Desert Dwellers Podcast

Gino is a visual artist and designer. His work has been exhibited and collected in the U.S., U.K., Europe, Asia and Australia. 

He runs his own art gallery alongside his mom in downtown Phoenix called Belhaus, where he operates as creative director. The gallery/café features a collection of original artwork from a select group of contemporary-minimalist artists and coffee provided by Caffio Espresso. Prior to this he worked as a freelance graphic designer. 

Growing up with entrepreneurial parents taught Gino at a young age to develop a similar world view. Believe it or not, he never took a painting class. Despite this, he’s worked very hard to get to where he is today. Not only is his art about the creative side, he also works around the clock developing relationships within his community and marketing his art. 

Gino opened Belhaus to connect with his collectors and consumers. He genuinely cares about his community and values fostering those relationships to create a mutually prosperous environment. 

When seeking new opportunities, there’s always a perceived safe, stable choice, but Gino’s adopted the motto “because yes” — meaning he believes in just going for what he wants, and so far it’s paid off for him. By the end of this interview, you’ll be adopting the motto “because yes” too. 

Georganne established her brick and mortar, Frances, in Central Phoenix 13 years ago. As the creator behind “love Phoenix or leave Phoenix,” she has put her heart and soul into creating what is known as a Phoenix staple.

The shop includes a carefully curated selection of clothing, jewelry, home goods and novelty gifts. 

Though Georganne was a stay-at-home mom for 18 years and flipped homes for a while after, she was in retail beforehand and also pursued a creative career making jewelry out of vintage pieces for local shops. It was no surprise that she decided to create Frances, a one-of-a-kind boutique. 

She has developed personal connections with her makers over the years, fostering relationships. Not only does she personally meet with artists and help mentor them with their brands and small businesses, Geroganne has also created an event to host these vendors called Crafeteria. 

The award-winning annual craft fair links artists with the community and celebrates our culture here in Phoenix. It will take place this Friday, December 6th, 2019 from 6-10PM. It will feature 100% handmade and local artists and food vendors. You won’t want to miss it!

Mike is a Phoenix and Scottsdale-based, self-described “storm chasing wedding photographer.” His work has been seen around the world in commercials, documentaries, magazines, movies, sports, television shows, websites, etc., and he’s even received a coveted Emmy Award. 

Specializing in time-lapse storm footage and fine art work, Mike grew up obsessing over storms. He focused on building his photography portfolio while holding down a full-time job. Eventually some of his work went viral and he was able to transform his photography business into a full-time career. 

He was able to see that more income streams were possible for photographers than what was considered the traditional norm. However, since storm chasing is a seasonally dependent gig, Mike still offers wedding photography services during the “off-season.”

His intense fascination with storms ignited the fire within him that fueled his life’s passion, which ultimately led to his dream job. 

If there is something you’re passionate about, look into multiple and varied ways to pursue it. Mike’s enthusiasm about storm chasing is a great example that is sure to inspire you in your own field. He also discusses what he considers to be best practices for dealing with copyright issues. 

Jessica founded See Salt in 2013 alongside her mother, who is also her business partner. It is a finishing salt company that offers extremely versatile, mineral rich, non-processed salts for daily use. 

What originally started as a food blog specializing in fairly simple recipes has turned into marketing a product while creating brand and household names in Arizona. 

The success of this company is equated to the intentionality behind it. Jessica educated herself on finishing salts and did the research and groundwork that goes into creating a product. She launched her own line of finishing salts that features the original French fleur de sel she grew up using in the kitchen with her mother. 

Embracing the concept of intentionality, Jessica wanted to inspire others to do the same. By being intentional with the creation and design of her salts, she encourages others to place their own intentionality behind the things they do, not only in the kitchen, but as a fundamental aspect of any career. 

Coley and Lindsey stumbled upon their entrepreneurial dream eight years ago out of happenstance when they hosted a backyard junk sale. Since then, they have hosted four Junk in the Trunk Vintage Markets a year — two in Arizona and two in California — started The Foundress and are currently working on The Vintage Arcadia.

The Foundress is a women’s networking group that exists to help women confidently push the boundaries of their business. Mentors share their failures, trials and successes of leading in their industries with other members looking to flourish and grow their network.

The Vintage Arcadia will be a restaurant/retail space with farm-to-table dining and drinks from Chestnut, and artisan goods, curated gifts, home decor, and one-of-a-kind antiques for vintage lovers. It is set to open this November.

