Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashantoy Sutherland- Shirley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ashantoy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
When I was growing up, my mom (a cosmetologist) would always dress me up and we would do my hair and put on a little bit of make up and such. Then take pictures all around the house, in different outfits and it was so much fun! That was part playtime for me growing up as an only child. So now that I am an adult with a business where I do peoples hair and make up and take pictures of them in outfits all around different locations, it’s still playtime for me! So that is how I was able to come up with the name Playtime Photography. Photo shoots should be fun. Full of creativity, innovation and imagination.
Ashantoy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is where it all started. That’s where i was born and gained a lot of my attributes and values. Beautiful island in the slightly less touristy part of the Caribbean. Both of my parents were cosmetologist, business owners. Aunts and uncles also business owners. Growing up entrepreneurialism ran thick in my family. My mom and i moved to Los Angeles, California when I was around eleven. We had family there and it was great to reunite with them! I spent in my school years in southern California (L.A, Long Beach area) and had dreams set on becoming a fashion designer but fashion design school in Los Angeles was super expensive. So I went with my back up, cosmetology school. It was located only a few blocks from Beverly Hills so that granted me a great variety of clientele to work and make connections with. Through those connections I ended up working backstage at a variety of fashion shows, fashion week and editorial shoots. I did end up working at a salon in Beverly Hills but it turns out that was not the path for me. The more photo sets I was working on the more connections I made. However, when it turned to getting images for my portfolio from the photographers that I would work with, I would never received any of the promised images. That is when I decided to just start taking pictures of my work as a hair and make up artist myself. Soon, i had more people very interested in booking sessions with me, to have their hair and make up done AND their photos taken.
They say love makes you do crazy things, and that’s how I ended up in Illinois. I met my husband completely at random online. He lived “in the middle of nowhere” Illinois, in his words. As it turns out he wasn’t wrong. I moved here in the middle of a snow storm in early 2013. I left what i building as as a career in California to rebuild it in Illinois because i knew the future i wanted and the quality of life i wanted for future kids. I knew that would be much more worthwhile and attainable outside of southern California and big city life.
Here i am in Illinois years later, at 34 years old. After going out on a limb and trusting instincts. I don’t do any backstages at fashion shows, red carpet events or models but i’ve met some amazing people. Seeing my client’s kids grow up, boosting the confidence of everyday gorgeous women with my boudoir photography and just working in a world where superficial is hard to find, is refreshing. As much as i miss family and friends in CaliforniaI, i know not only have a great photography business but i get to explore all my hobbies (including my chocolatier business). I love the little life i have have here, my husband Michael, our kids Bronzen and Everest are living the life i hoped for them back when i first moved. We have nature in our backyard with all of its wholesome amenities.
My goal use to be success and notoriety. Now i just want make art, create, be happy and spread happiness. I want to bring people joy seeing themselves or their families in my stylized work. I hope that my story and my growth over the years will inspire others with entrepreneurial skills and desires to just go out and pursue it. The world likes to put photographers, artists, other creatives and so on in the “hobby” category. As if those tittles can’t be our main legitimate jobs. Don’t be discouraged. Constantly learn your trade. Uplift and respect others. Especially those in your own industry. There’s room for everyone at the top.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media has definitely been a huge factor in the success of my business. When I first started in 2008 there was not near as many business savvy modules on socials. Admittedly, I don’t use all of the social media outlets that are available today. I am mostly prominent on Facebook. It works for me. When it works. Hahaha. I love that I can share the work that I’ve done and clients can share that with their friends and family. The way that they have integrated their messenger system for businesses allows me to keep my business separate from my personal page. When I first started my business page on Facebook I would have a giveaway for milestone likes that I would get on my page. I would have contests where liking and sharing the page was part of the contest rules. That really helped to build a good following.
Now on social media, running a contest is a bit harder as there are so many spam profiles. Just the word CONTEST triggers spammers into creating a fake profile of your business in an attempt to trick your clients into somehow paying for their “contest win”. It’s sad really. So now the best way to go about growing your following on social media is the old-school way. Organic likes, shares and follows. Have friends tell their friends. Stay relevant to your audience, post at times that you notice your audience is most active. Give your audience incentives to remain relevant. I love being able to post about upcoming sessions and have clients interact with that. It sure beats the mass email era.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Being able to see an idea that I had in my head come to life. It is so rewarding to have some thing that you have dreamt of and perfectly curated come to fruition. There is the mental side of being a photographer, unlike painters we can’t get our idea out on paper at 2 AM when it hits. It takes planning, especially if a session is outdoors. Weather has to be just right, season has to be just perfect, finding the subject has to be just right. That’s just for the creative sessions that I have stuck in my head. Then there are the sessions that my clients have in mind. The ideas that they come up with. They have entrusted my help. Being able to bring their ideas to life is a whole different rewarding experience because I can see and feel their happiness. Seeing clients cry, hearing their testimonials or knowing that i was part of something so special to them, core memories. It doesn’t get any better.
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Image Credits
Playtime photography