Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Reyna Barnes
I began creating as a child- taking up painting like it was my second language. Falling in love with this free form of expression by the age of 16 my body knew this was going to be my way of life. Painting became my reputation throughout my school, and people often came to me for advice or guidance on being an artist. Read more>>
Jesse Burkhart
I was young and lived in a bit of a punk rock house, everyone played in bands and we had lots of parties. My roommates boyfriend was/is an incredible poster artist and printed for all the big touring bands. I just wanted to learn more about printing because it fascinated me and he would let me come down to his shop and help him. Read more>>
Eduardo Garcia
Helados La Azteca started over 20 years ago when my dad immigrated from Mexticacán, Jalisco, and began making traditional Mexican paletas in our family garage. I grew up helping in the business and eventually took on a leadership role to help expand what my family started. Read more>>
Megan Mrazek
So the short version: I didn’t start in real estate – I started in crisis management and PR. Which, if you think about it, is basically the same job as helping someone sell their house, just with higher stakes and worse hours. You’re managing emotions, protecting someone’s reputation, and trying to make a chaotic situation look calm from the outside. Read more>>
Amy Tyler
My first career was in chemical engineering, where I developed a love for problem-solving and understanding how systems work. While earning my engineering degree at The University of Texas at Austin, I noticed that I couldn’t live the typical college lifestyle and still perform at my best with such a demanding course load. Read more>>
Annié Colón
I spent more than two decades creating experiences for some of the world’s most recognizable brands, leading creative direction and experiential marketing for companies including Nike, Netflix, MTV, Discovery, Sprint, Instagram, the Super Bowl, CES, Comic-Con, and the Latin Grammys. My work was always centered around one thing: creating moments that made people feel something. Read more>>
Lizzy Montana
I’ve always loved storytelling. Growing up, I was the kid making home movies, putting on plays, and finding any excuse to create something. That passion led me to earn a degree in theatre and get into the film industry, where I had the opportunity to work for acclaimed director Terrence Malick. Read more>>
Lena Kaur Sidhu
I started making jewelry about a decade ago now. I was always allergic to different metals and my skin couldn’t tolerate a lot of jewelry I was able to buy. Read more>>
Laura Dunworth
There was a time in my life when I didn’t know how to slow down or tend to what my body was holding. In my twenties, when my younger brother — my best friend growing up — died suddenly in an accident, my world shifted in ways I didn’t yet know how to name. Read more>>
Ari Rastegar
My story starts with my family. My father came to the United States from Iran looking for opportunity, and I grew up watching what hard work, sacrifice, and gratitude actually looked like. I was raised in Highland Park, Texas, and I’ve joked before that I felt like the poorest kid in the richest neighborhood. Being surrounded by success from an early age didn’t discourage me. Read more>>
WENDY COLONNA
I grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where music was the soundtrack to everything, swamp pop at the crawfish boil, dancehalls, festivals, front porches. I was a kid who never fit anyone’s boxes, which turned out to be the best luck of my life. Read more>>
Claire Hutson (for Hungry Souls)
I was born and raised in Austin, so serving this community feels incredibly personal. After spending a few years away, I moved back in 2021 while pursuing my Master’s in Public Health. During that time, I wanted to get more involved in the community, so I began volunteering with local farms and organizations working to improve food access and community health. Read more>>
John Livesay
Meet John Livesay, The Pitch Whisperer People often think reinvention happens once. I’ve learned it happens over and over again. After a successful career selling advertising for Conde Nast, I was laid off during the financial crisis in 2008. At first, it felt like my story had ended. Instead, it became the beginning of a new chapter. Read more>>
Jazmine Molano
I always knew I wanted to be someone that made a difference but didn’t know what that really meant. I was fresh out of high school and didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up until I kinda fell into the beauty industry. My childhood best friend was the one who said “You should do beauty school. Read more>>
Sara Thompson
I was born a ‘Maker’. I have always loved working with my hands and learning as many skills as possible. I was a Hair Stylist by trade for over 20 years, and in my free time I would take classes learning other skills or simply try things out on my own. Read more>>
Yannette Homsy
