We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ashley Bowers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ashley below.

Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I do earn a full-time living by being self employed. I earn some income from acting, some from horses (training, clinics, special events, sales, judging or delegating horse shows), some from singing, and some from real estate. I’ve learned not to ever put all my eggs in the same basket… Although, I do intertwine my businesses as often as possible starting with my umbrella company: Rising Phoenix.

I’m not really sure where the beginning starts. But I will say I began acting in theatre at the age of 12. When I was 17 I started to get involved with film work as well. That was when I met actor Tom Proctor who took my first headshots with Margie Rogers. I then went to college for musical theatre at the College of Santa Fe and proceeded to do student films at the same time. I took a break to play tennis for college and then got my degree in Marketing from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. After college I got an agent and went back to acting and modeling. Commercial work was relatively consistent but the creative works that we strive for as artists always seemed out of reach. During this time horses came into my life, particularly Andalusians and Lusitanos. I began showing regularly in Working Equitation and Dressage which helped to fulfill my competitive nature that I had seemingly left behind after college tennis. Over the next couple of years I got the opportunity to open the Scottsdale castle for Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament as the Queen in the show. It seemed like the best of both worlds, acting and Andalusian horses! I even transitioned into the Apprentice Horse Trainer position during my time there.

But opportunities tend to come in waves. During that time I was offered my first lead role in a feature film, called GUILT, with none other than Tom Proctor himself. This role was a great experience and led to us winning some awards at the Show Low Film Festival in 2023: Best Feature Drama, Best Score, Producer’s Choice, and I was blessed to win Best Actress for my performance. I met some wonderful people during the festival circuit that helped to motivate me to work harder. It just so happened that I was connected with the President of Worldwide Production at Warner Bros. Studios, and she gave me an hour of her time. It was during the SAG and WGA strike so she did mention times were hard for everyone as there was no work until the strike was over. She suggested I make my own content and write or produce projects for me to be in. She said “do a Stallone” and get noticed because anything else is leaving it up to luck. After our conversation I realized that Hollywood doesn’t always know what it wants and the only one holding us back most of the time is ourselves.

So I took her advice and I wrote my first script (after doing much homework on screenwriting). It’s called EYE FOR AN EYE and I am crowdfunding for it at present. The logline is: A scavenger in a post apocalyptic combine attempts to flea their tyrannical leader’s control, but will her sister (their leader) let her.

This dystopian short is set to film in Arizona in the Fall. The project will be made by Rising Phoenix Productions and will feature horses from Rising Phoenix Equestrian (two companies I own). The script has been entered into some screenwriting contests and has already won Best Dystopian Short Screenplay at The Pittsburgh Moving Picture Festival (which was our first festival to date!). We have been accepted into the Love and Hope International Film Festival in Barcelona, Spain this September as well. We are thrilled with the way the script is being received and need your help to get the crowdfunding campaign achieved by October 2024. Our Indiegogo gave us a good start. But since it didn’t quite meet our goal we are now upping the anti by offering a horse bred by Rising Phoenix Equestrian! All contributions between now and August 31st will receive an entry, for every $25 donated, into a drawing to Win a Horse! She is a 4 year old purebred Andalusian S/P with IALHA. Just by helping us make movie magic you may be the lucky winner that gets to take home a piece of the film if you win a Rising Phoenix horse. 100% of funds raised are going to the film. Please find details at this link www.acbowers.com/eye-for-an-eye

What is even more exciting is that a feature script is being finished to be launched after the short. The short will make its rounds to the film festivals but will also serve to promote the feature we intend to make the following year. The feature will have more horses than the short which we are very excited about.

Now outside of this passion project, I found the time to get cast in Anastasia the musical in Scottsdale, AZ at the Don Bluth Front Row theatre. The show is directed by none other than Don Bluth himself (the original director of the animated film, Anastasia, from 1997 of which the Broadway musical is based on. He is also the man behind Thumbelina, The Land Before Time, An American Tale, The Secret of Nimh, and many more! I am equity eligible and do love theatre even though it can be hard to commit the time to. However, I thought this opportunity to work with a legend was well worth it!

Additionally, I do real estate under my business: Rising Phoenix Homes. I specialize in horse properties and land, but can help with most real estate needs. Most of my real estate clients have been clients from the horse world. They are all very supportive of my lifestyle and show up to my events. Most have contributed to my crowdfunding campaign as well.

For as long as I can remember I have been a Jill of all trades. Everyone used to tell me to buckle down and choose one thing to focus on. And I genuinely wish I wouldn’t have listened to them. Those choices were not fulfilling and left me with regret. Life is hard and full of great possibilities if we take the opportunities when they come. There is even greater potential when we create the opportunities. I am grateful to have found myself and to embrace my strengths that I once viewed as weaknesses. The most fulfilling paths are usually the most treacherous, which is why they aren’t often walked. But the rewards are mighty with many blessings along the way. I sometimes feel that I wasted too much time to get to this place, thinking I could have accomplished this 10 years ago. However, I’m a believer in God’s timing. I truly believe that had I attempted my current feats 10 years ago that I would have failed never to try again. Sometimes things happen for a reason. All of those failures over the last 20 years (with some victories along the way) have led to a network and career I never knew I could have. We never know when we are one more failure or “no” away from the opportunity that changes everything. So that is why we can never quit. I know now I am where I am meant to be. The best lesson I learned on this journey is that we can never do anything alone. Our network is our lifeline. We need good people in our lives to motivate us, help us, hold us accountable, inspire us, push us, and make us better versions of ourselves. With a good network we can accomplish anything.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Ashley Bowers and I work in multiple industries. I am a REALTOR® with my company Rising Phoenix Homes and I hang my license at West USA Realty. I got into real estate years ago to learn the market for investments. Along the way I was able to my real estate business with my horse training business, Rising Phoenix Equestrian, quite effortlessly. With a specialty in horse properties I was able to help my students and clients from the barn find homes with confidence. Many of the horse property buyers were getting their first horse property and wanted to have someone experienced with living on and running a horse facility help them. I am able to market my real estate at the horse shows, clinics, at my barn, online and through word of mouth.

