We recently connected with Ashley Nicole Stevens and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley Nicole, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Part of me wishes I had started my acting and singing career sooner. I’ve always had a lot of fear of rejection that has held me back (and still does sometimes). But, at the same time, I have learned so much from the journey that I have gone on. So, I am not sure if I would go back and change anything. Maybe trying harder sooner? Some actors and singers launch into their careers as soon as they can. However, I took the route of going to college to major in both Theatre and Music. I learned so much about myself during my time at college that I am glad happened there and not out in the “real world”. I got to fail and it didn’t impact my career. I got to grow and work on my fears. I also met some amazing professional actors and singers who helped guide me and build my confidence in my craft. If I hadn’t taken the route I did, I never would have met one of my professors that helped pull me out of an acting box I had put myself in. I remember having a conversation with her about how I could never play a lead role like Nora from “A Doll’s House” because I didn’t look a certain way and I didn’t have the right acting chops to be as fragile as she is usually cast. My professor promptly stopped me and said how she would cast me in the role because I didn’t fit those stereotypes. The best and most moving performances of Nora had gone against that style of character. It was a big moment for me. From there on out, I started to dismantle these ideas of what I could or could not do. If I had started my career sooner, I never would have learned lessons like that. I would still keep myself in boring boxes that would get me nowhere.

Ashley Nicole, 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?

Currently, I am mostly working as an audiobook narrator. However, my other areas of work are stage acting, film acting, voiceovers, and singing. Though, I may be exploring a couple of other avenues of creativity to add to this list. When it comes to acting and singing, I think it is so important to do work that has an impact on the world. Not that fun and fluff isn’t great too. But, I want to be a part of something that makes people think. Think about the world. Think about themselves. We are all fighting battles and sometimes we need something to distract us for a bit or that helps us feel a little bit less alone. We might even need something that helps us get up and find the motivation to keep fighting. I love being a part of that.

I knew since I was little what a huge impact music can have in someone’s life. So, from an early age, I searched for what I could do in music. I wrote terrible songs, learned how to play instruments, and learned how to sing. Now, I mostly focus on singing and songwriting. Like, many other people I had a lot happen in my life since the start of 2020 and I hope to create an album highlighting some of those feeling, emotions, and themes that came up. So, I’m currently learning more skills to help make that happen.

As for acting, I have always loved being able to share stories and learn more about how other people live and understand the world. So, it was either psychology or acting. Acting won. It became my career and learning a little about psychology became a hobby. Right now most of my work is in audiobooks, as I am traveling a lot more. I started voice work in late 2019 and audiobooks have stuck. I love reading books and now I can share that with people who don’t have enough time to sit down to read or who, maybe, don’t have the capacity to do that but still love a good story.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I mean, it is like beating a drum that the important people won’t listen to but, we should support the arts and creativity in schools from an early age. It has proven to help brain function, memory, development, and more.

Another way we can help is to start viewing these lines of work as important. We always get a lot of comments about how we should find a real job. But, what helped people get through lockdown? What do people turn to on a regular basis? Different forms of art and creativity. We are viable. Help us change the narrative.

And, most importantly, pay us! Stop asking for free work. I get that finances can be hard. But, this is work and we deserve to be fully compensated for our work So, either pay (money or a services trade if that is an option for that specific person) or find something else. Don’t ask us to lower our prices and to accept less. Stop asking us to work for free.

Overall, support us financially, physically, spiritually, and emotionally when you can.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am in a pivot currently. Before covid hit, I was out working as much as I could and growing my resume. I was starting to make a lot of progress that I could see and feel. Then, covid hit, and I was stuck at home. Luckily, I had audiobook work to keep me busy. But, since then I have really been noticing a lot of areas for growth.

I have relied a lot on others to help grow my career. Other people hiring me. Other people’s projects. But, now I am currently working on bettering my craft for when I am working on other people’s projects AND, finding ways to support my own projects. I got tired of waiting to be the perfect fit for other people when I know I have the ability to share similar messages through my own work as well.

In a way, it feels like I am taking a step back to find out how to step out on my own. But, I know the end result will be amazing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ashleynicolestevens.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleynicolestevens
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwJh5LLtAS7jefpgt35VXgA
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@overlookedashley https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9159857/ https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Ashley-Nicole+Stevens