We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Bevington recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I am sooo happy to be a full time artist. It definitely comes with a set of unique challenges, but the benefits outweigh the hardships for me. Don’t get me wrong, I do envy “normal job folks” every now and then. Just this week for example, I have been preparing for a massive Holiday shop update, and it had went live. I felt and immense stress leave my body, until the orders came in and I knew what was next. I packed said orders for an entire day. My husband has what you’d call a “normal” job, and I typically prepare dinner during the week.. After eating, it was back to work as the husband cleaned up dinner. It was ‘Survivor’ night, and I was excited all day. The entire day I told myself I’d be done packing orders by ‘Survivor’ time, yet here I was, packing far past the end credits of my husband and I’s favorite show. I found myself longing for his ability to enjoy the entirety of the show, but immediately thought of the fact that I am exactly where I wanted to be, so busy packing orders immediately after a shop update that I felt overwhelmed. This is my first year being completely full time with my work so it’s been a challenge, but I always come back to the fact that I’d never be as happy doing anything else.
Ashley, 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, I’m Ashley Bevington! I’m a full time artist working with clay from my home studio in Columbus, Ohio. I create sculptures along with pottery that walks the line between functional and sculptural. I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved making stuff. I discovered the world of clay in college, and I was hooked. My work deals with coping mechanisms for anxiety including humor, fear, & overindulgence. I often use “cuteness” as a mask for an underlying sense of foreboding. I use bright colors and fun characters because they make me happy and help engage the viewer. I’ve been making characters as ice cream cones for a while now, & recently I started making custom shaped sprinkles that I extrude and slice by hand. Some of them I even paint! I then attach each one by hand using glaze. It’s definitely a unique process. There’s a lot of prep work involved in making these specialty pieces but the result is totally worth it, and I’m excited to push it more. I love that I’m able to wake up everyday and make stuff that people want to incorporate in their daily lives.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
As a creative I do struggle with what non-creatives may think of my art-life journey. After all, it’s pretty non-conventional as I’m trying to sell weird ideas from my brain! I come from a family of blue collar workers, so the thought of doing what I do now did not seem feasible growing up. I’ve worked several jobs in the past, even jobs some would consider “good” jobs, yet I always found myself longing for more. For instance, I worked at a factory for a time. While working there one day, I got the notification on my phone that I had sold a vase from my online store which earned me more money than I would of made in 2 days of wages at the factory. I was miserable at the factory, and this instance served as a sign for me to try something else. I’ve had cushy office jobs that some would dream of, yet I hated being there. With everything I do non-art related with my time, I am constantly thinking of the art I am missing out on creating. I believe this is the sole reason for my success as an artist. I’m not sure where it came from, maybe my Dad instilling the idea of hard work into my brain, but it definitely helps in my motivation to persevere.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Aside from being able to go to work in my pajamas, I think being able to make something from nothing is the most rewarding aspects of a creative life. I start with a lump of clay and make it into a piece of art that people want to own. that’s pretty cool! I’m also thinking of the future. I just got married last year, and my husband & I would love to have children. Since I work from home I could feasibly be a Mom while working from home. I know this would obviously bring many challenges, but I also know the benefits of children growing up with a creative Mother who is home with them.
Contact Info:
- Website: ashleybevington.com
- Instagram: @ashleybevington
Image Credits
Images courtesy of Me