Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Ho.
Nina, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in Vietnam and moved to Houston when I was 5 years old. I grew up in Houston (mostly Sugar Land) and went to Kempner High School before moving to Austin to attend The University of Texas. In college, I double majored in Advertising and French with minors in Entrepreneurship and Portuguese. I’ve always been all over the place with my interests, and I think that stems from my love of learning. Looking back, my background growing up in Houston and being an immigrant shaped my passion for championing diversity and inclusion today – especially in spaces such as entrepreneurship, technology, and the arts.
Currently, I’m based in Austin and consider myself a multidisciplinary creative and entrepreneur. In addition to freelancing as a marketer and portrait photographer, I run a company called collective blue with my best friend and co-founder, Regine Malibiran (who also grew up in Houston/Rosenberg).
collective blue is a lifestyle brand that supports diverse creators through digital storytelling and event production. We’ve produced events like music showcases, vendor markets, and speaker series spotlighting creatives of color. Another thing that Houston instilled in me is a love for food, and I’m also working on another side project called Lemongrass – a supper club series celebrating Vietnamese food and culture.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My art is the stories that I tell through my writing, photography, visual design, and events. The main themes of most of my work are worthiness and belongness. I want to create experiences and foster spaces where people can be creative, joyful, and unapologetically themselves and also connect with others who share similar values. I think photography is the best analogy to summarize my art: I want to help people see themselves in their best light and for others to recognize the beauty and uniqueness that I see in others.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Invest in building relationships with people you respect and value. They’ll serve as your emotional support, creative collaborators, and cheerleaders through the good and the bad times. Community is everything.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Most of my photography work is on my personal Instagram account: @ninaqho. You can follow my diversity and inclusion work (and stay up-to-date on blog posts and upcoming events) by following @collective_blue on Instagram and signing up for our newsletter at www.collectiveblue.co. To keep up on my culinary adventures, you can follow @lemongrassaustin on Instagram. I’m also always down to collaborate on creative projects, and people can email me at nina@collectiveblue.co.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.collectiveblue.co/
- Phone: 8322768183
- Email: nina@collectiveblue.co
- Instagram: @ninaqho
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collectiveblueco/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/NinaQHo
- Other: http://instagram.com/collective_blue
Image Credit:
Ashley Behnke, Clark Terrell, Javi Gonzalez, Moyo Oyelola
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
