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CHRISTOPHER BUSH
TICO HANNAN
ASHLEY AND RYAN SMALL
MICHAEL PARKER
FRANCISCO LO
CESAR INSERNY
JORDAN SMOTHERMON
JESS BRAND
We asked 10 creative Houstonians to tell us where they seek ideas and boosts of inspiration in their hometown.
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35, a managing consultant at IBM, Ryan grew up outside Chicago and moved to Houston after being wowed by “how friendly people are here.”
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Ryan furnished his home with purchases from Westheimer Road’s antique shops.
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40, an entertainment lawyer turned oil-and-gas “land man” who was born in Louisiana and lived for several years in France.
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Christopher gets his high-culture fix at Houston’s renowned Museum of Fine Arts.
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A 28-year-old IT entrepreneur and networking consultant from an Irish-Mexican mining family, is working to rehabilitate property in the Third Ward.
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One source of inspiration for Tico: the Menil Collection art museum.
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25 and 27, respectively, met at Texas Southern University and now own a branding consultancy.
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Ashley and Ryan brainstorm on Discovery Green (they were photographed at the site where Ryan proposed) and at Hermann Park, pictured here.
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Vintage fan Ashley finds other kinds of inspiration at the Montrose store Fashion Plate.
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Ryan prefers light-rail trips to hit happy hours at downtown bars.
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35, a firefighter and an EMT, is a Houston native who went to Lamar High.
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Michael recharges with visits to Houston’s zoo (“I got kids. You got to like the zoo”)...
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29, a counselor at the Houston Area Women’s Center and a freelance film reviewer, is from Macau.
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Francisco hosts screenings in the backyard of the café/bar Brasil.
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Francisco photographs Houston’s refineries for their unusual beauty (“So interesting, but they kick me out”).
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Ironically, perhaps, Cesar cites the usually silent Rothko Chapel as a place that inspires his songwriting.
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29, joined Teach for America after a stint in the Navy. He teaches fourth grade at Frost Elementary in south Houston.
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In Jordan's downtime, one of his haunts is the eclectic Domy Books.
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Then Jess feeds her own urban garden with grounds from Catalina Coffee.
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