I’m a Realtor and Apartment Locator. I began my career during COVID, helping people find apartments at a time when the world had slowed down, but the need for a place to call home had not. Those early experiences showed me the value of serving clients wherever they were in their journey. Read more>>
Saidy Lauer Corneglio
I discovered plant medicine in my twenties while studying cultural anthropology and photography in San Francisco — a period that launched me into doing fieldwork and photojournalism through Mexico, Central and South America, Morocco, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Read more>>
Jo WeHunt
I’ve always known I wanted to be on the preventative side of healthcare—I just wasn’t sure where I fit. Growing up, I experienced a lot of health challenges, and by my teenage years I had already begun learning about holistic health. Read more>>
Leonor Flores
As far back as I can remember, I have always created art. I would get lost while creating. There was nothing else like it for me. It’s all I wanted to do. I was very active in middle and high school, producing a lot of art and entering competitions. Read more>>
Ramya Peruka
I was born in Hyderabad, India. My dad is a farmer. I grew up in Warangal, India, in a family of farmers where red chilies, turmeric, and hard work were part of everyday life. After moving to the United States, I built a successful career as a software engineer, but deep down I knew I wanted to create something that represented my roots. Read more>>
Quothia Wolf
I started my career in California, where I was immersed in the creative side of the industry from the beginning. Working behind the scenes at hair shows, collaborating with leading brands, and traveling extensively as an educator and artist. Read more>>
Richard Matthews
Growing up, I always had an interest in the arts. I grew up in my church where I was always a part of praise and worship. My mom was in the choir and she could sing, but she didn’t receive a lot of formal training. Read more>>
Donna Post
My story begins at birth. I was born addicted to heroin. My parents were 16 and 17 years old, both struggling with addiction, and my earliest years were filled with neglect. When I was four years old, I witnessed my mother die from a heroin overdose in a gas station parking lot. It’s the only memory I have of her. Read more>>
Christian & Zay Paley & Wilson
Christian & Zay are a Boston-based EDM artist duo. Both Christian and Zay were DJ’s individually for a few years before first meeting each other via a music discord in 2022. After a year of friendship which both hadn’t known would become life-long, the two decided to combine their talents in June of 2023 to become the artist duo, Different Font. Read more>>
Richard James Cook
When it comes to my life and career, I often quote/paraphrase the one of my favorite musicians in Darrell Scott, ‘I walk a crooked road to get where I am going, and only when I’m looking back do I see the straight and narrow’. My story is anything but brief. But here is the ‘summarized version’. I grew up in Wichita, Kansas. Read more>>
Lux + Sophia Herrera
Studio Emanate began from an idea of letting what is within flow outward through creative services surrounding art, beauty, and jewelry. What started as a custom adornment brand has evolved into a multidisciplinary studio focused on bringing together people, brands, artists, and hospitality partners through curated retail and intimate pop-ups that feel warm, personal, and deeply considered. Read more>>
Karina Moreno
Growing up, I always loved fashion and had an eye for style. I was a 4-H sewing student in elementary school and even produced fashion shows in high school. I followed my passion in college, earning a bachelor’s degree with honors in Fashion Marketing & Management from the Art Institute. After graduating, I worked in restaurants while pursuing opportunities in fashion styling and event planning. Read more>>
Nicola Hunte
I’ve always been fascinated by creative expression and what it reveals about who we are. The idea that emotions and experiences can be translated into the physical world has been a thread through everything I’ve done. That curiosity led me to study and work extensively in fashion, theater, dance, and television before eventually finding interior design. Read more>>
Marina Ortiz
How One Trucker Hat Changed My Life If someone had told me two years ago that I’d own a mobile trucker hat business traveling all over Texas, I would’ve laughed. I was already the owner of Marina’s Lash & Hair Studio (and still am), a business I had poured my heart into for years. Then life changed. Read more>>
Brittany Banowsky
Making music has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I used to play my keyboard to muted movies to try to create the soundtrack. Over the years, I’d fill up notebooks with songs I’d written on the guitar or piano. Read more>>
Jayna & Joey Castillo
We were married on October 7, 2023, and like most couples planning their big day, we spent months searching for the perfect vendors. That’s when we discovered Caketini Bar—and instantly knew we had to book them. It ended up being the biggest hit of our entire wedding. Read more>>
