December 1, 2023 • 27 mins
Get ready to embark on an enchanting exploration of Chattanooga, Tennessee's vibrant art scene with local artist, AJ Azike. AJ opens up about his love for his city, the unique appeal of the Chattanooga Market, and the heartening experiences he's had selling his original artwork there.
We dive deeper into Chattanooga's thriving arts community, offering an insider's look at this unique city. Highlighting AJ's unique painting process and his philosophy on art, this episode is a testament to the transformative power of artistic expression. Hear about AJ's connections with customers, his commitment to selling only original artwork, and a poignant story about a young boy who found comfort in a painting of a cardinal.
Resources:
Chattanooga Itinerary
Find AJ:
Gallery by AJ Azike
Facebook
@ajazike • Instagram photos and videos
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Chattanooga, Tennessee | Things to Do, Hotels, Events (visitchattanooga.com)
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Global Journeys with Jill Dutton, the
captivating travel podcast thattakes you on an extraordinary
adventure around the world.
I'm your host, jill Dutton, andI am thrilled to be your guide
through the mesmerizing tapestryof cultures, landscapes and
experiences that await us.
Global Journeys with JillDutton is more than just a
(00:24):
travel podcast.
It's an exploration of humanityitself.
Through the power ofstorytelling, we illuminate the
lives of the remarkableindividuals we encounter along
the way, whether it's throughthe eyes of a fishing guide, a
distillery owner, a mixologist,a historian, chef, or even a
farmer.
Each person we meet adds a richlayer to the narrative of
(00:47):
culture and place.
In this podcast, we embark on atransformative journey where
the focus goes beyond thetypical tourist attractions.
Instead, we dive deep into thehearts and souls of the places
we visit, uncovering the hiddengems and untold stories that
make each destination trulyunique.
Join me as we venture off thebeaten path, seeking
(01:10):
authenticity, connection and adeeper understanding of the
world we inhabit.
Together, we'll unravel thetapestry of cultures, one story
at a time.
Although my writing careerbegan in the late 90s, when I
created and launched a wellnesspublication called Evolving
Magazine, since 2015 I've workedas a travel writer on a mission
(01:31):
to seek out the locallycelebrated foods, liquor trends,
outdoor activities and storiesof those I meet along the way.
My work has been published inWine Enthusiast, a far woman's
world, first for women, insiderroad trippers, modern farmer
chilled magazine and many moredigital and print publications.
(01:52):
I'm also the creator of GlobalPlates the people we meet, the
food they eat a syndicatedcolumn.
Creating this podcast is thenext step in my journey of
sharing the stories of thepeople I've met along the way.
So pack your curiosity, leaveyour preconceived notions behind
and let's embark on GlobalJourneys with Jill Dutton, where
(02:13):
each episode promises toinspire, educate and awaken the
wanderlust within us all.
Today's episode of GlobalJourneys with Jill Dutton takes
you to the vibrant city ofChattanooga, tennessee, where
the Tennessee River winds itsway through a landscape painted
with both natural beauty andartistic inspiration.
(02:34):
But before we dive into theartistic wonders of Chattanooga,
let me take you back to aserendipitous encounter at the
local farmer's market.
I visited Chattanooga in thespring and, since farmer's
markets are a passion for me, itwas a perfect time to visit for
their strawberry festival atthe Chattanooga Market.
As I strolled through themarket, captivated by the aromas
of fresh produce and bakedgoods, the ripe and luscious
(02:57):
strawberries we ate.
As we strolled, and the livelychatter of locals, my eyes were
drawn to a booth adorned withcaptivating paintings.
There I met AJ Ezekie.
I was able to purchase a coupleof his paintings to carefully
take home with me to Kansas City.
Today, we're not only exploringChattanooga and getting an
insider's look at thedestination, but also getting up
(03:18):
close and personal with thistalented artist.
So, without further ado, pleasejoin me in welcoming AJ Ezekie
to Global Journeys with JillDutton.
Aj, thank you for joining ustoday and sharing your insights
on your art, as well asChattanooga as a destination.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Hey, absolutely, it's a tremendous pleasure.
I'm grateful to be here withyou.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So happy to have you here.
Well, first I'm going to asksome quick questions about
Chattanooga before we dive intoyour artwork.
The questions are designed togive the listener a quick
insider's look at thedestination and maybe don't go
over a couple of sentencedescription for each one Ready.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Sounds good, perfect.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Okay, Thanks, Chattanooga a unique and
appealing destination fortravelers.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Well, all right.
So destination, or I would say,I'd say number one.
Number one, you know, would bethe people.
The people are very warm andwelcoming because, you know,
anytime you travel somewhere,it's a, it's kind of a
combination of you know out thecuff.
It's like the, the physicalenvironment, yeah, paired with
the people right, and then theother things that come along
(04:21):
with it are below.
You know all the great food andall these kinds of things.
But you know, anytime I'vetraveled around, I'm a, I'm a
road tripper, so I love drive,you know cross-country, and it's
it always comes down to youknow, the physical environment
and then the people, and thenthat just creates something so
special here in Chattanooga aswell as everywhere else.
But in Chattanooga I found thatthe people are warm, welcoming
(04:43):
and you know, and they havepositive outlook on things and I
think that also has somethingto do with the um, the
environment, the, the physicalenvironment itself has has.
It gives us that as well.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
I agree, I agree completely Wonderful, well, can
you think of?
You know so.
When people visit Chattanooga,they go to the rock city and you
know some of the typical thingsthat you might expect, but are
there any hidden gems or localfavorites Maybe that visitors
might not know about typically?
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yes, you know, there's a number of these.
Now I'll give you, I'll giveyou my top three, maybe even my
top five.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Oh great.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
But you know, of course there's always, you know,
the lookout mountain and the,you know visit, you know rock
city, and then there's the uh,you know the hiking trails and
things like that.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Yes, they're, they're all wonderful, I just meant
yeah absolutely, they'retremendous, they're absolutely
tremendous.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
And, um, now, what I do is you know what I, how I see
Chattanooga is there.
There's a few, there's a few.
Go-go to, of course, where wemet, which was at the
Chattanooga market, right.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
There's that, yes, the.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Chattanooga market's a great place where local
vendors, artists, crafts people,farmers, like it's a, it's a
wonderful place.
