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

Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Mastering vulnerability is a practiced and premeditated skill or perhaps a trait that should not exist within the realms of our livelihood. I was tested and overwhelmingly challenged with this idea of exposing my truth when I decided to document my growth journey in my first self-published book entitled, Find You F%ck Them.

My life began as a young child living in fear. It was this embedded fear that made me feel unworthy, ashamed and afraid of my own voice and afraid to take chances. I hid behind nice clothes, colored hair and center stage performances. Meanwhile, on the inside, I was a scared little girl worrying about who would befriend me, if I made my momma proud and if I was good enough. I made unaligned decisions throughout my life because I was not capable of knowing who I was. The love I gave myself was non-existent. This led to unfulfilling relationships with my partner, career and children.

Thankfully, a divine miracle occurred and I started to go within. I began asking questions and I started to pay attention to the things around me. At the age of thirty-seven, I finally took time to learn about myself. I learned what I liked and didn’t like, I learned more about my family tree, I dug deep into my past to uncover trauma and I began to love all parts of who I am. I was transformed. This transformation was too good not to share with the world. It was a calling I knew I had to do however, that meant exposing my deepest secrets and some of my most memorable and sometimes hurtful moments in life. My past fear led me to a path of privacy and introverted behaviors so this was no simple overcoming. I knew the vulnerability I had to endure could be of service to others so I took a leap of faith. I wrote tearfully but mostly joyfully as I shared some of my experiences in my book. My book launch day on February 22, 2022 was nerve-wracking and nail-biting. Thoughts silently crept into my mind about what others would say, if I would be judged, or if readers would like it!

“Stop it,” I thought to myself. These thoughts will not prevail. I reminded myself of my journey and new found confidence. “I am powerful, I am an author, I am proud of myself,” I stated as I hit the publish button on Amazon.

I took the risk to follow my heart and not my past. I took the risk of vulnerability despite what the outcome would be and for that, I am extremely thankful for courage. I woke up a few weeks later to a flood of messages from readers who were experiencing transformation themselves from the stories, activities and recommendations in my book. As sales increased, readers shared tearful and inspirational testimonies, and even included my book in their wellness and medical practices to help those in need. Little did I know, this book was healing for me as well as my readers. This experience taught me the meaning of vulnerability and simply being who I am as it could impact the lives of others. The risk of putting myself out there led to other creative endeavors including becoming an acrylic painting artist and owner of a balloon styling company, which all started from a small leap.

Take the leap!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

“Amethyst Yaa” as some may know me but my legal name is Ashley Parris. I like to think of myself as a creative butterfly seeking to explore the depths of this world and be of service to others through the creative arts. Through my creative works, my goal is to inspire, help and cultivate meaningful life experiences and thoughts.

Creativity is embedded in my blood. I have a natural flare and instinct to tell stories through art. Throughout my path, I have creatively told stories through dance, writing, graphic design, website development, event planning and decor, styling & fashion, painting and craft work. Most recently, I was asked to participate in the Chefs Charlotte art auction for Cookies For Kids’ Cancer. My piece entitled The Lioness of Courage placed a high bid above the asking price and contributed to the fight against cancer.

Aside from this amazing opportunity to engage in charitable work, I added author to my resume with my first book entitled, Find You F%ck Them ~ A (Journey) journey of Self-Discovery. This book helps readers overcome low self-worth, depression and lack of purpose by providing honest and relatable stories, self-awareness tools and activities, and resources to find their power and uniqueness from within. Learn more and check out reviews by visiting:

www.ashleyparris.com/book or on Amazon using this link:

From this book, I derived an online apparel clothing house entitled FindU Apparel that was created to push the importance of knowing who we are, where we come from and how all things are interconnected. The wisdom of self is the force of life and the key to beautiful blessings. FindU Apparel is a tribe full of relentless creatives and divine beings living stylishly. Check out more at www.finduapparel.com

My creativity further expands as the Owner and Creative Stylist for a featured balloon styling company entitled ASH + GARLANDS servicing the Charlotte metro area in North Carolina. Through color blending, technique and accessories I am able to help my community celebrate their most valued moments and bring their ideas to life. I am also an acrylic painter and currently working on a new collection launching soon. Through this art medium, I strive to highlight and amplify the beauty, platform and uniqueness of African-American culture.

I look forward to inspiring and connecting with you creatively!

Art is freedom!

From this book, I derived an online apparel clothing house entitled FindU Apparel that was created to push the importance of knowing who we are, where we come from and how all things are interconnected. The wisdom of self is the force of life and the key to beautiful blessings. FindU Apparel is a tribe full of relentless creatives and divine beings living stylishly. Check out more at www.finduapparel.com

My creativity further expands as the Owner and Creative Stylist for a featured balloon styling company entitled ASH + GARLANDS servicing the Charlotte metro area in North Carolina. Through color blending, technique and accessories I am able to help my community celebrate their most valued moments and bring their ideas to life. I am also an acrylic painter and currently working on a new collection launching soon. Through this art medium, I strive to highlight and amplify the beauty, platform and uniqueness of African-American culture.

I look forward to inspiring and connecting with you creatively!

Art is freedom!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

As you know, building your social presence is an on-going journey, however, I’ve noticed certain tips and tools to help in the climb. I’ve had several videos go “viral” to society’s standards so I’m happy to share what worked in those moments.

On my balloon styling instagram page I had a reel reach of up to 170k views with almost 10k likes and on another page I had a reach of up to 918K views and over 55k likes on one video.

Here is what I learned:

As a creative, take your readers on a journey. Both of these viral videos increased my following by over 2000 people by simply showing my step by step process of designing a balloon garland event and painting an accent wall with various colors and shapes. Imagine if you did this often, you could reach 10k followers in no time!

Include inspirational text or audio. A lot of comments were in response to the message in my audio file, not the actual content.

My audience loves transformation. I have made an intentional effort to showcase work from start to finish. They are amazed at the creativity and final result.

Consistency. I could take a note from this bullet point but keep your audience engaged all the time. Remind them of what you do so they will be more enticed to buy your product or service.

Get creative – Take multiple angles, switch up transitions and play with the music.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I am an avid learner and explorer of life so I am appreciative of literature and resources that helped me to exercise discipline, trust my craft and build life and professional skills.

Some of the resources I adore are listed below:

The Mastery of Self – A Toltec Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.

The Secret by Rhonda Bryne

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Artist Way – A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Apparel Success – YouTube & Facebook Community

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ashleyparris.com | www.finduapparel.com
• Instagram: @amethyst.yaa | @ashandgarlands | @finduapparel