We asked some of the brightest folks from within the community to reflect back on their days in school and to share with us a story of when they learned a particularly important or impactful lesson. We’ve shared highlights below.

Brittney Williams

Although my parents taught my siblings and I different aphorisms, values and morals in our tight knit, homeschooled environment, it wasn’t until my transition to a private high school that I could actually perceive and resonate with the concept of core values. There were 7 core values total, and the one that has stuck with me through time is mutual respect, support, and trust. When i think about my connection to Self and with others, this core value is what i come back to. It’s a solid foundation to build, to create and to maintain. Whenever I am out of alignment or out of integrity, this core value is what brings me back to my truest and purest intentions of cooperation, receptivity and reciprocity. Read more>>

Chad Alexander Smith

In the Spring of 1996 I was finishing my first year of architecture graduate school at Princeton University. The late 90’s were a special time for the school. Large names in the profession roamed the halls. Michael Graves had been with the school for decades. Peter Eisenman made a weekly trip down from New York. Alan Colquhoun occupied the basement. Mark Wigley, Beatrix Colominia, Mario Gandelsonas, Carles Vallhonrat and Robert Gutman were all professors. The school was setup the same way Le Corbusier arranged his daily schedule with theory classes in the morning and studio classes in the afternoon. It was a special mixture of theory and practice. Read more>>

Antonio Econom

I’m very much a black sheep in this industry and this hasn’t always worked out in my favor. Don’t cry for me yet though, I’ve long accepted this as a strength and I’ve definitely leaned into it. This is the best thing. At the beginning of my “professional” career, during my college years, it wasn’t always the easiest thing to accept that I was an out of the norm kid. It really took those 4-5 years of trial and error, and deeply humbling experiences, to get to a point where I now get calls to collaborate with artists because I am a black sheep on the scene. I’m the guy that can’t necessarily be put in a box and I’m more than okay with that! Watch me “baaaah,” homes. I’m “dramatic” and “clear,” and “raw,” and “sensitive,” and/or any of the other choice words people have used to describe my contributions to their work in the studio or on stage. I’m enjoying this! These days, people throw the word “gratitude” around a lot, as if it were going of out of style, but I truly am grateful I was able to bounce around from city to city, school to school. Somehow, after a few years of doing this and fooling everybody into thinking I was a cool musician and producer-engineer, I was handed a diploma from the Center for Recording Arts and Technology, and a certificate in Jazz Studies from NYU Steinhardt. What a mistake they’ve made, huh?! Please don’t call them and tell them that, though. At either school, I didn’t fit in right away – if at all, for that matter. At CRAT, I was pigeonholed as the drummer that was only taking a few production classes to further my drumming career; not as the kid that grew up listening to a vast array of music and had developed a deep love for sound/production first. I wanted nothing more than to create some that magic behind the studio glass myself. Sound manipulation is such a powerful art form and I find the pace of that environment so addicting, too. At NYU, I was the Cali homeboy that had a very late start to listening & playing jazz and I didn’t know the difference between bebop, hard bop, and post bop. Either way, I still got to experience the distinct pleasure of having my ass handed to me at both schools, by my professors and peers, and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. This was all I needed as a wake-up call to put in the work and embrace the journey of my development. In the case of the CRAT studio, I ended becoming the lead engineer and studio manager for quite some time before leaving on the best of terms with the studio director. I made lifelong clients and friends there that I still collaborate with to this day. During my short, but very formative time in “jazz school,” I learned that active listening, imitation, determination (read: sheer stubbornness), and patience is everything. This is what eventually leads to innovation – that’s a hard “eventually,” ‘cause that shit’s not created in a vacuum. The innovation timeline varies from artist to artist, if they can even get out of their own way to catch a glimpse of the summit, whatever that is. See, I’m a “concepts” guy and concepts take longer to grasp. Read more>>

Monica Gibbs

In college I was a young mom so my focus was on balancing family and my academics and in the back of my mind was always my future career. I was at the top Journalism program in the country at the time which automatically came with a lot of pressure and intimidation to do well but it didn’t come easy for me, although I had a natural gift for journalism, I had to work extra hard to maintain and often was barely getting by and because of that I didn’t take the time to build a network or take advantage of the opportunities and perks that came with being a student there. The lesson I learned is that your craft is one part but your connections and relationships are so important. I didn’t build deep connections but I wish I had. I was often in rooms with exceptional people who had knowledge and access to other spaces that could have been beneficial to me. Fortunately I was able to master networking years later but I have shared with students about the power of networking and how much easier it helps our journey when we learn that we can rely on others and them on us, to share invitations, thoughts, ideas, and opportunities. I would say that 99% of my business comes through networking. So the lesson I learned is to build relationships everywhere you land and to always know who you are connected to! Read more>>

Isabella Olson

Going to an infamously strict and conservative private Christian school has proven to be one of the biggest uphill battles I’ve chosen as an art student. Attending Brigham Young University has taught me so much about myself as well as the importance of pushback, resiliency, finding my own motivation, and learning to trust my intuition. Feeling constantly monitored and censored terribly cramps artistic endeavors and true exploration. I’ve learned how to toe the line just enough and how to do it smartly. I’m an interdisciplinary artist studying graphic design and photography and I love creating loud, colorful, edgy, and intriguing-yet-vaguely-disturbing work. I think the juxtaposition of the macabre with the coquettishness of it all cultivates visual interest. Themes that are important in my work include open critiques of Mormonism, anti-capitalism, activism for minority groups, and anarcha-feminism. In school and in my program, I have learned that no matter what anyone thinks of my work or what I deserve, to keep pushing. And I’m already finally seeing fruits of my labor. Read more>>