Highlighting Local Gems

Over the past decade we have had the chance to learn about so many incredible folks from a wide range of industries and backgrounds and our highlighter series is designed to give us an opportunity to go deeper into their stories with to goal of understanding them, their thought process, how their values formed and the foundations of their stories. Check out some incredible folks below – many of whom you may have read about already and a few new names as well.

Davontay Jennings

I believe I’m doing what I was born to do. In fact, I feel like I’m only scratching the surface of what’s ahead. Everything I’m doing right now—the events, the management, the brand building—I see as the early stages, the baby steps toward something much bigger than even I can imagine. Read more >>>

Kate Church

I am definitely wandering. While I never have intentionally strayed from a path, some of the most interesting adventures have found me when I’ve lost my way and it has been in those adventures that I continue to thrive. Read more >>>

Allie Arpaci

This summer I launched my newest Turkish towel collection called Getaway. It’s been five years in the making, an evolution that started with my very first solo towel design, Take Me With You (no collab, just me and my craving to create something beautiful for the world)! Read more >>>

Steve Del Gardo

Do not let fear control your destiny. Do not let other people control you. Do what makes you happy and do not care what people think of you. Read more >>>

Alexis Wilson

Yes, the public version of me is real, but it’s not the whole of me. What people see publicly, the faith-driven entrepreneur, model, wife, and mom, is all true, but it’s a glimpse into a much bigger picture. Read more >>>

Kale Sudhof

I believe that everyone who is trying to do something meaningful, no matter what that may be, will eventually have a moment where they have to choose whether to quit or keep going. Read more >>>

Steve Casino 

There were many times that I wanted to give up but through stupidity or stubbornness I didn’t. I failed at so many things before arriving at the point that I am at now. But everything I learned from the failed experiments made me better. I tried to be a packaging designer, a cartoonist, a model maker, and an illustrator. Read more >>>

MOLLIE MASON

One of the biggest lies in the live painting industry is the belief that an artist’s work isn’t good enough and that they must undercharge just to secure a booking. Art is subjective, and most of the time, couples are drawn to the artist just as much as the finished piece. Read more >>>

Cassie Davis

I think the thing I am most proud of building that no one necessarily sees is the changes within the hearts of so many shoppers that shop our stores, market, and stay in our Airbnbs; The Inn Above The Store. Our ultimate goal is to create change, lasting change, that results in a better world. Read more >>>

Courtney Stone Smith

I used to believe I was too shy to truly accomplish big things. I thought in order to achieve greater things I needed to be louder and popular. It wasn’t until I joined the workforce and experienced growth in my positions that I realized that was not the case. Read more >>>

Julia Mason (Niedzialek)

As a child, I believed I wasn’t worthy or good enough. I grew up in a small old farmhouse on one side of town and went to school in an upper-middle-class community. I was raised by incredibly hardworking parents. Read more >>>

Jasmine Mershon McKinney

What I understand deeply that most people don’t is the true value of appreciation and love. Life is temporary, and nothing lasts forever, which is why I try to cherish every moment I get with my family and the people I love. Time is something you can never get back, so appreciating it while you have it is so important. Read more >>>

Amy Smith

Our closest friends would say that what matters most to us is people — creating a space where they feel welcomed, cared for, and truly seen. Whether it’s friends around our own table or guests staying at The Inns at 8th and Main, we want everyone to leave feeling lighter, more connected, and more at peace than when they arrived. Read more >>>

Melodie Thompson

I grew up on a farm in a small rural community in Indiana. When I was around 6 years old the police showed up at our house one summer evening. The Police said they had caught some people stealing corn out of our fields and asked if my parents wanted to press charges. Read more >>>

Ioanna Paraskevopoulos

I have always been a self-starter and a hard worker, for better or worse. Usually it was a good thing – I like to tackle projects early so that my decks are clear for new opportunities whenever they arise. Less often, it can lead to my having to revisit projects as circumstances change. Read more >>>