My horse training facility, Rising Phoenix Equestrian, specializes in Andalusians and Lusitanos (Iberians). These are considered the horse of kings. They are bullfighting horses and quite majestic. I breed them for Working Equitation and competitive Dressage. We have also exhibited our horses in parades, special events, parties, weddings, the circus, photoshoots and film! In addition to training, instruction, and clinics, we offer horses for sale and breedings.

My newly formed Rising Phoenix Productions will be used for projects we produce. The first project is EYE FOR AN EYE and we are trying to get everyone involved in this film. It is female led and Mexican American. The short will film in Arizona and showcase Iberian horses. We have talent coming in from LA and NY as well as a stunt coordinator from Mexico. There are producers on board and the crew is accounted for as well. U-Turn Motion Pictures is set to film and edit. Kat Kemmet is costarring and acting as creative producer and script editor. Production will take place in the Fall when it cools off. Until then we are working tirelessly on pre-production and crowdfunding. Details can be found at www.acbowers.com/eye-for-en-eye

Outside of my companies I do have an agent that submits me for auditions. I self submit for projects as well. I stay active whether in a theatrical show (such as Anastasia the musical at present) or I take workshops or improv to stay active. I am reading whenever possible and remembering to stay a student. I also enjoy singing and have been hired to record original music or perform at special events. I submit for equestrian roles as well as I truly love to blend my passions whenever possible.

As a professional rider I do have some lovely sponsors that help me on my journey. TechMix is my supplement sponsor for my horses. They keep my horses healthy and support my events. Not to mention their prices are trainer friendly and half the price of many of their competitors. I love helping raise brand awareness. Another sponsor is Cavaliere Couture who keeps me dressed to impress. Their riding attire is chic and comfy which is all I need to wear them daily and promote them. Not to mention, you get 20% off all orders when you use code ASHLEYBOWERS at checkout. My third sponsor is The Rustk J who makes almost any custom item you can think of. Their custom horse head jewelry that looks just like your horse is probably their most popular item. But they also can turn your horse hair into jewelry, engrave glassware, silk screen shirts and so much more. You can find them on Etsy and if you use code ASHLEY15 at checkout you’ll save 15% on your purchase. My fourth sponsor is Di Gala who not only supports my events but also provides my vocal instruction as they are an opera company and studio.

I use social media to promote my brand and am active on Instagram and Facebook. I also have business pages and a website. You can even find me on IMDb as well as the website for the USA Working Equitation association.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I would say in this industry you have to be ready to pivot on a regular basis. Learning to adapt and persevere is essential. One of the hardest times in my life was when I went through my divorce. That experience killed every part of my being and made every day an absolute burden. It was during this process that I was offered a leading role in GUILT. I am a true believer in God’s perfect timing. If you ask he’ll answer, you just have to be willing to listen. Filming was a great experience and when I came home I encountered new difficulties as the landlord of the facility I leased and lived on was very misogynistic. In the past I had my husband to intervene or communicate with him, but after my ex moved out I was left alone to deal with my landlord’s sexual harassment and belligerence. I didn’t have another facility to move my operations to so I tried to survive the interactions and keep them to a minimum. But one day I stood up for myself and he decided to kick me out after a decade of working the ranch and putting in thousands of dollars of improvements out of my own pocket. When I asked for time he proceeded to illegally lock me out. I cut the locks and defended myself in court. The landlord thought he could intimidate and bully me. When I brought witnesses to court and had evidence of what was being done and said, the judge did not make me pay a penny of the fines he tried to throw at me. She even made him refund part of the rent for illegally locking me out of a third of the property. The landlord even had an attorney present with him and I chose to represent myself. It was a long six months that ended well when I was able to find a new facility in a wealthier part of town. I don’t wish that kind of stress and anxiety on anyone, but I will say it takes a lot for me to truly be anxious now. I am stronger and wiser for it. The best way to deal with anxiety is to face it head on. You’ll be surprised what you can overcome and how things that used to make you sick no longer weigh on you like before.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I have many friends that support me but do not understand my lifestyle. Some even encourage me to quit whenever there is a hardship. But I would say that the ones who have a traditional 9-5 job in an office somewhere doing the same work day in and day out are the ones I cannot understand. But I respect it if they are content and find peace in their lifestyle. I could never hold down a job like that long term the way they could never live the lifestyle I live. It’s all a matter of perspective. There are many sacrifices I make to be sure, but the rewards allow me experiences that not many can claim. To some the price seems too high, but for me I am still convinced I can have all the luxuries they have but I might get to them in a different order. There’s something thrilling about pioneering something new or leaving tangible treasures behind for future generations to find. I have traveled the world, competed in multiple sports, been paid to perform, been privileged to work with horses, been self employed, and have met so many wonderful people along the way. I love my family and they have been supportive in this journey which is the greatest blessing of them all. And whenever life gets too hard, God sends me an angel.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.acbowers.com/eye-for-an-eye
• Instagram: @instaash.ley
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashley.bowers.792
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11765687/
  https://usawe.org/we-community/licensed-officials/
  https://usawe.org/we-community/professional-instructors/

Image Credits

Miguel Undabarrena
Bryan Scott
Steed and Hound Photography