Yeah, really get to meet a widerange and a wide assortment of
Chattanooga At the market andyes with other Chattanooga's
that are coming to.
You know, buy their, buy theirproduce there's.
(06:07):
You know, get their, their arts, get their crafts and then a
lot of other.
You know people that aretraveling and and stop it in.
I.
I think the Chattanooga marketsis phenomenal.
It's the Saturday show at theaquarium and the Sunday as well,
over at the pavilion.
I'm gonna give that, I'm gonnaput that on my top five.
The next, the next portion I'llprobably go with places that I
(06:29):
like to, you know to, to grab abite right.
Yes, brew house is one of myfavorite places.
Brew house is right on the endof the walking bridge, the north
side of the walking bridgewhich spans the Tennessee River.
I believe it's one of thelongest walking bridges,
pedestrian bridges, in thecountry.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
I almost want to say it's a 0.45 Mile across.
So it's just under half a mileacross, I believe not totally
sure, but but the combination ofthat bridge, which, the bridge
itself, is the heart ofChattanooga to me.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
That's how I love it.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
It has a great energy .
I love just being over thewater in the morning, afternoon,
the nighttime, and it spansboth sides of Chattanooga but
anyhow.
So on the on the back side ofthat or on the north side of the
bridge there's a place calledbrew house, wonderful place, the
owner's phenomenal.
It's a German style restaurantkind of bar.
Great, great view of thepedestrian bridge there, the
(07:28):
walnut street bridge, as well asthe downtown area.
I love that place.
Food is great and I'm a hugefan of German beer.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
So yeah, yeah, big time fan.
I think when we were there, wehad dinner and then we walked
across To get ice cream and Idon't remember the name of the
place, but it was.
It was like two distinct,different neighborhoods, you
know, and it was.
It was very interesting.
So, thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Yeah, so you got the ice cream from the side where,
um, where the museum is.
Um, yes, yeah, so there's so.
And then that's the south sideof them.
When you cross over, you haveStone cup coffee or stone cup
cafe, which is another one ofthose go-tos.
It's right next door to brewhouse.
Mm-hmm you know, and as far as Igo, they pair and accompany
(08:17):
extremely exceptionally well.
You get your coffee in themorning, then you go grab
yourself a bite in the afternoon, or even in Washington with
some German weak beer, you know,and they both have great views,
large patios, large decks onthe back there and then another
place to eat.
You know I like to eat.
I didn't get this sizeovernight.
You know it's sugar's ribs.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
I'm going to use that one.
I'm going to use that one.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yes, you know it's a mission.
I believe it's called MissionRidge, easter Ridge, Mission
Ridge.
It's great, it's really great.
You get an exceptional view ofLookout Mountain, signal
Mountain, downtown Chattanooga,north Chattanooga as well, north
Shore area, and it just sits ina space right off the freeway.
(09:04):
And the food's great.
You know rib places, whatthey're known for.
They also have their ownin-house sauces from the mild
medium and you know, call theparamedic hot.
That's great.
But I'll say the number onething though I mean the food's
(09:27):
great, everything's great,view's great Is the service.
You know I love being ofservice to others and so when
you go somewhere and they justtreat you like they love you,
yes.
It's like I'm going to go backand I'm going to tell everybody
I know.
So if I had to run it down realquick, I would say number one
(09:51):
is going to be that bridge, inmy opinion, wallnut Street
Bridge.
Go for a walk across it, walkback, get that mile under your
feet.
Next place is going to be StoneCup Cafe on the north side of
the bridge, on Fraser Avenue.
Next door to that on FraserAvenue is Brujas.
Wonderful people, great peoplethere.
Yes, we still need one, you gotto go Chattanooga Market for
(10:11):
number four and number five.
We're going to call it Sugar'sRibs.
Great service, great food,phenomenal view, excellent,
excellent, wonderful.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Thank you, aj.
And then last question aboutChattanooga and as it relates to
art.
So did you move there in 2020?
Is that what I saw?
Speaker 2 (10:29):
So I started art as a business, as a creative, as a
business, in 2020.
So this is my third year.
Just October was my third year.
However, I moved to Chattanoogaabout two years ago now, so
about 2021.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Ok, Well, I was just curious then.
So then how would you knowliving there, how would you
describe the art scene inChattanooga?
It's kind of a small city butyet it seems like the arts are
very prominent and important.
So I'm just kind of curiouswhat role you think it plays in
the overall atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I would say it plays a great role and it seems like
it wants more as a city, as acity is kind of like a living
entity to a certain degree, andit almost seems like it wants
more.
There's murals that are poppingup and there are different
(11:29):
events that are happening wherethey'll showcase artists, of
course, like the Chattanoogamarket, but also at different
locations that we typicallywouldn't even think about.
I mean breweries, distilleries,tap rooms, and there's even,
like the Jewish Community Centerhere has a gallery in it Just
(11:49):
really cool, you know, and I'veexhibited there before and then
there's just so much of it andit's not that it's not like a
thorn in anybody's side oranything, it's like oh yeah,
that's a great idea.
Let's do this Like it's open,you know, like open to, let's
(12:10):
see what we can do.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
You know, oh, I love it.
I love it.
Well, thank you for the look atChattanooga as a destination.
Now let's dive into yourexperiences.
So, as we discussed, if youremember, I found you selling
your artwork at the ChattanoogaFarmers Market.
I was there on a press trip andwe had visited the market for
the Strawberry Festival, andthat is actually one of my
(12:31):
passions is.
Every city I visit I must go tothe Farmers Markets, because
I'm just that's great.
I love sampling local food andthen also seeing the local
artists as well, so I was soimpressed with the bounty of
fresh produce, but also the widevariety.
There was art, and there wasjewelry and there was pottery
(12:51):
and so many wonderful artisticitems there.
And that's when we discoveredyou, and so I brought home two
paintings with me.
They hang in my living room andso I get to enjoy them every
day and I just want to thank youfor that, because it's really.
I think of Chattanooga, I thinkof you, I just everything when
I see those paintings.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
So that's great.
I want to say thank you, Iappreciate you so much.
I mean as far as the art goesand everything, I mean it's not
like an easy thing to do.
