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

Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I always tell people that one of the best ways to figure out that I wanted to be a creative was to go to business school. It seems like a paradox, but when I was a business major at a college in New York City, I quickly began realizing I wanted nothing to do with the industry I was studying to go into (fashion).

I went to an arts high school for writing, but never thought this could be a professional career. Because I was feeling so behind on my creative life in business school, it pushed me outside my comfort zone and forced me to look for opportunities and fellowships. It took a bit, but I started attending workshops, getting scholarships, and building up that creative life.

Now, in hindsight, I’m glad I went to business school. It taught me how to create a pathway where I can separate my art from the business side of things. I know market diversification and entrepreneurship, and going to business school helped make my dream of earning an income and living off of writing and art into a more feasible reality.

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?

My name is Ashley Hajimirsadeghi, and I am a writer, journalist, and blogger. I first published my writing professionally when I was sixteen, fell off of this path for a few years, then came back with a bigger passion and a better mindset. As a creative writer, I’ve now published three books (largely chapbooks) and have had my poems, essays, and fiction in a wide range of publications.

In 2021, I began working as a film critic and journalist over at MovieWeb, which taught me more about the film industry and publications working within it. I had the awesome opportunity to interview people like Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Whoopi Goldberg, and Camila Mendes, among others, during my time there.

Before, in 2020, I began a blog. My time at MovieWeb made me realize how much I loved talking about movies and the things I love, so I ended up turning my blog into something bigger. I post on there almost daily about what I’m watching and reading, and it has garnered a readership of up to 150,000 people per month all over the world.

Nowadays, I’m fusing together storytelling along with advocacy. My primary focus has always been BIPOC/POC voices, and I’m trying to learn how to fuse together video content and filmmaking to diversify further.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media and the Internet has always given me massive anxiety, and it was really tough in the beginning. I had a degree in marketing, but I think people don’t realize how a lot of what you learn about social media in class doesn’t always translate easily into the real world.

One of the biggest lessons for me when it comes to social media is to never say “no” when the situation feels right. It’s really difficult to get noticed in a world with billions of people, so when an opportunity for a feature or collaboration comes, and it’s aligning with your values and free, go for it. Especially when it helps build community–community is always so important. You can have a ton of followers, but it feels very transactional to view them as just that.

Diversification has always been a key part of my strategy as well. I don’t just do Instagram or my website. I also do LinkedIn, Pinterest, and used to be quite active on Twitter. When I wanted to kickstart my life as a photographer, I started up another account and immediately was posting. Consistency is another big lesson in all of this–you can’t neglect your accounts.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The one thing I’ve always been obsessed with are stories. Not my own, but the people I’ve come across in my life. I love talking to people and hearing about the experiences they’ve had, which explains how I ended up becoming a critic and interviewing people for a while.

Being a creative human being and an artist has helped tapped into this love for stories, and I think it’s made me a more open minded person who is willing to go out into the world and explore more. Social media and the Internet has allowed us to understand each other in so many different ways, ones that were previously untapped. It’s such a privilege to have the opportunity to do what I do and meet so many fascinating people.

I’ve also built such a wonderful community with fellow artists and creatives all over the world. I’m always forever grateful for the incredible support I’ve received throughout the years, and learning all of their stories, too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ashleyhajimirsadeghi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nassarine/

Image Credits

Headshot: Andre Chung