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

Everleigh, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

My main goal is not necessarily to be remembered, but to create something that will live on. I believe at least part of my purpose on this earth is to help others; be it shoveling snow off my neighbor’s driveway, raising awareness to aid natural resources and wildlife, or anything else that I see an opportunity to lend a hand. I feel compelled to help, no matter the task, and I love that. What I hope to achieve is to partner with as many outreach programs as I can, aid in the restoration and sustainability of our natural resources, and inspire others to answer the same calling and reach out a helping hand.

Everleigh, 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?

I got into this industry by accident. When I was younger, I had vastly different career plans. I don’t use my degrees for anything in my field. It’s amazing how much I’ve tried and failed throughout my life before finally finding something that works and that I thoroughly enjoy. I currently operate a literary publishing company. Evergreen Books, and a photography company, White Mountain. My favorite part of being an author is being able to escape into the world and life of my characters and bring their journeys to life. My favorite part of being a photographer is showcasing the heart of the world we live in and its abundant beauty. As far as the thing I’m most proud of in my career, I like to say it hasn’t happened yet.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

As someone who is still somewhat in the early phases of growing a following, I have to say Instagram has been an amazing tool. The advertising capabilities to draw in new followers are great and I get to find new likeminded travelers who love photography and writing as much as I do. I’m still in the learning process, but I’m very appreciative of social media marketing resources.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I was in the process of trying to figure out funding for aerospace engineering school to become a helicopter pilot when I started writing and doing photography as side hobbies. I started posting my stories online and to my surprise, readers engaged and wanted more. I started realizing how much I enjoyed writing and wondered how I could make a living doing it. After looking into the complexities of becoming a standard published author, I decided to create my own publishing company and cut out the middlemen. About that time, I started traveling a lot and taking landscape photos. People seemed to enjoy my photos when I posted them on social media and I realized how much I loved photography. I figured if I could make a job out of writing, why couldn’t I make a job out of photography? So I did. Years of determination and coffee overdoses brought me to where I am today and I wouldn’t change a thing. I do, however, still hold out hope for that pilot’s license someday.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.whitemtnphotos.com
• Instagram: Whitemtnphotography
• Twitter: Whitemtnimagery

Image Credits
White Mountain Photography