You know, I want to come upwith things and come up with new
ideas and come up with justsubjects that are entertaining
(13:32):
and keep that vibration high andeverything.
But I tell you, what does itfor me is being able to share
with others and somebody seessomething that they're like you
know what I got to have, that Imean it just makes sense, like
you feel like you did the rightthing.
You're like, oh yeah, and it'salmost, you know, and I don't
(13:53):
want to sound too, too woo-woohere, too out there, but it's
like it's like.
To me it gets so like spiritualin a way, because, like,
there'll be times when it's, youknow, it becomes, it might be a
little bit, you know, it mightbe a little bit of ice skating
uphill to get, you know, to geta few paintings done in a day,
and then, when somebody comes in, so that's perfect, yes, that's
(14:16):
what I'm looking for, and it'slike, oh, it's like that's that
makes it all worth it.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Oh well, I agree, and you do such a great job of I
don't even know the word for it,but introducing someone to your
art and the way that you, youknow you take a picture together
with the piece and it reallyconnects the buyer to the artist
.
No, no, no, trust me, I knowexactly what you mean, but it
was it made it so intimate andgetting to know you, and so I
(14:43):
really was impressed with theway that you display your work
as well as interact with thepublic.
I mean, that's not as importantas your art, but it's such an
important part of the process, Ibelieve.
So maybe tell me a little bitabout your painting process.
How did you get started?
What led you to this?
Have you always been artistic?
Because I know I can't paintfor my life.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I understand that Well.
You know, everybody is in acertain way like there's
creativity in everyone and itdoesn't always come out with
paint and a brush on some canvas.
It doesn't always come out thatway.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Right Mine comes out in words.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Yes, exactly, or whatever it may be.
There's all types of wonderfulways to be creative.
I mean telling, like beingcreative, and teaching someone's
children the importance ofgoing to bed early.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Or cooking, or gardening.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
You gotta be creative to do these things.
So, it comes out different, youknow, as far as how I started.
I mean, I was, I was, I wasliterally born this way.
I was born this way and youknow, and as a kid that's,
that's pretty much all I wantedto do, to the degree of I would
I would get in trouble at schoolsometimes Because you were
(16:00):
doing math class drawing Snoopy,and they're just like hey
that's not what we're doing here, aj.
Oh, okay, all right.
So I mean that's you know I've.
You know I've always wanted todo that.
I found that it's like you know, it's soothing, but it's also
problem solving, because thesecond that a person decides,
hey, I want to create something,they've kind of put a problem
(16:23):
in front of themselves, even ifit's a blank sheet of paper, and
they're like, okay, they put aproblem there, so now it's time
to solve it.
Yeah so as a kid that was.
You know, that's what I did.
I was one of the you know thekids, you know there's a term
from you know, way back, calledthe latchkey kids right and get
their selves to and from school,cook their own breakfast or
(16:43):
lunch or whatever.
You know, get home, lock thedoor, latchkey right.
And so I was one of these kindsof kids and so I would, you
know, get home and draw pictures, you know, and that's you know.
I spent a lot of my, a lot ofmy day, you know, is drawing
pictures and looking out thewindow and kind of drawing what
I saw.
(17:03):
We lived on a very busy road,so I got a lot of practice, you
know excellent.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
And then then your paintings and what you're
selling now.
I mean, did this idea come toyou?
Didn't you say as a businessyou started in 2020 of selling
your works?
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yes, yes, yeah, so as a business, as a business
starting in 2020, but you know,throughout this whole life, this
whole journey that I've been onit's, you know I've done, you
know, made gifts for people,whether it's birthdays,
christmas presents.
You know, if I'm workingsomewhere, they're like, hey,
can you make a mural for the,for the shop, or something?
Yeah, sure, let's do it.
(17:37):
And then it was probably2019-ish and I really started
thinking.
I was like, well, what am Igoing to do?
What do I want to do here?
You know, I had, you know,worked in a few different fields
, worked in.
I was a real estate dude for awhile, I was a teacher and
martial arts instructor and didthese things.
And I was like what I reallywant to do?
And ultimately it was.
(17:57):
You know, you got to be who youare in this world and I had to.
It took, you know, it's kind ofsound strange, but I had to.
I had to be courageous withmyself to say this is what I
want to do, going forward and ina lot of the, and what I mean
by courageous is, you know,that's not, that's not a job
(18:17):
that a grown man does, really.
Let me go pictures you know,and so I had to.
I had to be courageous enough tostep to myself and say don't
worry about anything that.
Don't worry about the, theexternal look of it, you, what
you're supposed to do, right andthat and I was like, well, okay
(18:39):
, you've got to be who you are,and that's so important to me is
like, just be who you are like.
Because when I look at it, I'mlike, well, wait a minute, I
stopped being who I was as achild to go and chase some money
or chase some kind of respector something you know.
And and it's like, no, just bewho you are, you're how you're
supposed to be.
(18:59):
And I tell you I feel the mostfulfilled that I've ever felt in
my life every day is is I'mgrateful to be able to do what I
do.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
I love.
That is a very powerful lessonbecause it's so true it does
take courage to pursue whatyou're meant to do, what you're,
what you're here for.
You know I mentioned the themarket is that the primary place
where you sell your work is atthe Chattanooga market.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yeah, so right now, that's, uh, that's primarily the
primarily where I'm, uh, realable to find my work there.
It's great, it's a tremendousopportunity.
When I moved here, I didn'thave a clue about the, the
Chattanooga market.
Now I was actually sellingonline.
Only I was selling online.
And then when I moved here youknow, I moved here because, you
know, originally I was born inthe mountains and so I was like,
(19:42):
wow, I get the mountains here,got a nice river, you know.
And so I was like and then cometo find out I was like, well,
people are like, hey, you shouldgo, maybe try to be a vendor at
the Chattanooga market.
I say, okay, let me go check itout.
And, phenomenal, it's beensomething else.
It's really helped me and as anartist and has allowed me to be
a be of service to others in agreater, in a greater, uh, in a,
(20:05):
you know, in a greater range.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Yes, yes, and and, like I said, that, that
interaction that you offer isreally makes it a fun you know
to, to find your art and learnabout it and and to purchase it
from you.
