We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Elizabeth a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Yes! I find it easier to express some things through art than spoken word. Being able to express the feelings, emotions and thoughts through music, movement, creating, my brain feels on fire with life and excitement. It is a language of its own few know exist and even fewer understand. Just like spoken word, it has its own dialects and accents which may not be understood by all who do speak some part of this hidden language, but there is a way of understanding the meaning.
I think there is a part of me that has never been seen or understood except by a small handful. When I express or communicate through this nonverbal language, even if it’s not understood, it is a release waiting for someone to come along and read it. So do I want a regular job? No. Sometimes the exhaustion kicks in and it would be easier to not have to try so hard, to feel my energy unappreciated, the emotional expense would be less taxing, I would be able to live a life that is easier, more hum drum and mindless. There are times when life is hard and I want to shrink and wither away, the idea of a mindless job on repeat sounds inviting, comforting, enticing. But the death would be long, slow and there would still be pain. The pain of my voice slowly suffocating to death, words left unsaid crying to be released. I have done the mindless life, it is easier, but the part of me that died was too high a cost. Bringing that back to life has been hard, painful, scary and worth it. Growing my confidence that I can do these things I have aways dreamed of as a child, becoming a writer, an artist, dancer, photographer, has been a tiring process and one I never want to sacrifice again for the corporate or stereotypical world. I’ve never fit into the mold of typical and I hope I never fall for that again.

Ashley, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started photography at 15 when my uncle asked me to help him with a wedding. After he looked through my photos, he said I was good and should pursue this in college. I went to college for art and decided I didn’t want to go into that much debt so I never finished. When I got married I I put everything on hold to raise four babies. once that season of my life shifted, I picked it up again and started from scratch. There were not filters, presets AI or social media when I started so the whole industry shifted and became oversaturated. It hasn’t been easy learning this new form of photography which seems to be more reliant on good computer skills than actual talent.
I offer event coverage from small personal events to large stages, weddings, portrait sessions are some of my favorite, I love working with creative portrait sessions to give style and art in the expression of a person, products for local businesses building their website or just needing to refresh their portfolio and inventory, food is a lot of fun to shoot, and I usually get sent home with some of the best food from restaurants I would never try otherwise, realty is a new adventure but one that provides a chance for an introvert to get out of the house and still do something I love. I have worked with clients to create visual and written poetry of their medical illnesses to inspire others to keep going by sharing their story.
I am most proud of my dedication to learning my craft. I’m always willing to learn from any level of experience. I see myself as capable of learning from someone who has a year or two under their belt or decades. The thing about art is it’s so different, so much of it is based on opinions or styles that you can learn from just about anyone. so I’m constantly asking questions and testing new ways of doing things. I have a more traditional style of simple and clean with minimal affects or heavy editing, but there’s always benefit to knowing as much as you can about your craft.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes! I find it easier sometimes to nonverbally communicate deeper emotions. Processing the hard things can be challenging, I have a hard time trusting people with the deeper parts of myself, I find art a great way to safely express the deeper parts of myself, I know the people who see it and get it do so because they’ve been there.

I love showing people how wonderful they are, watching their eyes light up when they begin to see themselves positively. Too often we focus on the negative aspects of ourselves that we lose sight of the beauty, skills and value we have, I like to use photography to speak life and encouragement over people.

My kids are a large part of my motivation, I have four kids that are perceptive and artistic. I love taking them with me to different shoots when I can and building their confidence; I end up learning from them as kids see from a different perspective as adults, literally.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

These days almost everyone has a smart phone and walking around with a camera, because of that people dont think photographers are that important because most phones can take a decent picture and comes with filters to make it look eye-catching. There’s so much more going on behind the scenes than people realize, getting in the right headspace and paying attention to every detail, being able to predict a movement or a moment, cultivating your eyes to see what no one else will but absolutely makes a difference in the overall quality of the product. Most of photography now seems to just be dependent on good computer skills over actual skill with a camera, and sure, in some ways that is very important but so is the craft itself, getting it right in the field can make all the difference when editing and not relying on AI or computer skills. Never underestimate the importance of a good photographer, they spend so much more time on your phots than the time they spend with you, there’s hours of studying, practicing, editing that go on before they ever meet you. they spend so much of their creative journey analyzing if they’re over charging and feeling like imposters. It may seem overpriced but you can’t blame them for charging a livable wage for a skill they have spent a lot of time and energy cultivating and profecting.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ashleyelizabethphotography48.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ash.liz.photography485?igsh=NGsycWEycDUxZHVz&utm_source=qr

Image Credits

Ashley Elizabeth Photography