We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Meenach recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

There are times that I feel like it would be easier to have a regular job, I thought about this just a couple days ago when I was having a bit of a rough day. The idea of having a “regular” job can sometimes be enticing when things get stressful, a job where I clock out and leave my work there, the consistent hours and pay, but I know that I wouldn’t be happy doing that. I am creative at heart, and I know working for myself is the right place for me; creative work is my purpose. Makeup, hairstyling, making creative pieces and costumes, drawing, singing, writing, I’m in my element when I create. It flows easily for me most of the time. Being a creative and doing freelance work just means I also have to be more creative with how I spend my money. After being in the industry the past 8 years I’ve learned that there are specific times of the year that are slower than others and I’ve learned to prepare myself for those times. As nice as it would be to have the consistency of a regular paycheck, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else in life. It wouldn’t be as rewarding for me as creating, making women feel beautiful, and seeing their smiles when they leave my chair.

Working for myself just means that I have to work hard to live the life I want to live. Promoting my business, networking, and putting myself out there are all huge parts of the growth process. I’ve learned through the years that if you want your business to grow, you have to be vulnerable. For me it was very hard to put myself out there at first, but over time I have become comfortable with putting a face to the business and I have seen so much growth since I have made that leap. The next year is imperative for my business’ growth, and I have several goals I plan to meet this year. It’s exciting to me to see how much I can accomplish on my own, for myself. As appealing as it sometimes sounds to have a regular job, it definitely wouldn’t be as rewarding. Meeting goals for someone else, making money for someone else, it just wouldn’t be the same. I’ve hit some rough patches since I started my own business, especially during COVID, but I’m glad I decided to stick with it, I’m finally starting to see it pay off in a huge way, and I cant wait to look back a year from now and be overwhelmingly proud of all the goals I accomplished for myself this year.

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?

I am Ashley Meenach and I own Boundless Beauty. I am a makeup artist, hairstylist and wardrobe stylist located in the greater Cincinnati area! I empower women by building confidence through makeup and wardrobe styling to fit their body type and style. I love to see the smile on my clients faces when they leave my chair knowing that they feel more confident about themselves than when they sat down, and that I played a role in that. Looking good can really help someone feel good about themselves as well, and I want every woman to feel as comfortable as possible in their natural skin. It’s my passion to help women feel that way with beauty tips to enhance their already beautiful features. I offer makeup, hairstyling and clothing styling services in my studio, as well as one on one makeup lessons, personal shopping for clothing and cosmetics, wardrobe rentals for special events. I also work with local photographers offering makeup and hairstyling for their photoshoot clients. I really love building relationships with other creatives near me and seeing their clients feel beautiful and confident before their photoshoot! I started in the industry behind the chair, I had a salon in Newport Kentucky for a couple years doing hair color and lash extensions. I never felt truly happy behind the chair, as much as I loved my clients and the creativity that offered, I felt stuck. I love the idea of going different places and working on different projects instead of being in the same studio every day. When COVID hit, I took the opportunity to shut down my hair studio and start building what I was truly passionate about, makeup and creative work. Since then, I have worked for makeup brands such as MAC, Benefit, NARS and Sephora, gained a ton of product knowledge and had the opportunity to work on so many beautiful faces. I’ve gained experience in film, working on some of the film projects that have been in the Cincinnati area, as well as building relationships with different nonprofits nearby to give back to the community. The last year I have also branched off into costuming, designing and making costumes for local small films, and designing and creating hair pieces and large head pieces for photoshoots. As hard as it was to shut down my salon when I did, I know now that I made the right decision. I’m very happy with what I do.

My ultimate goal the next year is to open a mobile studio, a beauty studio on wheels if you will. My business name says it all, Boundless Beauty, I want to create a beauty studio without boundaries. A convenient studio that comes to you. This year Ill be working on building a team to support my dream, as well as finding the perfect bus to support my vision. If you have a special event coming up, come into the studio to get your hair, makeup and wardrobe rental all in one place! Can’t make it to the studio? Hire the mobile salon to come to you! Every woman should have the opportunity to feel their absolute BEST!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding part of being an artist/ creative is when people tell you that they are inspired by your work, determination and drive. I love to get messages from people saying they are inspired by something that I created, or part of my story that I shared. Sometimes its hard to be vulnerable, putting our work out there that exposes some of the deepest part of ourselves. Sometimes we create because we feel deeply about things, and often our art can shadow some of our deepest, most vulnerable thoughts. When someone tells me they are inspired by my work, it assures me that I’m sharing my work for the right reasons, to inspire others to create, to feel, and to use their creativity to release some of the feelings they might have. Art is an outlet, and its so beautiful when you can feel what an artist is feeling through their work, the energy and love they put into their creation, and the emotions they had to fight through to create a certain vision. If you are inspired by an artists work, TELL THEM, we love to hear it.

I also thrive off of seeing my clients feel confident and happy when they leave my chair. There is so much pressure on women to look a certain way now, and I feel like it’s my job to help women feel comfortable in their own skin and show them they are beautiful exactly the way they are. Society’s standards of beauty are so skewed, women are told they need to look a certain way, and are judged for aging gracefully. The filters that are out there today to cover what some women see as their flaws are just so unbelievable. Its my mission that after a session with me women feel at least a little more comfortable in their own skin, and they can see themselves for the beautiful people they are. Its a beautiful thing to see a woman smile because you made her feel confident with how she looks and who she is. Its one of the biggest reasons I love what I do.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I feel like the past year I’ve had to pivot quite a bit in both my personal and business life. I’m in the process of rebranding my business to adapt to the direction I am moving in professionally. Its taken a bit of time to find the direction I want to go in, and to build the support system I feel I need to really launch myself in the right direction. I’ve worked hard the past couple years to widen my audience and reach in my area, and I feel like now is the right time to expand and really get super focused on making my vision come to life. I’ve also had to pivot on a personal level as well, in the last two years I have gone through a divorce, as well as made the decision to get sober from alcohol. When you live in an area that is very alcohol centered, this can be tough, especially when you’re also dealing with difficult situations in life. I’ve had to learn to really pour myself into my art, using it as an outlet to get through rather than turning to alcohol as I had in the past. I’ve also found other creative outlets such as singing, painting and writing here and there to help deal with some of the really tough days. I’m grateful for the direction life has taken me in the last 2 years. Sometimes we have to look at our struggles as blessings, and I know if I were in the same place personally that I was 2 years ago, I would have never grown professionally either. I’m very blessed to have been on this journey, and I’m very thankful for where it has led me.

I look back at my life last year and although it was rough, it led me to where I am now. Being sober has helped me focus on what’s really important in life as well as in my business. I know that I wouldn’t have experienced the same amount of growth if I were still drinking. Getting sober has also given me the opportunity to help others that may be struggling with addiction as well. I am pretty forward with my story because I know putting myself out there can help others. I’ve been lucky to have several people that have trusted me to help them along their sober journey as well. Hearing their stories and how I have inspired them has kept me on my own sober journey. There have been times where I have thought about how nice it would be to relax with a  glass of wine at the end of a long day, but showing people that even though it might be tough, it can be done, has become super important to me. I don’t want to let others down just as much as I don’t want to let myself down. I couldn’t imagine going back to the ife I used to live, and as tough as it can be at times, I don’t want to live that life again. Im very proud of where my sobriety has led me. I’m very grateful and blessed.

Contact Info:

• Website: boundlessbeautystudio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/boundlessbeautystudiocincy
• Facebook: facebook.com/boundlessbeauty