Do you have any fun orinteresting stories about people
that you have met at the market?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Yes, I have plenty, you know I have a whole bunch.
I'll give you a couple though,okay.
So here, going back to thatkind of that spiritual kind of
this, this kind of connection,that that happens right where.
I'll make something and thensomeone will say, hey, you know,
that's perfect, or you know, oralmost something along the
lines of like, how did you know?
And those are the ones thatalways get me, you know, uh like
(20:45):
uh, like, one time there was a.
I made a.
I made this painting.
I remember the night I wasmaking it was late night.
I was really, you know, I wasreal tired and I was like, let
me get, let me get through it,let me get, let me get this
painting done and maybe anotherone and I'll get some sleep.
It was, it was a man on a, uh,on the, on the shore, fishing,
um, with like kind of like, uh,you know, a landscape, semi
(21:07):
cityscape, in the distance, uh,in a far in the distance, we
just kind of sitting back, hasthis yellow hat on, and a girl
comes up to me.
I was like, how did you know?
My grandfather used to fish andhe used to wear this yellow hat
.
It was like what, the?
What are you talking about, youknow?
And it was just like, like,stuff like that, it's like whoa
oh, that is great and uh andthis one boy.
(21:29):
You know there's one little boy,he, he can walk and over into
the, into the, the tent, and hejust kind of, you know, he walks
in, he kind of he stands thereand he's staring at a painting.
I'm like, hey, what's up, howare you doing?
And then he just okay, hedidn't really say a lot and he
just kind of staring at the wall.
I was like man, what's going onhere?
And then his, his, his parentscome in, or his, his guardians,
(21:50):
rather, come in and they justwalk in.
They kind of stop and they'rereal still and I'm like, hey,
you guys, all right, come on in,you know they kind of freaking
me out, what's going on.
And the boy won't, he won't, hewill not adjust his you know his
vision.
He's, he just like, stuck onthis painting and I mean he goes
walking over to and he'slooking up at, I mean, you know,
little guy, probably two and ahalf feet tall, you know it's
(22:12):
really young and I.
It was his guardians, maybe afamily member, older brother,
uncle, something like that, andand his wife and his guardian
leans over to me and says hey,you know, his parents recently
died.
And I was like what he said bothof them, you know, and I'm like
what.
And he said that before, beforethey passed away, that his
(22:34):
mother told him that every timeyou see a cardinal, I want you
to think of me, and that's methinking of you.
And I had this painting of acardinal that was there and I
have, you know, and I haveglasses on it, and and and.
So the young boy, he woreglasses too.
Oh and he was just like that,you know, he just looked at it
and he looked up at his, at hisguardian.
He might have been like anolder brother, maybe an older
(22:55):
cousin, uncle, something likethat and he was like, yeah, well
, let's, let's, let's get that.
And it was.
There's things like that thatare just you know.
And then after that, so Istarted painting all my birds
with glasses on them.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Oh really, oh my gosh , what a touching story.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Yeah, let me tell you , there were other people in the
tent to looking at artwork andwe all kind of like, oh, we all
kind of got choked up a littleweird, just like whoa, oh, but I
mean I mean there are thingslike that and just like
paintings, that.
Or people say I mean that's,that's exactly what I needed,
that's exactly what I'm lookingfor and of course, I keep my
price points, you know,exceptionally low compared to,
(23:34):
you know, a lot of otheroriginal art, because I only do
originals and no prints, noreproductions, and a lot of that
is.
I want people to be able tohave access to original artwork
because originals give off adifferent vibration, literally a
different vibration, you knowyes.
Adams, and you know things likeyou know they're.
They're, they're built up,they're textured, and you know,
(23:56):
and I'm fired up when I makethem, you know I get fired up
and I really get to work inthere and you know.
So it's different, there's adifferent, different vibration
than I've.
You know that a parent andthere's nothing wrong with
prints.
That's the wrong with print.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
No, I I agree with you 100%, though I treasure the
two that I bought for me.
I really do well, I thinkthat's perfect and unless
there's anything else that Iforgot to ask you.
But how can listeners find you,is it Instagram?
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Well, yeah, I mean, instagram is number one for me.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
So what's that?
Speaker 2 (24:25):
It's a j a z I K e E on Facebook, instagram and then
my website, aj ziki dot com.
Okay, my website doesn't getall the all the attention that
it used to get, because now Isell a lot more at the Market
person.
Yeah, then then then the website.
But a website has a few, has afew items there, and then you
(24:49):
know, I I'll be doing a littlebit more on there because I do
like the, I do like the websiteand that's how.
That's how I started and I havea.
I have a whole Shippingdoctrine that I set up and I put
a lot of work into it.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
So oh, excellent and I'll include everywhere.
I'll include links in the shownotes as well, Okay but, that
just made me think to ask is theChattanooga market opening year
round?
Do you know it's?
Speaker 2 (25:13):
not.
So they're pretty much March,april and then roll through
December.
So December is the, is theChattanooga markets, like it's
premier kind of show, where it'sthe first three weekends in
December.
So it's like Saturday, sunday,saturday Sunday, saturday Sunday
(25:34):
and it's at the conventioncenter versus being at the
pavilion.
Okay, yes, so I mean it's a,you know it's.
It's a great showcase of a lotof the wonderful talent that we
have here locally in Chattanooga.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
I agree, and that gives you January, february,
march to really Producing, getcalm back and restock.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Catch my breath for a little bit, you know Well, AJ,
thank you so much.
I loved hearing your story andI'm so pleased that you were
here today.
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Hey, jill, thank you, I really appreciate it.
It's all the listeners outthere, you know.
I appreciate y'all as well, andyou know make it a great day.
Make it a great day because youhave the power to do so
excellent.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Thank you.
You too.
As we travel on this excitingpodcasting journey together, I
invite you our incredibleaudience, to be a part of it.
Share your own travel stories,insights and recommendations
with us.
Whether you have a hidden gemin your hometown or a dream
destination, it has capturedyour imagination.
(26:33):
We want to hear from you.
Your suggestions will helpshape the future episodes of
global journeys with Jill Dutton, guiding us towards
extraordinary locations andexperiences that deserve a
spotlight.
Remember, this podcast is notabout just the host or the
guests.
