Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Martin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

We often think we choose our path, but often our paths choose us. Life’s events have a way of pointing us in in the right direction. Even though creativity is in my DNA, I didn’t tap into it until I became an adult. My mother is a creative and my father writes. In addition, there are other creatives in my family. I have witnessed first-hand how some paint and a blank canvas can become a masterpiece, how a piece of fabric and some thread can become a ballgown, and how words can become melodies. Creativity showed up for me first through writing.

When I was going through a difficult time in my adulthood and in my first career – figuring life out, dealing with some difficult personalities, and finding my balance, writing become a refuge. Looking back, writing has always been a place that I was able to take refuge in and express myself. I kept a diary as a child, journals as a teen and still journal to this day. That period of difficulty produced some creatives writing- poems and essays. Two pieces even ended up in a co-authored book. From there, the writing faucet was turned on.

Ideas and topics would come to me, and I just wrote. I realized that there was something to this, so I invested in a session with a writing coach. That one session changed my life. She was really good at helping me tap into and keep the creative flow going. In essence, she helped me to cultivate the lifestyle a creative needs in order to fully express him or herself.

Shortly after meeting her, I embarked upon writing my first independent self-published book. From there, another book popped out and then another one. One of those books was the springboard of one of my businesses. I still write and look forward to what the future holds.

A few years after I started writing, another expression of creativity started to emerge. I began designing things – graphics, presentations, capability statements (aka business resumes), and other things. Of course, all of this was exciting. What I did for relief, fun, and for self-expression, was now something that people were (and still are) paying me for.

There is still more to create, and I still invest in my creativity through courses and classes. There are news things and expressions that will come from it, but for now, I’m enjoying helping people through the things I create.

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?

One of my missions in life to help people become the best versions of themselves. This mission drives much of what takes place in my businesses. On one side of the coin, there is coaching and speaking around this very thing – becoming the best version of yourself. This takes into account 7 different areas that affect and are impacted by who we are. Spiritual health, emotional health, and relational health are a few of those areas. There are some products that support this mission like our positive affirmation decals, Mirror Miracles, and a variety of books.

On the other side of the coin, there is a learning and development company I started called Leadership Lady. This side helps people to become their best professional self. The company helps clients develop and leverage their soft skills to improve operational efficiency. In other words, we help people work better to get things done. Soft skills affect our everyday lives – communication, collaboration, problem solving, organization, and conflict resolution are just a few of them.

If we really took time to hone and sharpen these skills, the difference they make in our lives and organizations is tremendous. Clients can come to us for 1:1 or group coaching, training, keynotes, capability statement creation, and consultation. We have some products as well. Focus: Productive Leadership in Action is a book that helps people create focus in their lives and organizations. Level is our wellness box filled with all kinds of goodies that promote wellness and a productive lifestyle. We empower the next generation through our social arm a 501(c)3, 3G.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

As a writer who reads a lot, there several books that come to mind that have impacted my journey, my thinking, and how I live. Steve Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, and Carlson’s Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff are amongst the top. They’ve helped to shape how I approach everyday situations as well as long term vision and strategy.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Creativity is not one size fits all. For me, I soon realized that I couldn’t control it or contain it. I had to learn how to manage my creative flows and spurts. If I feel my creativity flowing in a certain area, I pray (often) and then lean into it. If I feel like, it’s being redirected in a place I don’t want it to go or that would be too distracting, I don’t lean into it and do my best to refocus it. Non- creatives, thank you for bearing with us. I think it’s important that both creatives and non-creatives value each other because we can learn a lot from each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.iamashleym.com/ or https://leadershiplady.com/
• Instagram: @becomingashleym
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleym3710/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJoUmMgIgBWO8vDPAAZyx_zoyZQMuG7RT