Christi Scott Bartman

As a certified coach I have been trained to listen. I can tell you intellectually why this is important and how to do it. But I never truly knew how important it was until I was sharing some of the trafficking situations I was hearing about in the area with a local detective. Read more >>>

Roderick Jackson

After laying down name, role, and possessions my passions, relations with my family and most importantly my relationship with God will remain. Before the love for photography, all my accolades, all my equipment etc there was only God my family and my general love for Art. Read more >>>

115Jai

First I want to thank you and Canvas Rebel for taking the time to interview me today. The dream that I am chasing is to share my art on the largest scale possible and the ability to make it my full time career. Read more >>>

Chelsea Staud

Sadly, there are quite a few things that I feel are misunderstood about boudoir imagery and what it means and represents. Read more >>>

Michelle Merz

I think one of the biggest misunderstandings about my business is the assumption that marketing has to be slimy or manipulative. A lot of small business owners have been burned by overpriced programs or ‘half solutions’ that overpromise and underdeliver, so they come in expecting me to be the same. Read more >>>

Ben Wright-Heuman

It’s not so much that it’s false, but lately I’ve been wondering if the label of ‘Cartoonist’ is truly accurate for me. Don’t get me wrong, I am a cartoonist. I make comics, so I am a cartoonist. My issue comes from the fact that I make more than comics. Read more >>>

Toi Arnold

My earliest memory of feeling powerful was probably age 5, I’d practice walking around in my aunts’ heels so I could learn to model walk. Growing up my mom used to watch America’s Next Top Model and I just knew I could be on there one day. Read more >>>

Erykah Townsend

My earliest memory is when I wanted an Incredible Hulk-themed birthday party for my 5th birthday. It might seem like a small thing, but as a girl, some people in my family thought it was too ‘boyish’ and silly, as if girls couldn’t like the Hulk. My mother didn’t care and still threw me the party and she was also a Hulk fan. Read more >>>

Ralitsa Georgieva

When I decided to start teaching and observed the strong power, independence, the mastery, teachers give to their students by educating them. Another m9ment of feeling powerful was when I decided to dedicate a lot of my work to support unprivileged children and youth. For first time in November 2014 I organized and performed my first fundraising performance in support of UNICEF. Read more >>>

Anece Rochell

My earliest memory of being powerful is when I stood up for someone being bullied. I’ve always had a protector’s spirit. Read more >>>

Samantha Likes

A cultural value I protect at all costs is authenticity—being true to yourself and your story. In a world that often pushes us to fit in or put on a mask, I believe staying genuine is everything. It’s what helps us connect deeply with others and create meaningful art, relationships, and communities. For me, honesty and realness aren’t just values—they’re a way of life. Read more >>>

Jon Mohr

I can think of two standout moments in recent memory that I’ve felt the most loved. The first is when my wife expressed her fears of me leaving her while her POTS symptoms were materializing. Read more >>>

Timothy Reynolds

Now it is. For years I wore a mask trying to be something and someone I’m not to appease to certain individuals. Then I realized the very thing I thought would help boost me is what’s holding me back. Real people want authenticity not some fabricated character Read more >>>

Kevin Jackson

The magic of being who you were created to be. We were all put here with intention; with a dedicated purpose unique to only us. Being who God created you to be, and operating at the highest level of your gifts, is not only magical… it’s essential. Read more >>>

Len Peralta

I think when I was able to see original artwork by one of my heroes, Bill Watterson- the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, that really changed my perspective on art. I always thought that Bill Watterson’s work simply spilled onto the page, perfectly. So I always judged my artwork against his, thinking that I needed to be perfect every single time. Read more >>>

Maria Perme

I feel most at peace when I am in nature; particularly near water or in the woods. There’s something settling about being near the flow of water, and/or the quietness of moving through a forest that brings me a sense of calm and balance. Read more >>>