It's about the collectiveexploration and discovery that
unites us all as wanderers inthis vast world.
So reach out to us through ourwebsite, social media channels
(26:59):
or email and let your voice beheard.
Send your suggestions to me atJill at global journeys with
Jill Dutton.
I can't wait to hear from youuntil next time.
May your travels be filled withendless curiosity, open hearted
encounters and transformativeadventures.
(27:20):
Safe travels, fellow explorers,and keep wandering.
Welcome to Global Journeys with Jill Dutton, the
captivating travel podcast thattakes you on an extraordinary
adventure around the world.
I'm your host, jill Dutton, andI am thrilled to be your guide
through the mesmerizing tapestryof cultures, landscapes and
experiences that await us.
Global Journeys with JillDutton is more than just a
(00:24):
travel podcast.
It's an exploration of humanityitself.
Through the power ofstorytelling, we illuminate the
lives of the remarkableindividuals we encounter along
the way, whether it's throughthe eyes of a fishing guide, a
distillery owner, a mixologist,a historian, chef, or even a
farmer.
Each person we meet adds a richlayer to the narrative of
(00:47):
culture and place.
In this podcast, we embark on atransformative journey where
the focus goes beyond thetypical tourist attractions.
Instead, we dive deep into thehearts and souls of the places
we visit, uncovering the hiddengems and untold stories that
make each destination trulyunique.
Join me as we venture off thebeaten path, seeking
(01:10):
authenticity, connection and adeeper understanding of the
world we inhabit.
Together, we'll unravel thetapestry of cultures, one story
at a time.
Although my writing careerbegan in the late 90s, when I
created and launched a wellnesspublication called Evolving
Magazine, since 2015 I've workedas a travel writer on a mission
(01:31):
to seek out the locallycelebrated foods, liquor trends,
outdoor activities and storiesof those I meet along the way.
My work has been published inWine Enthusiast, a far woman's
world, first for women, insiderroad trippers, modern farmer
chilled magazine and many moredigital and print publications.
(01:52):
I'm also the creator of GlobalPlates the people we meet, the
food they eat a syndicatedcolumn.
Creating this podcast is thenext step in my journey of
sharing the stories of thepeople I've met along the way.
So pack your curiosity, leaveyour preconceived notions behind
and let's embark on GlobalJourneys with Jill Dutton, where
(02:13):
each episode promises toinspire, educate and awaken the
wanderlust within us all.
Today's episode of GlobalJourneys with Jill Dutton takes
you to the vibrant city ofChattanooga, tennessee, where
the Tennessee River winds itsway through a landscape painted
with both natural beauty andartistic inspiration.
(02:34):
But before we dive into theartistic wonders of Chattanooga,
let me take you back to aserendipitous encounter at the
local farmer's market.
I visited Chattanooga in thespring and, since farmer's
markets are a passion for me, itwas a perfect time to visit for
their strawberry festival atthe Chattanooga Market.
As I strolled through themarket, captivated by the aromas
of fresh produce and bakedgoods, the ripe and luscious
(02:57):
strawberries we ate.
As we strolled, and the livelychatter of locals, my eyes were
drawn to a booth adorned withcaptivating paintings.
There I met AJ Ezekie.
I was able to purchase a coupleof his paintings to carefully
take home with me to Kansas City.
Today, we're not only exploringChattanooga and getting an
insider's look at thedestination, but also getting up
(03:18):
close and personal with thistalented artist.
So, without further ado, pleasejoin me in welcoming AJ Ezekie
to Global Journeys with JillDutton.
Aj, thank you for joining ustoday and sharing your insights
on your art, as well asChattanooga as a destination.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Hey, absolutely, it's a tremendous pleasure.
I'm grateful to be here withyou.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So happy to have you here.
Well, first I'm going to asksome quick questions about
Chattanooga before we dive intoyour artwork.
The questions are designed togive the listener a quick
insider's look at thedestination and maybe don't go
over a couple of sentencedescription for each one Ready.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Sounds good, perfect.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Okay, Thanks, Chattanooga a unique and
appealing destination fortravelers.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Well, all right.
So destination, or I would say,I'd say number one.
Number one, you know, would bethe people.
The people are very warm andwelcoming because, you know,
anytime you travel somewhere,it's a, it's kind of a
combination of you know out thecuff.
It's like the, the physicalenvironment, yeah, paired with
the people right, and then theother things that come along
(04:21):
with it are below.
You know all the great food andall these kinds of things.
But you know, anytime I'vetraveled around, I'm a, I'm a
road tripper, so I love drive,you know cross-country, and it's
it always comes down to youknow, the physical environment
and then the people, and thenthat just creates something so
special here in Chattanooga aswell as everywhere else.
But in Chattanooga I found thatthe people are warm, welcoming
(04:43):
and you know, and they havepositive outlook on things and I
think that also has somethingto do with the um, the
environment, the, the physicalenvironment itself has has.
It gives us that as well.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
I agree, I agree completely Wonderful, well, can
you think of?
You know so.
When people visit Chattanooga,they go to the rock city and you
know some of the typical thingsthat you might expect, but are
there any hidden gems or localfavorites Maybe that visitors
might not know about typically?
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yes, you know, there's a number of these.
Now I'll give you, I'll giveyou my top three, maybe even my
top five.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Oh great.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
But you know, of course there's always, you know,
the lookout mountain and the,you know visit, you know rock
city, and then there's the uh,you know the hiking trails and
things like that.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Yes, they're, they're all wonderful, I just meant
yeah absolutely, they'retremendous, they're absolutely
tremendous.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
And, um, now, what I do is you know what I, how I see
Chattanooga is there.
There's a few, there's a few.
Go-go to, of course, where wemet, which was at the
Chattanooga market, right.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
There's that, yes, the.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Chattanooga market's a great place where local
vendors, artists, crafts people,farmers, like it's a, it's a
wonderful place.
Yeah, really get to meet a widerange and a wide assortment of
Chattanooga At the market andyes with other Chattanooga's
that are coming to.
You know, buy their, buy theirproduce there's.
(06:07):
You know, get their, their arts, get their crafts and then a
lot of other.
You know people that aretraveling and and stop it in.
I.
I think the Chattanooga marketsis phenomenal.
