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

Ashlea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I am a strong believer that everything happens in time, but I can’t deny that there is a part of me that wishes I started my creative career earlier. In a sense, I kind of did, but didn’t continue pursuing my dreams because doubt got in the way. About 5 years ago I ran my own virtual assistant business doing a wide variety of tasks for small businesses. One of the tasks offered was graphic design, and it’s what I loved (and still love) most. Less than a year or so later I was burnt out offering tasks I didn’t love, too afraid to niche down so I wouldn’t lose a potential client.

Years later I started again, this time narrowing down to only graphic design and illustration. Finally learning and understanding that if you serve everyone, you actually serve no one. While I have learned so much from the prior business I ran, I now have a toddler and another on the way. There are many challenges of being a stay at home mom and running a business. It’s the main reason I wish I had started earlier. If I had started earlier or didn’t quit the first time and stuck with just graphic design, there’s a possibility I would be more settled in running my business.

In hindsight, it’s all happened for it’s reason and I am grateful to be where I am at. I’m facing the challenges as they come and know that it’s only going to help me grow.

Ashlea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Ashlea (pronounced Ashley) and I create custom graphic & illustrations to enhance established women and mom owned businesses. First and foremost I am a mom to a toddler, wife, dog owner, and I love to travel. I live in a very hot desert so getting out and exploring different climates is my favorite thing to do with my little family. You can catch me at some type of brunch every weekend and either spending time with family or friends. I started my graphic design business officially last year to keep some kind of individual identity while being in the trenches of motherhood. It’s also a wonderful way to show my kids that anything is possible when we work hard.

I think what sets me a part from other business owners is being able to understand the struggles of motherhood and running a business. Along with that, I am a women owned business. While we have come so far in supporting women owned businesses it can still be a struggle in an entrepreneurial world to be taken seriously at times. |Being able to relate to the businesses I work with allows me to provide a solution that actually serves them and their business. Graphic design can consume much of an entrepreneur’s time by trying to stay relevant in their digital presence and print material.

Graphic design is something I have been passionate about for some time now. I have always had an artistic side since I was a child, whether I was painting, crafting, doing nail art, etc. I LOVED art and the world of digital art opened up a whole new concept to me. I have a background working in administration doing a variety of tasks. I previously ran a virtual assistant business where one of my services offered was graphic design. This was how I discovered I wanted to focus solely on graphic design. However being new to digital art I felt unqualified to start offering my services. I stepped back from that business and spent time learning and growing in the world of digital art.

I’m most proud that I am self taught. I think it shows dedication and grit to work at something continuously even without all of the typical college education. Another aspect that I love is with working with mom and women owned businesses I run into a lot of super fun & colorful brands. I get to help these businesses enhance their established brand by revamping social media templates, marketing, editorial, & print materials, as well as offering custom illustrations for those who design clothes and other fabric related products. Beyond serving a business I also get to connect with a community of people in a similar position.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part is that art and creativity is a great outlet for stress relief. Having struggled with anxiety and depression for a good portion of my life, I’ve always sought out ways to help decompress. One of them is creating art for myself and others. When you are creating you can quiet your mind and focus solely on your work. There’s nothing better than being proud of the art you have created once you finished the project. Granted any artist is their worst critic and sometimes that can be a battle. However I find that most of my art that is done while decompressing are some of my favorites.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

One of my goals in my graphic design business is to help small businesses. I have seen so many businesses that are well loved and have a fan/customer base but their graphics are lacking. The aesthetics of a business really matter today in our society. Whether it’s the next new “super cute & trendy” coffee shop, or the latest beauty brand with gorgeous packaging, eye catching design is everywhere. The thing that I feel passionate about is helping businesses understand this. Making them aware that anymore a simple sign or post just won’t do. We are a fast paced world with a never ending amount of visual stimuli. With this environment our small businesses have to thrive, or we can easily get lost. Corporate designers can cost thousands and thousands of dollars, and while I value my work I don’t have a company overhead taking a cut. That is why I can offer more affordable graphic designs and illustrations for small business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ashleacartergraphics.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ashleacartergraphics
• Facebook: facebook.com/ashleacartergraphics