We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Matelski recently 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 have actually wanted to be an artist since I was a very young age. My mother said my first words were colors and I loved the art corner at pre-school. When I was in kindergarten, I would focus my When-I-Grow-Up Projects on being an Artist. It wasn’t always my goal or my current path though. What I love about being a creative is that it is fueled by inspiration and feeling and that comes and goes with different stages of life. How my art career has looked for me changed in so many different directions and the result of what I create always reflects that. Sometimes I paint. Sometimes I draw. Sometimes I wood burn. Sometimes I go on a hike and don’t do art at all. I would say, in 2017, is when I first started taking the risk of putting my work on social media and marketing it for sale. I would post on a separate account than my personal and a lot of friends started asking me for customs. I was pleasantly surprised! Putting yourself out there feels like a huge risk and it can be scary. When the result is people wanting your work or sharing with others, it’s really inspiring and motivating. I think that was the biggest turning point of when I felt like I could make a career out of my art. Then, in 2019, when I got my first studio downtown, is when I would say it moved from a hobby to a business.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a self taught botanical/landscape artist based in Flagstaff, Arizona. Most of my work focuses on desert native flora, desert critters and landscapes. I am most known for my wood-burnings on live-edge wood pieces, however I also often work with acrylic and charcoal on canvas to create fine art pieces. In addition to my original artworks, I also work with digital art and design. I love turning my work into prints or t-shirts to make my art more accessible for everyone. If you have a look at my website portfolio and my shop you will see there is quite a variety of products to choose from and you will see the evolution of where my creative focus has shifted over the years.
I work with clients from all over looking for many different services. I can offer website design, merch design, logo design, custom art (watercolor, illustration, acrylic/canvas, wood-burning) and small business startup assistance. I am most proud of being able to help other small businesses achieve their dreams and goals. I often will work on a sliding scale for my clients that have a start up project/business idea so they are able to get to their dream without the financial burden for the work. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my community and I want to continue to pay that forward.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Share our work! If you like something, share with others. If you bought a piece, write us a review. Like many things in life, the art market has become oversaturated and the algorithm of how things sell on social media/online galleries has become less predictable. So I think what helps the most for creatives is just sharing so we stay relevant. We truly appreciate it.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Being able to do what I love on my own terms and inspire others to do the same. How I want my career to look is up to me and I can change that as many times as I want. I could be a painter today and a potter tomorrow and a jeweler by next Friday and no one can tell me I’m wrong- I’m still an artist. I think that’s a really beautiful thing. If I want to take a year off to ‘recharge my creative battery’ that’s acceptable too. People expect you to be a little more non-traditional in life when you’re a creative which relieves a lot of pressure in some ways to follow a certain path. I feel like identifying as a creative actually provides a lot of freedom and therefore you get to try a lot of things in life- which is quite rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ashleymatelskiart.com
- Instagram: ashleymatelskiart
- Other: www.ashleymatelskiart.etsy.com
Image Credits
Cierra Murrietta Photography