We recently connected with Ashlyn Craig and have shared our conversation below.

Ashlyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I think it can be expected to have questions about what it would look like to stop pursuing art as a career and pursue a “regular job”. I often find myself wondering, “Am I making the right choice?” or “Do I have what it takes?” anytime I have a particularly slow market, or an exceptionally daunting materials bill comes along. Sure, there is a certain stability that comes from having a more reliable form of income, but there is also far more monotony and far less thrill. I find myself more fulfilled and grateful now that I am my own boss, can establish my own timelines, and can follow where my passions lead me on an hour-by-hour basis. Being able to support myself fully with my art has given me far more self-confidence than supporting myself with my 9 to 5 ever gave me.

As such, to the question, “Are you happy as a creative?” the answer is a resounding YES! I owe everything to my ability to continue as an artist. The flexibility in my schedule, the leisurely pace I am able to live my life at, the capacity in which I am able to work with my body, my energy, and my current obsessions, I owe it all to being able to support myself in this way. Even though I wonder what it would be like to live different life, I know I wouldn’t want it any other way.

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 graduated with a BA in Visual Art from Point Loma Nazarene University, where I focused in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking, in 2023. While I have always been an artist, I found myself immensely burnt out on art making after finishing my degree. I took a brief hiatus from creating, but quickly found myself desperate for some sort of creative outlet and started experimenting with polymer clay on a whim with a friend. I knew from the start I was hooked.

I primarily make and sell small batch, handcrafted polymer clay jewelry where I use needle tools and nail dot tools to sculpt miniature botanicals and high detailed pieces. Since beginning my jewelry making journey, I have also branched out into working with semiprecious stones and pearls to create timeless and elegant pieces at a reasonable price. All of my jewelry is gold plated and nickel free.

I also work as a commission-based fine artist. In the past year, I have worked on murals in Old Town Tustin and Ocean Beach, and created a number of paintings for personal collections. My work primarily features botanicals, fruits and vegetables, and oceanscapes. Using direct, centralized compositions, my subjects are, by nature, confrontational. Rather than fading into the background of a larger composition, my work beckons the viewer to engage, and reminisce on the inherent beauty of routine flora they may have become calloused to.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best thing that we as a society can do to support artists is to put our money where our mouths are and buy from local artists and artisans. Shopping local supports local businesses, economies, and helps us to foster communities of like-minded and similarly oriented people in our own backyards. While being a patron of the arts can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be. Often local artists are more apt to working with you to create art that they are proud of and that you love at a price point where everyone feels happy.

However, times are tough! If buying art isn’t in the budget, there are a number of ways that you can support artists and creatives for free. You can repost their work (and tag them) on your social media or share them with your friends. You can leave good reviews. You can like, comment, and stay engaged on their social media posts by letting them know what you like and what you want to see more of. You can show up at their events. You can sign up for newsletters and open them when you receive them. And finally, you can ask them how you can best help.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the community building I am able to do with other artists. Whether it is online or at in person events, the support I feel from other artists is one of the most encouraging parts of being on this journey. I am very grateful that the San Diego artists and makers market scene has some of the best people in it. Talking to other vendors and artists, always leaves me feeling grateful for the community I am able to participate in. I am never one to gatekeep my successes, and I feel very fortunate that so many other vendors feel the same, actively telling you the venues where they did well at, the ones they struggled at, and where they think you may also thrive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ashlyncraigart.com/
• Instagram: @ashlyncraigart