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

Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I personally don’t think there is one blueprint for success. There isn’t one manual or guide to be successful in the music industry/operating your own business, or really just in life itself. Sometimes our journeys realign in beautiful ways- with many ups and downs. For me- I started as a singer, which then led me to LA which then led me to have song credits with Chaka Khan, Disney, Netflix, Hulu etc and fast forward to now I am a successful business owner and help artists with several services I offer from co-writing to vocal arranging to making electronic press kits to vocal lessons etc. In the 2 years of me running this business, I believe it’s been successful however there’s so much more I want to do and strive to do. Success can be subjective, I think there are no measurements per se in “what determines success” but for me personally I think success is when you are making a living doing what you genuinely love to do while helping others. For me, that’s what makes me happy and that’s something I created and for that, I believe I’ve found success in a way and I am truly happy for that.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m not sure this is long enough to tell that whole story lol. I started singing at age 5, fell in love with musical theater which then led me to singing country music and moving to Nashville to pursue that, to then getting really heavy in the Houston music scene to then being in LA & landing song credits with Disney & Chaka Khan to then starting my own songwriting business while simultaneously pursuing my own artistry. It’s been a ton of trial and error, and different paths that have led to even more beautiful paths etc. it’s just kind of been this thing I continued to stick with and I think that’s the one thing about me is I don’t give up, and when you don’t give up- eventually things happen and you continue growing. I think when you’re doing it with purpose and genuine love, it’ll work out.

But anyways, in short I am a recording artist, credited songwriter and recent new business owner where I operate a songwriting business helping individuals with co-writing, consultations, vocal arranging, vocal coaching and much more.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect for me is when I create music the goal is to always make the listener “feel” in whatever capacity that may be- sad, connected in some way even anger, happiness, joy etc. i want the listener to feel connected to what I create. So as a creative/songwriter and artist I think my only goal is to let the listener feel the same way I felt when I created the music. When that happens, mission accomplished.

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.

I think the thing about being an entrepreneur and creative is that it isn’t for everyone- there’s a lot of people I’ve met along this journey that still ask me “hey are you still doing music, are you still singing?” Which always makes me chuckle. Like, yes what else would I be doing? I mean this in the most genuine way possible, but I think noncreative folks will never quite understand this path or the path of an entertainer/creative. Obviously we want a sense of stability which is why I created this business that I now operate however it’s never a 9-5 system where there’s that built in stability- we have to create it itself. I think that’s something non creative people won’t always get. We create our own blueprint and trust the vision within our heart and hope it works lol.

Contact Info:

• Website: AshleyTomanMusic
• Instagram: AshleyToman
• Facebook: AshleyTomanMusic
• Twitter: @AshleyToman