We recently connected with Ashley Cornelius and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
In October of 2023 I made one of the biggest and scariest decisions of my life and quit my full-time job as a manager of a peer support program at Denver Health. I worked at this hospital for 7 years, first as a therapist in adolescent inpatient psychiatry doing poetry therapy interventions, and finally managing a peer support program for staff wellness and resilience. While working full-time at the hospital I was also working part-time as a poet, doing commissions, workshops, performances, and big events. For the past 7 years I’d been the co-director of a grassroots movement, Poetry719, a Black led poetry group uplifting the voices of marginalized communities through events and art in Colorado Springs. We produce 1 to 2 events every month and lead a month-long poetry festival in October.In 2021 I was named the 6th Poet Laureate of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, and became the first Black person to hold this title. Becoming the poet laureate was one of the first times I let the idea that was growing in my heart that I could transition to being an artist start to take root.
Poetry was my escape and restoration outside of the trauma work I was doing in the hospital. I loved caring for my patients and staff, but it was also a lot to carry. Every time I got to incorporate poetry into the resilience work in the hospital or had a poetry performance I felt so connected to my purpose. I still had a huge fear of jumping in with both feet, as many of us are told it’s hard to survive as an artist. Poetry was a constant in my personal and professional life. Working on adolescent psych I got to use poetry as my modality for healing with poetry therapy interventions. I witnessed the power of being able to write your story and connect to others through metaphor and storytelling. The power of poetry was transformative in the therapeutic space and allowed clients to externalize their challenges and process through the art. Within the resilience space, I had the opportunity to work with an organization called The Clinic that provides creative-arts based resilience workshops. I was able to incorporate poetry into the resilience work and give people the opportunity to create and tell their story. Hospital and healthcare work is difficult and I saw the magic and release that happened when healthcare workers got cared for through the arts.
Looking back poetry was slowly edging its way to the front of my life. During a difficult time in my career I took a leave of absence from work to care for my mental health. Around the same time I attended a BIPOC artist and activist retreat put on by an organization I’m on the board of, Soul Haven Collective, a nonprofit committed to providing rest and restoration space to BIPOC artists and activists. I spent two weeks of rest and restoration in the mountains with other BIPOC artists and got the encouragement and support I needed to address the cross-roads I was facing. With the help of my friends, other artists, and my community I decided to quit my job and become an artist full-time. I decided to bet on myself and put all of my energy into the passion of poetry. There were definitely a few times at the start of this transition that I doubted my decision, but what I didn’t realize was that the universe was waiting for me to leave, to let go of one thing to be gifted with the beauty of art. After quitting my job, I published my first poetry book, got an artist residency in France, and secured dozens of client contracts. One of the biggest things that helped me along this path was saying what I wanted out loud. Saying that I wanted to be a full-time artist out loud and to anyone who would listen made it real. It transformed from just a budding idea into a fully bloomed flower when I spoke it into existence.
Since 2023 I have been able to support myself full-time with my art and poetry. The biggest question I get is, “What do you actually do?” What’s surprising is the actual performance of my poetry is one small part of the puzzle, being a full-time artist has meant figuring out all the ways my artistic skills can be applied across various sectors. I provide workshops for businesses, organizations, teams, nonprofits and more focused on using poetry as a processing tool, team building, and personal healing. I get commissioned to create poems for special events, art pieces, nonprofits, and businesses. I am a keynote speaker and incorporate my poetry into motivational speaking and inspirational talks. I provide training around language and semantics, I sell stickers and merch, I judge poetry contests, and I even created a rest business where I lead community naps focused on artistic healing. I’ve even done sex education training through the lens of poetry and metaphor and worked with young documentarians to help them develop their stories. Knowing that the creation of your art is not the only thing that makes you an artist, really shaped my ability to make a living wage and expand my skills in ways I never would have imagined.
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 a Black joy creator, a dreamer, a caregiver, and a poet. I am a self-taught spoken word poet and was the first Black Poet Laureate of the Pikes Peak Region. My poetry focuses on my intersectionality as a Black queer woman, social injustice, and self-love. I am healing myself and my community with my artistic expression. I am a trained workshop facilitator, host, and event organizer. My poetry spans self-care, body neutrality, racial injustice, anti-blackness, mental health stigma, and ancestral healing. As a therapist, I believe mental health is paramount, and poetry and performance are a way to support mindfulness and coping skills. Much of my work is focused on youth, visiting schools, hosting workshops, creating projects alongside youth, coaching youth poets, and getting young people excited about the potential of being an artist. I enjoy building community through poetry across the lifespan. I am dedicated to supporting healing, growth, and radical self-acceptance through poetry.