With these three businesses, Coley and Lindsey sought to create a hub for like-minded individuals. Phoenix was lacking these types of niche communities, so these two decided it was their job to fill the void.

Through hard work and determination, and seeking out those like-minded individuals, Coley and Lindsey built their empire.

These ladies will show you the ropes in finding those niche communities missing a space to connect and network. They will guide you in creating a space for such communities, ultimately filling the void.

Malori is the owner and lead designer of Form Floral, an art-focused floral design company based out of Phoenix, Arizona.

Though she earned her degree in marketing, Malori found herself craving a more creative path. Over the past six years, she’s honed her floral design skills and grown her business from a home-based operation into the wedding and event floral design company it is today. She even has plans to open a storefront next year. 

By putting in the work on her own time, figuring out her best business practices and target clients, and rebranding when necessary, Malori was able to create her dream job. 

She also values separating her work life from her regular life in order to maintain a healthy balance. Malori achieves this by doing small tasks like not giving out her number to clients and turning email notifications off on her phone. 

Finding a career you enjoy is not an easy feat for most and figuring out ways to pursue it can be even trickier. Malori will teach you how to get to that next step as well as how to set healthy boundaries for balancing work and life.

Kaeli has over 15 years of experience in graphic design and screen printing. She is also an illustrator, writer and the owner/CEO of Kaeraz. Kaeraz was founded in 2013 by Kaeli and it features a collection of retro-style tees, accessories and other southwest and souvenir-inspired apparel.

She spends her days running an Etsy shop and business page for Kaeraz, as well as managing clients for her business. 

What started as a side hustle and creative outlet for Kaeli, Kaeraz has become a marketable brand. Kaeli has been able to grow her business as an entrepreneur through the integration of different business practices such as utilizing social media platforms like Instagram to drive sales. 

Besides this integration, she also notes how essential it is to take inventory of your skill sets for becoming an entrepreneur. With any job comes different life lessons and learning experiences, and Kaeli will help you see the value they have to offer. 

Kaeli was also gracious enough to throw in a promotional offer in this episode. Use code “NIFTY” for 20% off your purchase at kaeraz.com.

In this episode, fitness coach Ashley Allen delves into how to become successful through finding your ideal audience and best practices in creating content that attracts that audience.

Ashley is a certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, a certified Sports and Exercise Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition and an International Federation of Body Building and Fitness Professional Athlete. 

She offers personal training and small-group training in Scottsdale, Arizona, as well as online fitness and nutrition coaching all around the world. 

After overcoming an injury and hitting a few rough patches along the way, Ashley was able to continue to grow and sustain her business through perseverance and dedication. 

In a saturated industry such as fitness, it’s so important to differentiate yourself. I hope this interview will enlighten you if you’re looking to find your own niche and become more successful in your career. 

In this episode, watercolor painter and designer Paige Poppe delves into the process of becoming multidimensional in a world where we have to brand ourselves.

Her artwork is a modern, vibrant spin on the desert and nature. Her “Technicolor Botanical” collection of watercolor paintings interprets the desert in rainbow hues, and continues to stand as some of her most popular pieces since the collection was created poolside in the spring of 2015. 

While she went to school for architecture, Paige has found her calling as an artist and entrepreneur. 

She has bridged the gap between these professions and developed techniques through personal branding and collaborations with companies like Bunky Boutique and West Elm to propel her career forward as an artist. 

This interview really gets to the heart of what it means to be an entrepreneur as an artist and how to manifest income through the techniques previously mentioned. 

No matter what industry you’re in, I hope you find the takeaways from this interview of value. The tips and tricks mentioned are applicable to so many different avenues that you are sure to be inspired.

In this episode local creative Doug Penick shares about how he, as a Phoenix transplant, has learned to build community in the city he loves. 

Doug is currently the Director of Marketing and Creative at Reshoevn8r and the co-founder of the apparel and product brand Extra Super. Doug previously served several years as the Creative Director for a large humanitarian non profit where he was able to tell incredible stories of vulnerable people all over the glove while championing for their access to clean water, food, and education.

Graphic designer by trade, Doug moved out west chasing a job and has since fell in love with Phoenix. He has dug his heels in to create community and culture in the desert through large events such as Pedal Craft and The Pinewood Classic.

He currently lives in Phoenix, AZ with his wife Sara and their three children.

This interview is amazing and I hope that if you’re listening from Phoenix, you’ll feel more energized by what’s happening here and what’s possible when you invest in where you are. Bloom where you’re planted if you will. And if you’re listening from somewhere else, I hope it at least makes you want to visit.