Inspiring Conversations with Heather Carpenter of Artisan Imagery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Carpenter. 

Heather, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hey! I’m a 24-year-old photographer/videographer that lives in Columbia, TN. I always wanted to be a pediatrician growing up, but the shift towards the music industry hit around my 12th birthday. That was when I had the biggest “God moment” of my life that flipped everything. Sometime during the winter of 2009, I had gotten sick, and my mom took me to the doctor in Chattanooga, TN (30 minutes from my hometown). We had two restaurants we always loved to go there, Famous Dave’s and Piccadilly. This day we happened to choose Famous Dave’s. 

When we got to the restaurant, there was a man playing guitar by the fireplace with another man filming him. My mom is the overly curious and talkative type, so she decided to ask him what he was doing once he finished playing. It turns out his name was Jason Wyatt, and he was filming something for Famous Dave’s that was never released. He was a country singer that had just moved to Nashville. Of course, as a 12-year-old, I thought he was famous, so I was incredibly excited and got his autograph on a napkin and took a photo with him. He pointed me to his website, and from there on out, I decided he was the neatest person ever and wanted to be just like him. 

We lost touch for a while until I was in high school in 2012 when I heard a familiar voice come across the FM waves of my hometown country station, US101. I just knew that was Jason’s voice. Long story short, I looked up the song, found his email on the internet, got back in touch with him, found out he was the lead singer for The Lost Trailers, drove to Nashville to meet up with him again, and didn’t lose touch after that. 

Those high school days were filled with fangirling and ditching school to go to concerts with my crappy camera my dad had bought me because I wanted to put pictures of all of the artists on my bedroom wall. I even remember my 11th grade English teacher, Mrs. Gober, making me write an essay on a Florida Georgia Line concert as make-up work because I missed two days of school for it! Through those years, I became friends with basically the entire staff at the radio station at home and got to see many artists before their “big break.” I even ditched prom halfway through to go to a Michael Ray concert. I only had the camera along with me because I wanted to remember the moments. This time period, of course, was back before every eight-year-old had an iPhone 12. 

By that point in my life, I was ready to move to Nashville and do the music thing myself. I had taken guitar lessons for a few years and was determined to be a country singer. So, after graduation, I moved to Nashville and went to Belmont University, where I studied Music Business. It wasn’t so much the education itself but the location. So. Many. Concerts! hah. Oh, and it wasn’t until I was sitting at Belmont orientation and picking my major and classes that I told my parents I didn’t want to be a pediatrician anymore. They had no idea. Mom was not happy, to say the least. They got over it eventually though. 🙂 

Sophomore year through Senior year of college, I ended up interning with Jason as he had now left The Lost Trailers and had started production and artist development companies. Jason and his family are now basically like my second family. Through that internship, Jason would let me try any avenue I wanted to get a taste of in the music industry. At one point, I ended up recording video on Jason’s cellphone of a band he was recording at Soundstage Studios named Sweet Tea Trio. I ended up going to one of their shows in Alabama with them to experience tour managing. I, of course, brought that crappy little camera to take a few shots during the show. They convinced me that my photos were impressive and I should do it full time. 

I debated it for a while before realizing that I had one semester of college left and no game plan for a career. I ended up buying a professional camera to learn how to use for fun and took a photography class at Belmont my last semester. That same semester, I took another course where our entire semester project was creating a business plan. I had to come up with a name and everything. So, that was the beginning of Artisan Imagery. One of my best friends came up with the name, and I went with it for the project. I had to work through every detail of starting a business in the music industry. Once we neared graduation, I decided that since I already had the detailed business plan, I might as well make use of it. Though, all I wanted to do was live show photography. I wanted to take some time off first, however, because I was exhausted from having a perfectionistic personality and making sure I made A’s in every class in college. 

I got the logo and website made but didn’t “officially” launch until February of 2020. Of course, that was right before COVID hit. The entire game plan had to shift, and I learned how to use Adobe Premiere and started doing lyric videos, studio videos, and I’ve even started dabbling in music videos. I also used some of the skills I learned interning with Jason, such as creating websites to get through the pandemic. 

Also, at the beginning of 2020, Jason and his business partner Kory Brunson officially launched their entirely new artist development program concept, Nashville Artist Development University. I’m now their official go-to for their artists’ media needs, whether that be photos, EPK video, behind-the-scenes videos in the studio, etc. They also have now given me the title of “Artist Relations Director.” 

A “chance” meeting at a Famous Dave’s became the basis for my entire career path. If that isn’t proof that God is always working even when we can’t see it, I don’t know what is. Looking back at all the pieces fitting together like an extraordinary woven puzzle is incredible to me. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Man, no it has definitely not been a smooth road. Is anything? There are so many struggles that come with being your own boss, but I think the biggest struggle for me is balancing the business and creative sides of owning my own business. I’ve always HATED getting paid for anything so undervaluing myself has especially been a real struggle. God just wired me to want to help and serve others with nothing in return, so selling my “services” is so hard for me. I’ve managed to mitigate that feeling a little bit by weaving in giving back to the community from each sale. In addition to music and photography, I am incredibly passionate about the homeless and foster children. Something about those situations specifically just shatters my heart to pieces. So, in addition to what I give personally regularly, I began giving 1% of all sales to a local non-profit that supports homeless or foster children, many of which I’ve volunteered for myself at one time or another. 

Another big one is just establishing a name for myself and climbing through the noise. I’m sure most musicians in town feel the same way. That is another reason I am incredibly grateful for Jason and Kory that they allow me to be a part of their growing business as well. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Artisan Imagery?
Artisan Imagery was born from a passion for capturing live music in unique images. I have spent the last eight or nine years honing the skill of capturing those moments, and in recent years, having the privilege of providing the media to the artists themselves. I’ve had my images used in magazines, as single artwork, and in many other marketing releases for the artists. 

I am just blessed to wake up every day and get to do what I love. I try to make every shoot as enjoyable as possible for the artist, because what good is work if you can’t have a little fun? Don’t be surprised to hear me crack a joke, make a weird face, or a random sound to get that genuine smile out of you during a photoshoot. It’s the ONLY time my introverted personality is well…not introverted. 

Forming this company was all about my love for live music and working with the incredible musicians that create it. I think the thing I am most proud of to date was this review from a client, Kevin McCoy. “Artisan Imagery is becoming an influential, and one of the most sought-after commercial photographers in and around Nashville. It all begins and ends with Heather’s ability to capture the personality, the brand, and the vision of an artist with every snap of the lens!” To be honest, I almost cried when I read it. I hope that my tiny piece of the world can make a difference and show each person I encounter the love of Jesus through me. 

The core services provided are what an aspiring artist needs for placement, branding, recognition, and promotion. Some of those services are live performance photography and videography, lifestyle shoots, album covers, behind-the-scenes photography and videography, studio photography (in a photography studio), website creation, lyric videos, promo videos, and music videos. 

Any big plans?
I don’t have any huge changes planned for the future. I’m planning to continue to purchase better gear and honing my craft to provide my clients with the best possible work I can create for them. At some point down the road, I do hope to hire more staff onto the team to have the means for multiple moving video cameras or be in various locations at once. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.artisanimagerynashville.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/artisanimagerynashville
• Facebook: facebook.com/artisanimagerynashville

Image Credits
Kurt Ozan
Artisan Imagery