Hi, I’m Larry.
Thanks for stopping by.
I grew up in Gonzales, Texas, a small ranching town about an hour east of San Antonio where everyone seemed to know everyone else. After earning my degree in Mechanical Engineering, I moved to Houston to start my career. That took me to California for thirteen years, then back to Houston to raise my family, with a two-year adventure in Chicago along the way. Houston has been home ever since.
People are often surprised that I’m an engineer by education, because I’ve spent my whole career in sales and business development. I like to joke that I wasn’t smart enough to be an engineer, but I was lucky enough to learn how to explain engineering.
For more than forty years, I’ve represented innovative technology companies. My job was never to invent it. It was to translate it: take complex ideas, simplify them, and help people understand not just how something works, but why it matters.
50+ countries, 30+ of them for work
That career has been an incredible adventure. I’ve done business in places like Russia, Kuwait and South Africa, usually walking into rooms where I didn’t speak the language or know the customs. Every country left an impression on me, but if I had to pick a favorite, it’s Singapore: its energy, its blend of cultures, and the way tradition and innovation live side by side.
All that travel taught me what I call street training, and it comes down to three rules:
- Own it. Wherever you are, own it, and don’t show fear.
- Respect the people and the protocol. Don’t force your reality into theirs.
- Find something to laugh about. Laughter gets you past the language, the customs and the distrust faster than anything else.
About these stories
This site is where I tell the stories that came out of all of it: business trips that went sideways, strangers who became friends, and the years after my 31-year marriage ended, when I had to figure out who I was all over again. Many of them are chapters from my memoir in progress, The Pause Before Send.
The late-blooming artist
I never thought of myself as creative. If you’d asked me at 56 whether I’d ever become an artist, I probably would have laughed.
Then, during the COVID years, while remodeling my townhouse, I found myself staring at a pile of leftover wood scraps at the end of a project. Most people would have seen trash. I saw possibility. I’ve always loved patterns, geometry, woodworking and bold color, so on a whim I started arranging the pieces into designs just to see what would happen. One project led to another.
I was 57 years old when I realized I had an artistic side.
Today I make custom wood mosaics, sculptural wall art and handcrafted tables. What started as a COVID hobby has grown into a business and a real passion. You can see the work at larryhudsonart.com.
One thing I’ve learned: it’s never too late to find something that changes your life. Sometimes it’s just waiting for you to stumble across it.
Help yourself
Years ago I stayed at a little Airbnb in a fishing town and found bags of ice in the freezer with a note: “Just leave $1 for each bag you use.” I promised myself that if I ever hosted people in my own home, I’d do the opposite.
In 2025 I finally got the chance. I stocked the fridge, filled the pantry, opened the bar, and left notes around the house that said “Help yourself.” Guest after guest treated my home with respect, and a lot of them became friends. Twenty-nine reviews, a 5.0 rating and Superhost status later, it turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.
That’s pretty much how I try to live, and how I try to write: open the door, put out what you’ve got, and see who shows up.
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