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

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

It sounds cliche to say, but I read a lot and I write a lot. I have always had a good grasp of language. When I decided to move from non-fiction to fiction books, I went to school for creative writing. If I was going to do it, I wanted to take my time to develop the skills properly.
I know it is tempting to rush, but with an art form like writing, it is important to savour the words, sentences, and paragraphs being constructed. It is important to give yourself the time needed to learn techniques. Art should never be rushed. It needs space to breathe.
I think it is important to have a tough skin. If you are going to be so attached to your work that you can’t even consider the critiques given by editors and agents, then you are doing yourself, and your story a disservice. One of the biggest obstacles a writer can face is when they put their whole sense of self-worth within their keystrokes.

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

I kind of fell into writing. I always had an interest and an aptitude, but writing books seemed so overwhelming. My first book came as a result of volunteering in a women’s prison. I was teaching a course in pagan spirituality and realized there were no books for this subset of the prison population. So, I wrote one. I got introduced to a woman who worked for my publisher. She believed so wholly in the book that she advocated for my contract.
I learned so much from that book. There were a lot of lessons that I carried into my second work. I knew I wanted to stretch my writing wings, so I decided a master’s degree was in order. I finished my third book as I was a year into my MFA.
These past two years have been about me honing my skills as a writer, finding my voice, and learning how to have a career as a writer. It is one thing to write a book. It is quite another to do all the legwork required to make a living at it. Regardless of where my career is, I want what I write to have been given its due time and not just thrown together.
Continuing my career trajectory, I now also teach creative writing, host workshops, do public speaking engagements, and give live presentations. I didn’t know early on how well these all fit together or how fun they are. I look forward to hosting a history or travel show in the future… then writing about it.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think all people are creative, they just need the right medium. For people who don’t make their living as artists, writers, musicians, and the like, those ‘non-creatives’ I think the biggest misconception is that it’s easy. As if all you need is talent and the rest will fall into place.
Talent is important but it will only take you so far. The best creatives in the world are constantly getting better at their art. I can’t speak for the other arts, but as a writer, I attend workshops and read books to analyze for technique. I carry a notebook everywhere and I use it. I listen to conversations to get better at writing dialogue. I look at the technique of every book I read. I write, rewrite, edit, delete, and write again, all while knowing my editor is going to have many notes and I will have to rewrite sections again. Even when I go on holiday or on a day out, I observe and think and consider where and when I would put this scene or that description. It never really shuts off.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My undergrad was in Integrative Health Care (IHC). This is a term to describe where holistic and allopathic medicine meet. It focuses on prevention and treatment of the body as a whole. At the time, I was 100% sure that it was the field I wanted to make my career in. By my junior year, I was no longer loving it. But I stuck it out and finished my degree. All was not a loss. So much of what I learned during my undergrad gets used in articles and books and even my day-to-day interactions. I don’t think knowledge is ever wasted. It is true, that you don’t want to blindly accept everything you are taught, but if you can gain the ability to think, especially about the hard topics, it is an invaluable skill.
When writing found me, it stuck. It is the only career I’ve ever had that never leaves me bored or longing. It takes a lot of work. I spend countless hours in front of my laptop, but I get to create in new ways. It is a form of artistic expression for those of us who can barely draw a stick figure. I always loved art but was never good at it. This is an art I am good at.
Pivoting from IHC to writing was made easier because I didn’t abandon everything I’d learned. I incorporated it. I used it and it gave me a launch point.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashd_collins/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashd-collins/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshD_Collins
• Other: https://linktr.ee/ashdcollins

Image Credits

Author photo by Sam Almas