We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Folkner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley , thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is designing and building the “Storybook Forest” at the Book and Cover bookstore. I created a room that brought to life trees from different children’s stories (The Giving Tree, Where the Wild Things Are, The Lorax, and The Chronicles of Narnia). It is a place for children of all ages to go and be transported to a whimsical world to let their imaginations soar. One of my favorite career moments was being the first guest reader in the “StoryBook Forest” and seeing the children’s faces and reactions and knowing that my time and energy to build it was well spent.

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?

I am an Installation Artist and Designer and I help people solve design challenges and create unique one of a kind art installations and murals that add value to events, homes and businesses. Creating artful and whimsical environments is my life work. I have always built and altered environments to create the worlds that I wanted to inhabit, safe beautiful spaces outside of the heaviness and harshness of “reality.” I have 20+ years of materials knowledge to help me solve problems with an educated and unique perspective.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal for all of my creative endeavors is to cultivate and create unforgettable experiences and memories for the individuals I serve. And hopefully to inspire and give them reassurance its safe to share their own creativity and dreams.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Coming from a family that values security and stability, I had to unlearn the desire for a steady paycheck. Sure I would still love that stability but working for myself and being able to live my dreams out is worth all of the challenges that come along with it.

Contact Info:

• Website: ashleyfolkner.com
• Instagram: lafolkner

Image Credits
My profile photo was taken by Casey Yoshida and the rest of the photos are by Amy Kenyon.