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

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

To be successful is more than the amount of money you earn a year. It is the happiness you provide for yourself and your loved ones around you.

Human kind gets swept up in the idea they need to chase money in order to be happy. When in reality you need to chase your dreams to be happy. Money comes and goes. Time you could spend being happy does not.

You cannot take money with you when you die, but you can leave your loved ones memories they will enjoy for their rest of their life. You are so busy worrying about making the next dollar, you will be consumed in the false American Dream.

Live each day to its fullest, and make enough money to be happy, healthy, and have the memories.

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 International Fine Art Wedding Photographer. I went to college to become a photographer for National Geographic, but fell in love with commercial work, which turned into the Wedding industry.

I started shooting weddings back in 2011. I knew nothing about weddings, as I was only ever a guest. I worked from the start of the day until the vert end because I did not want to miss a thing. I quickly learned that you do not need to be there all day as not much happens the first 3-4 hours of the morning while the ladies get their hair and makeup done. Ha.

When I first started you could not find a single mentor to help you learn more. It was figure it out yourself. Which was hard. I also did not go to college for business, so I had zero idea on how to market, start, or give the best client experience.

In 2017 I found my first mentor, well it was an online course and you never actually met the individual who put it all together. This course changed my life and my business for the better. This helped my sky rocket my skills and understanding of a business.

Form there I developed my style, changed, and re developed myself to where I am today.

I focus on weddings and clientele that want their images to be art. To trust their photographer. To be original and not want every Pinterest photo they see. My team and I work best when we can observe, shoot, and direct the day to become a master piece. An image you can easily see in Vogue.

Becoming this type of photographer I have found an happiness of not needing to be perfect, because the most imperfect moments, are so perfect. I am truly happy on where I am in my job, and I love that I have the clients who trust me completely.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

From an early age I was always the one who made the choices. How things were going to be. How I wanted things to be. I guess you could say a control freak. Ha.

This allowed me to become a manager at a restaurant at a very early age because I had the drive, work ethic, and ambition to be more than another employee. I wanted to change lives, I wanted to solve problems, plus have a great time.

As the years (3.5 years to be accurate), I realized I was never going to be truly happy with any management positions because I always wanted to make something from my photography knowledge. I also knew I wanted to be the boss, I wanted the successful business, I wanted to make something of my name.

In 2016 I quit my job, and opened up my own wedding photography business.

I was SO scared.

However, I had the support of my now-husband, boyfriend back then. To really do what I loved. Within 6 weeks, I booked 6 weddings and just kept going from there.

I have not had another job since then, I have been supplying my own income, and I will never go back. I am truly happy owning my business and running it how I believe it should be.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My biggest goal right now is to create my education online course to help more photographers get to their desired success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ashleyicephotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyicephotos/

Image Credits
Ashley Ice Photography