Taylor Prinsen
I picked up my mom’s camera in middle school and never really put it down. I shot my first wedding at 17 and that threw me into the deep end in the best way. I was always the friend documenting everything, but some adults around me saw something in my skills and encouraged me to take it seriously. Read more>>
Jon Lawrence
Working Artist 2001 – Present Mediums: Silkscreen, Framing/Woodworking, Illustration, Sculpture, Acrylic painting, PC/Mac Photoshop East Side Artist Coop 2001- 2005 – Executive Director Established: Monthly Gallery exhibits, Silkscreen/darkroom work stations, Studio space for working artists. Read more>>
Jasmine Hill
Hi, I would like to start off by introducing myself my name is Jasmine Hill but everyone calls me Jazzi. I started being involved in the loc community in 2012. I have currently been in business for seven years throughout the seven years I have stayed consistent and loyal to my craft and to the people who have supported me throughout this journey. Read more>>
Julia Mader
When I was a teenager I had the privilege to visit Japan. That was the beginning of my obsession with tea. I studied global food issues in college and was inspired to lean more deeply into the food industry because of it’s importance on the environment, culture, and communities. Read more>>
Jeromy Zajonc
Jeromy Zajonc, Certified Coach I’m Jeromy Zajonc, a Certified Life & Performance Coach for Entrepreneurs and the founder of Running Water Coaching. My mission is simple: I help people get real results in work and life. Read more>>
Daneeka Holt
Over the years, I’ve realized my career’s North Star was never about becoming the best at events, sales, management, or fitness. It’s always been about creating exceptional hospitality and meaningful experiences that leave a lasting ripple effect on people’s lives. Read more>>
Todd Wolfson
My journey as an artist started with parents and grandparents having Kodak® Brownies & Instamatics®. Some were gifted to me and some i just appropriate. I was fascinated with cameras and music by the time I was 7 years old. My parents and grandparents has wonderful family photo albums. I think ‘family photography’ and documenting that side of things was my greatest early inspiration. Read more>>
Teresa Deanna Martinez
I was born and raised in Texas, and although I didn’t realize it at the time, many of the healing traditions that would later shape my work were already woven into my family’s Mexican and Indigenous heritage. My path into holistic healing wasn’t something I had planned—it unfolded one experience at a time. Read more>>
Ian Seth
I’ve been an artist my entire life. I think since I could remember, art has just always been a part of my normal everyday. In grade school teachers would take notice of my artistry. I felt different amongst my peers, so being appreciated for something I was good at and took an interest in, gave me a sense of purpose and direction. Read more>>
She 23
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, She23 is a music artist, DJ, songwriter, and event curator whose work is rooted in the city’s rich creative culture. With a passion for bringing people together through music, she has built a name for herself by creating experiences that connect with audiences on and off the stage. Read more>>
Amelia Harvey
During the pandemic, one of our founders. Denise, started the LGBTQ+ Allies page on Facebook. People started chatting and decided to make and sell yard signs, donating the profits to local LGBTQIA+ organizations. This is where our iconic rainbow ducks design was born! Eventually, it became clear through outpourings here and several neighboring cities that it was time to form a Nonprofit. Read more>>
Alexander Le
To introduce myself, I’m a Vietnamese-Mexican Austinite, a cancer survivor, and a multimedia creative. I’m a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Arts & Entertainment Technologies with honors, specializing in game development and live events, and co-founder of an upcoming indie game studio. Read more>>
Shantea Lewis
I became a hairstylist long before I realized it was part of my purpose in life. My journey started in elementary school when I began doing my own hair (let’s just say it was a mess!) I started with braiding, then moved on to braiding my peers’ hair in high school. Read more>>
Caroline Lee
I started as an artist and photographer. That’s still the foundation, even if it doesn’t look like it from the outside. Photography taught me how to read a room: the tension underneath the surface, the truth in someone’s posture, what a person is actually feeling versus what they’re presenting. That kind of attention never left me. It just migrated. Read more>>
Omar Estrada ( Skull )
My story as an artist really starts in childhood. I grew up in a family of artists my parents were always encouraging us to be creative so making things was just part of life. Being a kid in the ’90s Saturday morning cartoons were huge and they absolutely fueled my imagination. Read more>>
