michael e. ( please use a l/c e.) Stern

Not someone, but an entire group. From 2003-2008 I was adjunct faculty in the Visual Journalism program at Brooks Institute of Photography in Ventura, CA. A couple of years before I started Career Education Corporation purchased the school from the Brooks family. Every eight weeks approximately 80 new students began their course of study, many of them unprepared for the workload. Read more>>

Akili Nkosi

What would remain is a molten ball of fire, which would represent the passion, courage, and love I will always have. Read more>>

Josh Saleh

My parents are immigrants from Egypt, and they instilled in me a deep desire for success. Leaving everything you know behind and starting from scratch prioritizes your life differently. Being raised by a family that lost everything and had to rebuild came with a lot of pressure. That pressure boiled down to a few core principles: make a family, make money, and be successful. Read more>>

Vincent Brue

I have a neighbor who has a jetski and it’s parked like halfway on my driveway and I’m super pissed at this dude. Like, get your jetski off my lawn, bro. But he’s also a divorced alcoholic drug addict with severe anger issues, so like, I don’t wanna piss him off too bad and have him burn down our house or anything. Read more>>

Phillip Lawrence

There are lots of long nuanced answers however, let’s go with some simple and straight forward ones. Loss of sense of safety, losing sense of self, too much win / lose instead of win / win, lack of consideration or consent, poor listening skills, and being unable to sit with one another to find a path forward together. Read more>>

Oraestia Shestov

I know, in my heart of hearts, that my sins will be exculpated. Read more>>

ONQUE

ALIENS… Read more>>