We recently connected with Ash Caylor and have shared our conversation below.

Ash, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Gosh, it’s been such a while since I’ve answered this question. Honestly, I believe I knew I wanted to be a creative since I was little. Sure ‘paleontologist’ was the first job I ever dreamed of having but the second one was ‘artist’.
I drew a lot as a kid. Most people grow out of that, I didn’t. I leaned into it. The older I got the more I felt drawn to art and to that particular form of self expression.
Not to get too personal but I faced a few hardships in my earlier years so drawing was not only a form of expression for me but an escape from the grief that came with those hard times.
I would say I was about twelve when I decided I wanted to be an animator. I thought it was amazing how people could make the silly little characters they made come to life. I wanted to do that too.
Of course, over the years my ambitions shifted and changed around a bit. Now I’m actually pursuing a career as a voice over artist while selling my digital art on the side.
The core of why I wanted to be an animator still stayed with me through the shift to voice actor though. I want to make characters come to life for people.
Voice acting and drawing are both big comforts for me. They make me feel like I can make anything possible.
I want to make other people feel that too.

Ash, 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?

Hello readers!
My name is Ashley, or Ash/Ms. Draw, and I am a 24 yearn old, Houston-based, aspiring voice talent and digital artist!
I got into the field in a sort of silly way. Back in 2012 I was obsessed with character ask blogs. They brought characters that I found really cool and comforting to life in a way I didn’t know was possible.
Those blogs inspired me to start up a few of my own. It was through that window that I found myself as an artist. I learned new techniques by watching others draw and by interacting with fellow artists in the online communities I was in.
I would say my art is heavily inspired by early 2013-2015 tumblr artists.
Voice acting was a different story. I actively sought out voice acting classes because I thought it was amazing that real life people could be the ones making the characters I knew and loved come to life! I wanted to do that too!
I went to classes, panels, and read all that I could about the industry, what makes a good voice over artist, the do’s and don’ts of the animation and voice over industries. Of course I can always learn more, you never really stop learning, but I’d say I’ve got a good start by now.
I’ve done work for a couple of SVA student films as well as an independent animator on youtube. My goal is to become a full-time voice talent on a long-standing animated tv show. I would love to bring a character to life for someone.
Apart from voice acting and digital art I’m also a big fan of cosplaying, bracelet making, and trinket collecting. You could say I’m a well-rounded artistic individual with too many hobbies and not enough portfolio pictures haha!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the most rewarding thing about being an artist for me is what I can give back to the community.
For me, growing up, animation, art, and video games were my primary sources of comfort. In those pretty pictures, silly lines, and animated voices I found solace and happiness.
If I can provide comfort and a smile to at least one person then everything I have worked for will have been worth it.
I want to bring characters to life for other people the way the artists before me did for me.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Love, encourage, and support your artists. Whether that be through promoting your local small artists at art fairs or doing your best to learn about the struggles creatives face in our present day, any and all support would mean the world to us.
Encouraging young artists to follow their passion without belittling or reprimanding them. Let them express themselves and share that expression with others. Art can be such a force for good. It’s always been a shame to me that most people don’t seem to see that.
Finally, I think if more people were to put the time and effort in to learning about the current issues the art world is facing then they would be able to more appropriately understand and aid artists and creatives as a whole. Taking the first step and genuinely trying to understand others will always be a good move in my book.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/can_i_just_draw
• Other: www.castingcallclub.com/ArtisticallyInclined
  My CastingCallClub name should be ArtisticallyInclined if this link doesn’t work.

  My Etsy shop’s name is PurpleFlowerStudios

Image Credits

I drew all of them so credit to @can_i_just_draw on Instagram (me) :)