It's the Saturday show at theaquarium and the Sunday as well,
over at the pavilion.
I'm gonna give that, I'm gonnaput that on my top five.
The next, the next portion I'llprobably go with places that I
(06:29):
like to, you know to, to grab abite right.
Yes, brew house is one of myfavorite places.
Brew house is right on the endof the walking bridge, the north
side of the walking bridgewhich spans the Tennessee River.
I believe it's one of thelongest walking bridges,
pedestrian bridges, in thecountry.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
I almost want to say it's a 0.45 Mile across.
So it's just under half a mileacross, I believe not totally
sure, but but the combination ofthat bridge, which, the bridge
itself, is the heart ofChattanooga to me.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
That's how I love it.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
It has a great energy .
I love just being over thewater in the morning, afternoon,
the nighttime, and it spansboth sides of Chattanooga but
anyhow.
So on the on the back side ofthat or on the north side of the
bridge there's a place calledbrew house, wonderful place, the
owner's phenomenal.
It's a German style restaurantkind of bar.
Great, great view of thepedestrian bridge there, the
(07:28):
walnut street bridge, as well asthe downtown area.
I love that place.
Food is great and I'm a hugefan of German beer.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
So yeah, yeah, big time fan.
I think when we were there, wehad dinner and then we walked
across To get ice cream and Idon't remember the name of the
place, but it was.
It was like two distinct,different neighborhoods, you
know, and it was.
It was very interesting.
So, thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Yeah, so you got the ice cream from the side where,
um, where the museum is.
Um, yes, yeah, so there's so.
And then that's the south sideof them.
When you cross over, you haveStone cup coffee or stone cup
cafe, which is another one ofthose go-tos.
It's right next door to brewhouse.
Mm-hmm you know, and as far as Igo, they pair and accompany
(08:17):
extremely exceptionally well.
You get your coffee in themorning, then you go grab
yourself a bite in the afternoon, or even in Washington with
some German weak beer, you know,and they both have great views,
large patios, large decks onthe back there and then another
place to eat.
You know I like to eat.
I didn't get this sizeovernight.
You know it's sugar's ribs.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
I'm going to use that one.
I'm going to use that one.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yes, you know it's a mission.
I believe it's called MissionRidge, easter Ridge, Mission
Ridge.
It's great, it's really great.
You get an exceptional view ofLookout Mountain, signal
Mountain, downtown Chattanooga,north Chattanooga as well, north
Shore area, and it just sits ina space right off the freeway.
(09:04):
And the food's great.
You know rib places, whatthey're known for.
They also have their ownin-house sauces from the mild
medium and you know, call theparamedic hot.
That's great.
But I'll say the number onething though I mean the food's
(09:27):
great, everything's great,view's great Is the service.
You know I love being ofservice to others and so when
you go somewhere and they justtreat you like they love you,
yes.
It's like I'm going to go backand I'm going to tell everybody
I know.
So if I had to run it down realquick, I would say number one
(09:51):
is going to be that bridge, inmy opinion, wallnut Street
Bridge.
Go for a walk across it, walkback, get that mile under your
feet.
Next place is going to be StoneCup Cafe on the north side of
the bridge, on Fraser Avenue.
Next door to that on FraserAvenue is Brujas.
Wonderful people, great peoplethere.
Yes, we still need one, you gotto go Chattanooga Market for
(10:11):
number four and number five.
We're going to call it Sugar'sRibs.
Great service, great food,phenomenal view, excellent,
excellent, wonderful.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Thank you, aj.
And then last question aboutChattanooga and as it relates to
art.
So did you move there in 2020?
Is that what I saw?
Speaker 2 (10:29):
So I started art as a business, as a creative, as a
business, in 2020.
So this is my third year.
Just October was my third year.
However, I moved to Chattanoogaabout two years ago now, so
about 2021.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Ok, Well, I was just curious then.
So then how would you knowliving there, how would you
describe the art scene inChattanooga?
It's kind of a small city butyet it seems like the arts are
very prominent and important.
So I'm just kind of curiouswhat role you think it plays in
the overall atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I would say it plays a great role and it seems like
it wants more as a city, as acity is kind of like a living
entity to a certain degree, andit almost seems like it wants
more.
There's murals that are poppingup and there are different
(11:29):
events that are happening wherethey'll showcase artists, of
course, like the Chattanoogamarket, but also at different
locations that we typicallywouldn't even think about.
I mean breweries, distilleries,tap rooms, and there's even,
like the Jewish Community Centerhere has a gallery in it Just
(11:49):
really cool, you know, and I'veexhibited there before and then
there's just so much of it andit's not that it's not like a
thorn in anybody's side oranything, it's like oh yeah,
that's a great idea.
Let's do this Like it's open,you know, like open to, let's
(12:10):
see what we can do.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
You know, oh, I love it.
I love it.
Well, thank you for the look atChattanooga as a destination.
Now let's dive into yourexperiences.
So, as we discussed, if youremember, I found you selling
your artwork at the ChattanoogaFarmers Market.
I was there on a press trip andwe had visited the market for
the Strawberry Festival, andthat is actually one of my
(12:31):
passions is.
Every city I visit I must go tothe Farmers Markets, because
I'm just that's great.
I love sampling local food andthen also seeing the local
artists as well, so I was soimpressed with the bounty of
fresh produce, but also the widevariety.
There was art, and there wasjewelry and there was pottery
(12:51):
and so many wonderful artisticitems there.
And that's when we discoveredyou, and so I brought home two
paintings with me.
They hang in my living room andso I get to enjoy them every
day and I just want to thank youfor that, because it's really.
I think of Chattanooga, I thinkof you, I just everything when
I see those paintings.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
So that's great.
I want to say thank you, Iappreciate you so much.
I mean as far as the art goesand everything, I mean it's not
like an easy thing to do.
You know, I want to come upwith things and come up with new
ideas and come up with justsubjects that are entertaining
(13:32):
and keep that vibration high andeverything.
But I tell you, what does itfor me is being able to share
with others and somebody seessomething that they're like you
know what I got to have, that Imean it just makes sense, like
you feel like you did the rightthing.
You're like, oh yeah, and it'salmost, you know, and I don't
(13:53):
want to sound too, too woo-woohere, too out there, but it's
like it's like.
