We were lucky to catch up with Ashton Hoot recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashton, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

I work with a lot of small business now, but I have a background in Corporate America, and one of the things I saw (and part of the reason I left) was communication.

Communication is always important, no matter what you do and where. you do it, but something that creatives in particular struggle with is the lack thereof from leadership, especially at a higher level.

I think it’s easy to underestimate the strategy that goes into the creative side of marketing, but it’s the backbone of everything we do. I, as a designer and copywriter, need that strategy to know what the backbone of my project is. But often, creatives don’t get looped into that, and our jobs can be viewed as “easy” because as we do is draw pictures and write stories.

And yes, it is FUN (I love what I do!) but, the creativity is only half of what we do. The other half is strategy.

So when upper level management wants to pivot quickly, they don’t seem to understand that it’s going to take some time to also redo those creative assets. No, we can’t just “whip something up” by lunchtime.

If you’re changing the goal of the project, you need to give time for the creatives to change their work. Even small changes can trickle down and render a design completely useless. Or a piece of copy irrelevant.

Of course, a lot of this comes down to the types of leaders and systems you have in place, but understand that creative jobs also have duties that need to be met.

Ashton, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

If you asked me five years ago where I’d be today, owning a business was the last thing I’d say. In school I was a great writer, so when the time came to settle on a career path, I thought, why not be an English professor? I was an English major so it just made sense.

After interning with my college English department, I realized that it wasn’t the teaching I loved, it was the communications aspect that got my attention. I loved breaking down complex ideas and bold statements and wondering what made those authors tick — including what the heck Fitzgerald meant in that infamous last line of The Great Gatsby.

Then, a job opportunity in marketing came my way almost immediately after realizing being a professor wasn’t for me (you may call it coincidence, I call it #GodsPlan). I worked as a social media coordinator at Texas Tech University but fell in love with the creative aspects of my job. I took in everything I could possibly learn while I was there.

Sure, you could just find free templates online to get it off your to-do list, but I’m willing to bet that what you really want is someone who gets you. Someone who can take your brainchild and turn it into a moneymaker.

This is the part where I come in. For 5+ years, I’ve been helping business owners turn their passions into something tangible. Whether it’s through a full-service brand kit, copy that would make the New York Times jealous, or both, I’ll help you set your business on solid ground.

Fast forward five years, and here I am in the most unlikely place and absolutely loving it. I’ve been able to combine my love for design and my writing skills to help business owners find their voice. Design and copywriting aren’t detached. They work together harmoniously to give clients and customers the best idea of who your business really is.

And that’s what I want to do with my clients — create the perfect union of voice and visuals to make for a brand that feels just like them.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

What I do is creative, yes, but what it really comes down to is communication. And to me, there’s no better feeling than watching a jumbled mess of notes and voice memos becomes one seriously awesome deliverable. Because those assets are what communicate the brilliance of a brand to their audiences.

I love finding ways to take, “I know what I want to say, I just don’t know how to say it” and turning it into, “You took the words right out of my mouth!”

And I love working with other small business owners and entrepreneurs. I love being around all the ideas and innovation. I love being around the heart they have for the people they serve.

There’s so much creativity bouncing around at all times and it keeps me inspired. And I love that my work is helping them help others, regardless of who that may be. I truly feel that small businesses have the power to change the world, even if it’s just their corner of it. It’s an amazing feeling.

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.

Everyone is creative! Creativity isn’t just about painting, writing, etc…it’s so much more than that. It’s the ideas businesses are born from. It’s the solution to a problem no one else has thought of yet. It’s putting your resources together to find your way through a difficult situation.

If you just dig a little deeper, you’ll find creativity somewhere in you, too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ashtonwestdesignco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashtonwestdesignco/
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ashtonwestdesignco/?invite_code=399666d76385424b9c9499aca5615f68&sender=193514252647007380 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/1266975128?si=70e5ff4f4252460b&nd=1

Image Credits
I own these so n/a!