We asked some of the city’s hidden gems to tell us about what they feel is the most important factor behind their success.

Sierra Ventimiglia

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve had an obsessive personality. I would get attached to habits and thoughts that were self destructive and it made me feel like I had no control over my life. Throughout my adolescence I struggled with OCD. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized I didn’t need to let this disorder be my downfall. If I couldn’t get rid of it… maybe i could use it to my advantage. Maybe I could choose exactly what I wanted to obsess about, and if I chose the right things… maybe my “obsessive personality” could be my superpower. Read more>>

Samantha Urso

The most important factor behind the success of the Art Nest is the impression we leave from the experience we provide at each event. When I was probably 5 years old, I attended a fairy birthday party. There was a lady dressed up as a fairy. She was dressed in glitter, wings, and an elaborate, costume- like something out of a movie. I can remember she told a magical story about some fairies that lived in a small crystal terrarium and we each got to take a quick peek at the magical “fairies.” I don’t remember whose birthday it was, who was there, or any other details about the party, but some 25 years later, I remember the fairy lady and the magical impression she left on my five- year- old heart. I was in awe and that birthday party transported me into a different universe of imagination. Read more>>

Paul Malinowski

In one broad word – openness. I’m a lifelong learner who not only uses all of the traditional learning methods of videos, books, classes, workshops, etc., but I seem to have an innate drive and ability to “reverse engineer” everything I observe in life. That’s something I can do as a solitary activity either in real time or after the fact. For example, in my chosen creative endeavor of bird photography, that means sitting and watching patterns of birds for hours without even lifting a camera some days. Then I apply those observations to taking photographs – hundreds or thousands each day – and then analyzing the best for what worked right and why and the worst for what didn’t and why.  Read more>>