To me it gets so like spiritualin a way, because, like,
there'll be times when it's, youknow, it becomes, it might be a
little bit, you know, it mightbe a little bit of ice skating
uphill to get, you know, to geta few paintings done in a day,
and then, when somebody comes in, so that's perfect, yes, that's
(14:16):
what I'm looking for, and it'slike, oh, it's like that's that
makes it all worth it.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Oh well, I agree, and you do such a great job of I
don't even know the word for it,but introducing someone to your
art and the way that you, youknow you take a picture together
with the piece and it reallyconnects the buyer to the artist
.
No, no, no, trust me, I knowexactly what you mean, but it
was it made it so intimate andgetting to know you, and so I
(14:43):
really was impressed with theway that you display your work
as well as interact with thepublic.
I mean, that's not as importantas your art, but it's such an
important part of the process, Ibelieve.
So maybe tell me a little bitabout your painting process.
How did you get started?
What led you to this?
Have you always been artistic?
Because I know I can't paintfor my life.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I understand that Well.
You know, everybody is in acertain way like there's
creativity in everyone and itdoesn't always come out with
paint and a brush on some canvas.
It doesn't always come out thatway.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Right Mine comes out in words.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Yes, exactly, or whatever it may be.
There's all types of wonderfulways to be creative.
I mean telling, like beingcreative, and teaching someone's
children the importance ofgoing to bed early.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Or cooking, or gardening.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
You gotta be creative to do these things.
So, it comes out different, youknow, as far as how I started.
I mean, I was, I was, I wasliterally born this way.
I was born this way and youknow, and as a kid that's,
that's pretty much all I wantedto do, to the degree of I would
I would get in trouble at schoolsometimes Because you were
(16:00):
doing math class drawing Snoopy,and they're just like hey
that's not what we're doing here, aj.
Oh, okay, all right.
So I mean that's you know I've.
You know I've always wanted todo that.
I found that it's like you know, it's soothing, but it's also
problem solving, because thesecond that a person decides,
hey, I want to create something,they've kind of put a problem
(16:23):
in front of themselves, even ifit's a blank sheet of paper, and
they're like, okay, they put aproblem there, so now it's time
to solve it.
Yeah so as a kid that was.
You know, that's what I did.
I was one of the you know thekids, you know there's a term
from you know, way back, calledthe latchkey kids right and get
their selves to and from school,cook their own breakfast or
(16:43):
lunch or whatever.
You know, get home, lock thedoor, latchkey right.
And so I was one of these kindsof kids and so I would, you
know, get home and draw pictures, you know, and that's you know.
I spent a lot of my, a lot ofmy day, you know, is drawing
pictures and looking out thewindow and kind of drawing what
I saw.
(17:03):
We lived on a very busy road,so I got a lot of practice, you
know excellent.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
And then then your paintings and what you're
selling now.
I mean, did this idea come toyou?
Didn't you say as a businessyou started in 2020 of selling
your works?
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yes, yes, yeah, so as a business, as a business
starting in 2020, but you know,throughout this whole life, this
whole journey that I've been onit's, you know I've done, you
know, made gifts for people,whether it's birthdays,
christmas presents.
You know, if I'm workingsomewhere, they're like, hey,
can you make a mural for the,for the shop, or something?
Yeah, sure, let's do it.
(17:37):
And then it was probably2019-ish and I really started
thinking.
I was like, well, what am Igoing to do?
What do I want to do here?
You know, I had, you know,worked in a few different fields
, worked in.
I was a real estate dude for awhile, I was a teacher and
martial arts instructor and didthese things.
And I was like what I reallywant to do?
And ultimately it was.
(17:57):
You know, you got to be who youare in this world and I had to.
It took, you know, it's kind ofsound strange, but I had to.
I had to be courageous withmyself to say this is what I
want to do, going forward and ina lot of the, and what I mean
by courageous is, you know,that's not, that's not a job
(18:17):
that a grown man does, really.
Let me go pictures you know,and so I had to.
I had to be courageous enough tostep to myself and say don't
worry about anything that.
Don't worry about the, theexternal look of it, you, what
you're supposed to do, right andthat and I was like, well, okay
(18:39):
, you've got to be who you are,and that's so important to me is
like, just be who you are like.
Because when I look at it, I'mlike, well, wait a minute, I
stopped being who I was as achild to go and chase some money
or chase some kind of respector something you know.
And and it's like, no, just bewho you are, you're how you're
supposed to be.
(18:59):
And I tell you I feel the mostfulfilled that I've ever felt in
my life every day is is I'mgrateful to be able to do what I
do.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
I love.
That is a very powerful lessonbecause it's so true it does
take courage to pursue whatyou're meant to do, what you're,
what you're here for.
You know I mentioned the themarket is that the primary place
where you sell your work is atthe Chattanooga market.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yeah, so right now, that's, uh, that's primarily the
primarily where I'm, uh, realable to find my work there.
It's great, it's a tremendousopportunity.
When I moved here, I didn'thave a clue about the, the
Chattanooga market.
Now I was actually sellingonline.
Only I was selling online.
And then when I moved here youknow, I moved here because, you
know, originally I was born inthe mountains and so I was like,
(19:42):
wow, I get the mountains here,got a nice river, you know.
And so I was like and then cometo find out I was like, well,
people are like, hey, you shouldgo, maybe try to be a vendor at
the Chattanooga market.
I say, okay, let me go check itout.
And, phenomenal, it's beensomething else.
It's really helped me and as anartist and has allowed me to be
a be of service to others in agreater, in a greater, uh, in a,
(20:05):
you know, in a greater range.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Yes, yes, and and, like I said, that, that
interaction that you offer isreally makes it a fun you know
to, to find your art and learnabout it and and to purchase it
from you.
Do you have any fun orinteresting stories about people
that you have met at the market?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Yes, I have plenty, you know I have a whole bunch.
I'll give you a couple though,okay.
So here, going back to thatkind of that spiritual kind of
this, this kind of connection,that that happens right where.
I'll make something and thensomeone will say, hey, you know,
that's perfect, or you know, oralmost something along the
lines of like, how did you know?
And those are the ones thatalways get me, you know, uh like
(20:45):
uh, like, one time there was a.
