The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.
Erin Morrison
Since then, I’ve built a full-time business. I photograph family sessions, weddings, elopements, and engagements in Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains. I focus on capturing real, unfiltered moments for all kinds of couples. Just recently, I started something new — a wedding podcast called Aisle Be Honest (https://aislebehonestpod.com/), where Brittany Sidwell and I talk about the real behind-the-scenes of the wedding industry. Read more>>
Lakehaven Devin Ross
Hailing from the bands original birthplace in the suburbs of South Clinton all the way to Seymour, Tennessee, Lakehaven is the final byproduct of multiple projects throughout the past decade that were heavily involved in Knoxville’s local punk/hardcore scene. The result being a dynamic set of friends who follow the path of bands stemming from hardcore, emo, pop punk, and other sub genres of the like. Lakehaven is an explosion of thick guitars, authentic drums, and bona fide vocals and lyricism that are memorable at the very least. Read more>>
Jazzmine Curtis
My journey with clay started in the community. I took my first ceramics class at The Bottom in Knoxville, taught by Dr. Maggie Connolly and local artist Jeremy Myles. That space and teachers helped opened something in me. It wasn’t just about learning technique; it felt like a return. Working with clay became a way to reconnect with something ancestral, It felt like a language I had always known but had never been given the chance to speak. Read more>>
Jessie Walker
Then the pandemic hit. I started offering “front porch sessions,” where I’d post on social media neighborhood groups that I would be in their area offering photo sessions. I’d spend a few days a week driving around Knoxville, taking socially distanced photos, and meeting clients that I still photograph today. That’s how I booked my first wedding client and started building a loyal base of clients. Before photography, I was teaching Pre-K, but once the world shifted, I never went back to teaching full time. By 2021, I had officially left my job to pursue wedding and portrait photography full time. Read more>>
Brigitte Thomas
Is it ever smooth? I often fight with the common enemy of writer’s block. I struggle with self-motivation, and I even have days where I wonder if I am doing the right thing. Then, I remember how much I love writing. How much I love connecting with readers and touching something in them with my words. And that makes it all worth it. Read more>>
Hannah Louderback
Design has always felt second nature to me. While I studied education and spent time teaching, design was always where my heart truly was. After having my daughter seven years ago, I started helping friends with their homes informally—measuring for rugs, selecting fabrics, and reimagining layouts—and what began as a passion project quickly grew. Word spread, and before long, I was working with friends of friends, then new clients, and eventually launched my own business. Read more>>
Amy And Molly Vanderpool And Rogers
Realizing this might be something others could benefit from, we decided to start our online business and reach more people. We did some festivals and quickly found the ones that catered to our target consumer, as well as the ones that didn’t. We enjoyed the interactions with those who were both curious about folk medicine, and those who knew more than we did! Two years ago we decided to take online classes through herbal schools to expand our knowledge base and give us more resources to pull from. We have enjoyed getting to know the history of herbal remedies and continue to learn about the plethora of ways they can be used. Read more>>
Beth & Becky Hetzel
Hetzel Art Studio, Originally opened in Feb. 2019, to serve as a place to teach classes and host workshops. We had a grand opening and invited all our talented friends from Cleveland and surrounding areas, and it was so amazing, the guests and artists asked us when the next show was. We never intended to serve as a gallery or host arts events, but we planned a years worth of shows and created a mission statement by the following day! We like to tell people that we accidently fell into it and continue meeting a need in Cleveland. Read more>>
Jana Harmon
The road hasn’t always been smooth, but it’s definitely been worth it. When I made the decision to start my own business in 2022, I was nervous—terrified, honestly. I was confident in my abilities as a wedding planner after seven years in the industry, but stepping into the unknown as a business owner was a whole different kind of challenge. I had to learn to trust myself in new ways—making the big decisions, building a brand from the ground up, and taking full ownership of every detail. Read more>>
Malik Stoudemire
A few years ago (2018), I found myself at a low point—sitting out my last semester of college due to financial aid not going through. I was devastated on the front end, but God knew he had a plan for me all along. I felt uncertain about my future and was searching for something that could reignite my spark. That’s when I picked up a camera. What began as a way to pass the time (trying to start a Youtube channel) quickly turned into a deep passion, and helped me get through my last semester. Read more>>