I am a full-time artist working with individuals, teams, businesses, and nonprofits to use poetry as a tool for healing, connection, and self-expression. I consider myself a translator of the human experience through poetry. I help my clients express themselves and their mission in poetic form. The world is complicated and my poetry provides a simple and beautiful way to convey the values, mission, and essence of the client. I host poetry and resilence workshops, trainings, keynotes, poetry performances, poem commissions, consultation, and coaching. My brand is characterized by a sunflower and I have been told I remind people of a sunflower and the tale that when they can’t get sunlight they turn towards each other. I am so proud of how my community sees me and that my poetry evokes connection and relationship.
What sets me apart from others is my ability to create poetry to fit the needs of a wide range of themes and requests. I have written poetry for the opening of a city park, non-profit galas, statue reveals, advertising companies, foundations, Chamber & EDCs, schools, and more. I know how to add poetry to any space and make it engaging and interesting for the intended audience. I add joy into everything I do and that resonates through my writing and performance. My background as a therapist allows my poetry workshops to act as a healing space, a container for processing, and a space for connection. I love facilitating and creating a community around listening and sharing stories. If you can’ think of a way to incorporate poetry into your work, reach out and a needs assessment and proposal for innovate ways poetry and impact your work, team, or business.
Two projects that I’m proud of are Destination Rest and the Sun Kissed Mural. First, in 2023 I started a rest business called Destination Rest that provides free community naps focused on arts and healing. Participants enjoy a custom tea service from our herbalist in residence at the start of the event. Participants get a free yoga mat, blanket, eye mask, and a tote bag to take home after the event. I create a poem based on an affirmation each person submits and read it as they enjoy a live sound bath from our sound healer and take a nap. I’ve hosted this event in museums, art galleries, gyms, and community centers reinforcing that rest can happen anywhere. This work was inspired by the Nap Ministry and allowed me to use poetry as another modality for healing and rest. I am deeply proud of this work because it mixes my desire to build community and showcase poetry. Rest and joy are our birthright and this project allows me to remind others of this truth. Second, the Sun Kissed mural was a collaboration between visual artist Jazz Holmes and myself in 2024. Living in Colorado Springs, I wanted to create a place-based poem about my hometown. I applied for Art on the Streets, a national artist call for Colorado Springs, and received a fellowship through the program. My project differed from most in that I wanted to involve the community in the creation of this work. I interviewed 14 community members from various lived experiences and infused their connections to the city into my poem “Sun Kissed”. Interviewees ranged from age 9 to 80+, various genders, sexualities, racial and ethnic backgrounds, neighborhoods, industries, and passions. Sun Kissed is a reference to Pikes Peak’s indigenous name Tava meaning Sun Mountain. This poem highlights the nuances of the community, the rich diversity of the city, and a blessing for the future. Part of this poem was included on the mural which depicted 4 of the interviewees’ portraits created by Jazz. We created a stunning piece celebrating the unique culture, heritage, and spirit of Colorado Springs. The mural serves as a reminder of the awe surrounding us, the honoring of ancestral lands, the joy of connection, and finding a home in each other.
Notably, I have opened up for former U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo and wrote a piece and performed for the Grandmother of Juneteenth, Opal Lee. I won the Colorado Springs 2023 Mayor’s Young Leader Award in Creative Industry, the CBCA EY Next Wave Leadership Award, and the Prism Award from One Colorado. In 2024 I published my first poetry book “Translations from the Soul.”. I am the co-director of a grassroots movement, a Black-led poetry group lifting the voices of marginalized communities through poetry. We provide monthly poetry events focused on identity and community such as Black Voices Matter, Queer BIPOC Open Mic, and disability. Being a poet extends outside of myself and creating community and platforms for other poets is a part of my charge as an artist. I love creating and hosting events that allow the community to come together through storytelling.
Poetry has always been a part of my life, but I started performing and competing 8 years ago. I represented Colorado Springs in the 2018 Women of the World Poetry Slam. I appreciated the experience of slam, and it made me realize I didn’t want to compete, I wanted to perform. I fell in love with the stage and the way spoken word poetry amplified my voice and my joy. The community I grew up in and still live in is a highly conservative space with Black people making up about 6% of the total population. I was the only Black student in most of my classes and struggled to find people who looked like me. Poetry became an outlet for my experiences as a Black woman and allowed me to be heard. I realized my conversations around social justice and systemic oppression were often ignored, but when I read a poem about the same topics people listened and engaged. I witnessed the way poetry created a bridge to new perspectives.
I am a licensed professional counselor with a master’s in International Disaster Psychology. As a therapist, I utilized poetry therapy interventions in adolescent inpatient psychiatry for 4 years. My poetry comes from a place of truth and intersectionality that harnesses my lived experiences in poetic form. My identities are always grieving and honoring each other; they are in constant communication and are the lines with which I write. I write to express my rage for my identities and showcase the beauty, power, and joy that bloom from them. Poetry is a legacy of my identity. Black people and women have used poetry, writing, and speeches to inspire, lead revolutions, and share their stories. As a person of the Black diaspora, I have claimed poetry as a mother tongue. Poetry allows me to speak to my experiences and joy in a way that feels like home. Poetry is for oneself, as much as it is for the audience. My art lets me explore who I am, and what I stand for and provides a vehicle for processing and healing. When I write, my identities are staging a protest, inciting a revolution, and resisting the systemic oppression of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. Embracing my identities into my artistic practice leads to authentic and meaningful work. My poetry would not be what it is without the guidance, motivation, and honoring of my identity.
