We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashlyn Jensen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ashlyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Writing and I are lifelong friends (so to speak).

But I only started pursuing it seriously a decade ago. I was 18 and–like many teenagers–my motivations for being a writer mostly revolved around fame, fortune, and fancy parties. I was also high on the notion that natural talent would be enough to land me an agent and a hefty advance on a book I hadn’t written yet (HA!).

I learned the hard way that great writers aren’t great because they chase fame and fortune. They’re great because they chase the next line of gut-wrenching prose. They engineer sentences that make ink and paper sing. They refine their craft by being solely concerned with capturing the human spirit.

Once I figured that out, the grandiose pipe dreams fell away. And all that was left–all that really mattered–was an immovable desire to grow in the craft that I deeply cherished. But cultivating this type of dedication didn’t happen overnight. It took a long time and a lot of trial and error.

So, how did I do it?

Here are a few ways I learned–and continue to learn–my craft:

-Keep a Journal (write it all down, even if you think it’s silly).
-Be Flexible and Growth-Minded (Most writing opportunities are valuable, so say yes if it’s legit).
-Stay Inspired (watch movies, read books, study the greats)
-Create Opportunities for Yourself (Start an Instagram Acct, Write a Blog, Enter Writing Competitions, Submit to Lit Mags.)
-Find Community With Other Writers (They keep you motivated, supported, and out of a creative vacuum).

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 writer.

That seems simple enough.
But, it actually means a few different things. Let’s break it down.

Currently, SEO copywriting is my full-time job. Which means I’m a writer who knows how to craft copy that plays directly into Google’s algorithm while still engaging users with authoritative content. In other words, my job is to write content that ensures an organization’s products and services cut through millions of search results and facilitates user to customer conversions.

Is it always super glamourous? No. But it doesn’t have to be to teach me something valuable about my craft. For one thing, it’s a great living. It sharpens my curiosity, creative problem-solving skills, and the technicality of my writing. It teaches me about what it takes to create content that does well on the internet without sacrificing quality. And that has its benefits outside the 9-5.

Now is that the only thing I do, have done, or will do as a writer. Nope. In fact–if you can believe it–I broke into this industry by being the most embarrassingly tenacious part-time writing tutor ever (hyperbolic? Only a little). I made inspiring those kids to write for an hour each week my primary mission. It went well. That gave me the confidence to land an internship with an incredible non-profit. Which turned into 10 journalistic publications (all of which, I’m very proud of).

I went on to be a script reader, V.O. script writer, an agency content writer, and so on. And that’s just the work I’ve been paid to do. I am constantly scribbling new ideas for screenplays, poems, books, random prose, erratic journal entries, whatever. The point is–no matter what kind of writing is brought to the table–I’m hungry for it. And that hunger is an important thing for a writer to have, so I’ve always been very proud to have it.

It’s also something I appreciate seeing in clients, organizations, and especially other creatives I engage with. And my hope is that my tenacity toward the craft is recognizable in every person that interacts with my writing. My other hope is that when people interact with my words they’re engaged, entertained, and even moved by what I have to say.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Writing and resilience go hand in hand. So, I have a few stories.

But when things are really tough, I always seem to go back to that first year out of college. I still maintain it was the most important moment of my career, even though I didn’t get my first real gig until a year later.

It’s 2018.

I’m 23 and I have never written for so much as penny in my life. But–for some reason–I have the unearned pretension of someone who’s been an industry darling for decades. Maybe it’s all the tireless work I put in to earning my degree. Maybe I’m a stupid kid in desperate need of a reality check. Or maybe it’s a mix of both.

In any case, I do get my degree. I send my resume to anyone who will take it. Turns out that pool of prospects is smaller than I thought. A lot smaller. Non-existent. This kicks my butt. Hard. But I don’t have time to be sad about it. I need money. So, I take the first job I can get at a pizza shop. To say the least, it sucks. Shortly after that, I’m displaced from my home, which means I have to commute 45 minutes to a job that only pays me enough to cover the gas to get there.

Shortly after that, my car starts breaking down–all the time. I’m s0 tired and sad and all I want to do is sleep. Despite all of this, I keep trying. I keep revising my resume. I keep sending it out. I keep getting rejection emails. Fine, I’ll try something else. I start workshopping essays for my friends who are still in college. $100 a pop. I buy a journal and I write something in it, every, single. day. whether I feel like it or not. I do this for a year before finally–someone gets back to me.

My first day as a writing tutor is the 4th of July. This is the first milestone of many I will reach in my writing career. And it only happens because I’m resilient enough to see myself through. So, now, when I have a really rough day or I feel like I’m not capable of even being remotely good at what I do, I remind myself of where I started and the kind of resilience it took for me to get where I am.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There are few things that make being a creative rewarding for me.

I feel like I’ve given some pretty long-winded responses in this interview already, so I’ll try to be brief and list them out:

-Creatives Inspiring Creatives: I love it when we get opportunities to learn from one another and be inspired by each other’s unique voices and work. I feel like we’re in a constant state of intuitive connection that way and it’s so exciting to watch it happen in real time.

-Finding Community/Mentorship: I have always placed a lot of value in finding artistic community and seeking/providing resources for fellow creatives who want to learn, grow, and connect.

-Creating Things That Engage the Human Spirit: One of the most significant compliments someone can give me is that my work draws them in. It engages them, it’s fun to read/watch, and it moves (or at least provokes) them emotionally. And it’s rewarding to find ways to ensure that what I create accomplishes those things as much as possible.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huntresswrites/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/ashlyn-j-3a2481136

Image Credits
Ashlyn Jensen