To Create Innovation and Creativity, Dr. David Owens Says Something Has to Stop

Dr. David Owens, 57, was born in Germany and moved to the U.S. to attend Stanford University when he was 18 years old.

“My mom’s German so we spoke German at home. We wore lederhosen and ate bratwurst and sauerkraut,” he said. “I remember being on the plane on way to school and I couldn’t figure out where it was. I didn’t know where San Francisco was compared to Los Angeles. I didn’t really know anything.”

David encountered a great deal of culture shock, which made the transition to the United States difficult.

Jon Dragonette comes to Nashville for New Inspirations

Professional photographer Jon Dragonette, 37, grew up in a small town in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York.

At 22, he moved to San Francisco for six years and then moved to Los Angeles for seven years until coming to Nashville last November.

“I grew up skateboarding, and that’s how I got into photography,” he said. “My mom wanted to be a photographer. I have a twin brother, and she had us when she was super young, so she had to put those dreams aside. When I was 13 or 14, she gave me a little 35 mm camera.”