I made a.
I made this painting.
I remember the night I wasmaking it was late night.
I was really, you know, I wasreal tired and I was like, let
me get, let me get through it,let me get, let me get this
painting done and maybe anotherone and I'll get some sleep.
It was, it was a man on a, uh,on the, on the shore, fishing,
um, with like kind of like, uh,you know, a landscape, semi
(21:07):
cityscape, in the distance, uh,in a far in the distance, we
just kind of sitting back, hasthis yellow hat on, and a girl
comes up to me.
I was like, how did you know?
My grandfather used to fish andhe used to wear this yellow hat
.
It was like what, the?
What are you talking about, youknow?
And it was just like, like,stuff like that, it's like whoa
oh, that is great and uh andthis one boy.
(21:29):
You know there's one little boy,he, he can walk and over into
the, into the, the tent, and hejust kind of, you know, he walks
in, he kind of he stands thereand he's staring at a painting.
I'm like, hey, what's up, howare you doing?
And then he just okay, hedidn't really say a lot and he
just kind of staring at the wall.
I was like man, what's going onhere?
And then his, his, his parentscome in, or his, his guardians,
(21:50):
rather, come in and they justwalk in.
They kind of stop and they'rereal still and I'm like, hey,
you guys, all right, come on in,you know they kind of freaking
me out, what's going on.
And the boy won't, he won't, hewill not adjust his you know his
vision.
He's, he just like, stuck onthis painting and I mean he goes
walking over to and he'slooking up at, I mean, you know,
little guy, probably two and ahalf feet tall, you know it's
(22:12):
really young and I.
It was his guardians, maybe afamily member, older brother,
uncle, something like that, andand his wife and his guardian
leans over to me and says hey,you know, his parents recently
died.
And I was like what he said bothof them, you know, and I'm like
what.
And he said that before, beforethey passed away, that his
(22:34):
mother told him that every timeyou see a cardinal, I want you
to think of me, and that's methinking of you.
And I had this painting of acardinal that was there and I
have, you know, and I haveglasses on it, and and and.
So the young boy, he woreglasses too.
Oh and he was just like that,you know, he just looked at it
and he looked up at his, at hisguardian.
He might have been like anolder brother, maybe an older
(22:55):
cousin, uncle, something likethat and he was like, yeah, well
, let's, let's, let's get that.
And it was.
There's things like that thatare just you know.
And then after that, so Istarted painting all my birds
with glasses on them.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Oh really, oh my gosh , what a touching story.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Yeah, let me tell you , there were other people in the
tent to looking at artwork andwe all kind of like, oh, we all
kind of got choked up a littleweird, just like whoa, oh, but I
mean I mean there are thingslike that and just like
paintings, that.
Or people say I mean that's,that's exactly what I needed,
that's exactly what I'm lookingfor and of course, I keep my
price points, you know,exceptionally low compared to,
(23:34):
you know, a lot of otheroriginal art, because I only do
originals and no prints, noreproductions, and a lot of that
is.
I want people to be able tohave access to original artwork
because originals give off adifferent vibration, literally a
different vibration, you knowyes.
Adams, and you know things likeyou know they're.
They're, they're built up,they're textured, and you know,
(23:56):
and I'm fired up when I makethem, you know I get fired up
and I really get to work inthere and you know.
So it's different, there's adifferent, different vibration
than I've.
You know that a parent andthere's nothing wrong with
prints.
That's the wrong with print.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
No, I I agree with you 100%, though I treasure the
two that I bought for me.
I really do well, I thinkthat's perfect and unless
there's anything else that Iforgot to ask you.
But how can listeners find you,is it Instagram?
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Well, yeah, I mean, instagram is number one for me.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
So what's that?
Speaker 2 (24:25):
It's a j a z I K e E on Facebook, instagram and then
my website, aj ziki dot com.
Okay, my website doesn't getall the all the attention that
it used to get, because now Isell a lot more at the Market
person.
Yeah, then then then the website.
But a website has a few, has afew items there, and then you
(24:49):
know, I I'll be doing a littlebit more on there because I do
like the, I do like the websiteand that's how.
That's how I started and I havea.
I have a whole Shippingdoctrine that I set up and I put
a lot of work into it.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
So oh, excellent and I'll include everywhere.
I'll include links in the shownotes as well, Okay but, that
just made me think to ask is theChattanooga market opening year
round?
Do you know it's?
Speaker 2 (25:13):
not.
So they're pretty much March,april and then roll through
December.
So December is the, is theChattanooga markets, like it's
premier kind of show, where it'sthe first three weekends in
December.
So it's like Saturday, sunday,saturday Sunday, saturday Sunday
(25:34):
and it's at the conventioncenter versus being at the
pavilion.
Okay, yes, so I mean it's a,you know it's.
It's a great showcase of a lotof the wonderful talent that we
have here locally in Chattanooga.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
I agree, and that gives you January, february,
march to really Producing, getcalm back and restock.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Catch my breath for a little bit, you know Well, AJ,
thank you so much.
I loved hearing your story andI'm so pleased that you were
here today.
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Hey, jill, thank you, I really appreciate it.
It's all the listeners outthere, you know.
I appreciate y'all as well, andyou know make it a great day.
Make it a great day because youhave the power to do so
excellent.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Thank you.
You too.
As we travel on this excitingpodcasting journey together, I
invite you our incredibleaudience, to be a part of it.
Share your own travel stories,insights and recommendations
with us.
Whether you have a hidden gemin your hometown or a dream
destination, it has capturedyour imagination.
(26:33):
We want to hear from you.
Your suggestions will helpshape the future episodes of
global journeys with Jill Dutton, guiding us towards
extraordinary locations andexperiences that deserve a
spotlight.
Remember, this podcast is notabout just the host or the
guests.
It's about the collectiveexploration and discovery that
unites us all as wanderers inthis vast world.
So reach out to us through ourwebsite, social media channels
(26:59):
or email and let your voice beheard.
Send your suggestions to me atJill at global journeys with
Jill Dutton.
I can't wait to hear from youuntil next time.
May your travels be filled withendless curiosity, open hearted
encounters and transformativeadventures.
(27:20):
Safe travels, fellow explorers,and keep wandering.
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