The most important element of my work that I want others to know is that poetry is more than just entertainment. It is a powerful modality for healing, connection, and community. Working with me means that I get the opportunity to listen to your story and translate it in a way that amplifies your message. I am a caregiver at heart and poetry is that way that I can care for the community and my clients. I am grateful for the privilege to be able to share my story and voice on so many stages and have made a promise to make sure that I stand up for those whose voices have been historically underrepresented and marginalized. Poetry is my joy and it is an honor to share my passions with others. I am community made and am grateful for everyone who has read or heard my poems, engaged with my content, or booked me. I wouldn’t be here if not for the incredible people in my life, my ancestors, and community.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I still remember the day I was on the phone with my partner contemplating if I should start a social media page for my poetry. I was so concerned with if anyone would want to view my content and my partner encouraged me to do it. One of the biggest lessons I learned growing my social media was that people want to follow and engage with you as much as they want to engage with your art. I realized people wanted to know about me and see parts of my life, my values, my joys, and even my losses. Social media can create power distance and perceived perfection and it was important for me to show the messy and difficult parts of being an artist and bring humanity into my work. I make transparent posts about not getting grants, projects that didn’t turn out the way I imagined, and even poems that didn’t work. I was surprised by how much people related to these posts and wanted more. Figuring out what kind of content you want to post is important and making sure there’s a diversity of topics. I make affirmation videos for identity months such as Black History, Women’s History, and Pride. Affirmations have been a huge staple of my content as it allows me to mix poetry with empowerment and reach a wide range of people. I created a series called “Semantics with Ashley” where I discuss the origins of words and phrases and provide alternatives such as changing “killing two birds with one stone” to “feeding two birds with one scone.” This series was so successful, that I turned it into formal training. Even though the etymology of words might not be thought of as “poetry” it’s another way to engage people in the power of words. Once you figure out what your brand is the next step is what are all the ways that you can create content around it. Tips and tricks, day in the life, POV, life lessons, creating the art, there are so many ways to grow your social media and keep people engaged. The reality is that social media is a lot of work, so keeping up with trends and engagement is essential. Making sure you’re having fun and creating content that brings you joy is essential. Creating a schedule for creating and batching content can be helpful as a rotating system of topics. For example, Sunday could be a day for creating content, Monday you post an inspirational quote, Tuesday is focused on the art you create, Wednesday is a carousel of pictures of something you’re working on, and so on. Find a rhythm that works with you and things that make you excited to create. It may seem silly, but detaching yourself from the amount of likes and followers is helpful. Your content is going to reach so many people and if one person is impacted it’s a win! Growing your social media is a slow process, give yourself grace as you start this journey. The best advice I was given was people want to see your content, you just have to give them the opportunity to see it!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One of the biggest lessons I had to learn was decolonizing my imagination. For as long as I could remember when I would read a book and there wasn’t a full description of the characters, I would never imagine them to look like me, a Black fat woman with curly hair. I always imagined them as White, thin, and with straight hair. I never even realized I was doing it, I was just socialized to believe that I wasn’t the main character because without explicit information the societal default was White and a European beauty standard. It is important to note that this had nothing to do with my self-image, or not loving myself; it was a product of the media I was consuming and the lack of representation. Even in my imagination I still put barriers and systems of oppression. I also realized that this happened in any context. My favorite example is my mom and I dreaming of winning the lottery and in the fantasy still thinking about taxes and practical logistics instead of allowing our imagination to dream beyond our systems. The beautiful thing about humans is that if we can imagine it typically we can create it. What if we began imagining and dreaming outside oppression and existing systems? What if we dared to create something new and innovative? The reality is that our world has very real systems that have been created to harm us and I believe it is the job of the poet and the artist to create something different. Because of my experiences, I wanted to be the representation and create art where young girls who looked like me had media, books, and poems that were about them and their lived experiences. Unlearning this lesson allowed me to become a part of the solution for other people. Decolonizing my imagination allowed me to dream bigger, imagine greater, and create poetry that heals myself and my community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ashleycornelius.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accpoetrynow/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Accpoetrynow
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-cornelius-ma-lpc-31566316b/
- Other: https://buymeacoffee.com/AshleyCornelius
Image Credits
Authentic Culture Photography
Stellar Propeller Studio
Tedx Cherry Creek Women
Zak Kroger, UCCS Downtown
Colorado Springs School