Through our work we have had the good fortune of seeing firsthand how success comes in every shape, size, color, faith, and orientation. More importantly we’ve learned that success is often the result of people embracing their unique backgrounds and so we’ve asked the community to tell us about their background and how it has impacted where they are today.

Derek Van Skyock

I pursued an artistic career because it was all I ever wanted. If it wasn’t tattooing, it would be something else where I could have that artistic release. To me it’s not just the idea of doing art it’s about expression and allowing me to live my true through the artistic outlet. Just being able to make a permanent mark on a person is such a privilege, especially in the current age of tattooing. As artists we have the most access to knowledge, the best equipment, and the ease of just buying supplies as we need them, Then any generation before us. As a result the competition has grown drastically allowing us to express ourselves on skin the same as the renaissance artists on canvas. Read More>>

MISSY KOONCE

I am originally from Kansas City – originally originally – a small town outside of Kansas City. Every summer my family had a huge garden; I mean we grew everything – corn, green beans, peas, potatoes, tomatoes. There was soooo. much canning! As a kid, I thought I was suffering beyond suffering; breaking beans, shelling peas, peeling ALL of those potatoes, turning tomatoes into ketchup and different sauces. Then all of those jars of all of those vegetables that we canned AND suffered through; they fed us for the entire winter. Living in a small town, working hard (when you didn’t want to) and having humbling experiences have been tantamount to who I am today. Read More>>

RJ Mello

My background continues to influence my artistic career as I navigate bringing cultural elements into my pieces. Story telling is my craft, while paint and graphic design are my mediums. The priority of my career is to tell traditional stories through a modern-day lens. I am a queer person who group up in two distinct homes with their own separate traditions. My early adulthood has been focused on finding my identity in a modern world while paying respect to my ancestors and their traditions, my art is a direct reflection of that journey. Every individual can relate to trying to find themselves while staying true to their families, it is through surrealist portraiture that I can explore the complex identities of myself and others. Read More>>

Serena Goering

When you talk to Serena Goering, one thing becomes clear immediately—this isn’t just real estate to her. It’s family, legacy, and faith all woven into acres of possibility.
A 6th-generation Colorado native, Serena’s story begins in the rugged beauty of the Unaweep Canyon, Whitewater, and Gateway areas—land her family first settled in the 1880s. With deep roots in cattle ranching and construction, she was raised to understand hard work and heritage. “I was running heavy equipment and tractors by the time I was eight,” she laughs. “That kind of hands-on upbringing teaches you to respect the land—and the people who rely on it.” Read More>>