Meet Ash Elizabeth

We were lucky to catch up with Ash Elizabeth recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ash, thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.

I find myself struggling with creativity blocks quite often these days, and while there are a lot of reasons for this, one of them is definitely because I make art to try to earn a living, and so it’s no longer just a hobby, it’s a responsibility. And I think having to be creative on a regular basis can cause burnout very quickly and make creating seem more like a chore than it should be. When I feel this way, I will sometimes simply take a break from what I’m doing. It seems obvious, but there have been many times where I’ve sat at my art table, surrounded by my polymer clay and all my art supplies, and I’m just sitting there, absolutely clueless about what to do. In those moments, I’ve had to realize that I can’t just sit down and magically be struck by inspiration and know exactly what to make. I’ve realized that I need a plan. I need to at least have some idea of what end result I want. And in all honesty, it doesn’t usually come easy to me. So in order to find inspiration, as weird as it sounds, I will often times look back at my own past work. I look at photos of things I’ve made previously, because I make so many things in order to sustain my shop, that I can sometimes forget about things I’ve made. I’ll look at that previous work then, and use it as a jumping off point. I may not to want to make that exact thing again, but I can take elements of it, or maybe make a new and improved version. Something else that helps with inspiration is looking at the world around me- noticing the flowers, the animals in nature, the aesthetics of everyday life. I’ll sometimes scroll back through the photos on my phone to find inspiration for paintings. And lastly, looking at other artist’s work can also be a way to get the creativity flowing again. I see a lot of work by other artists on Instagram, and I will sometimes look back at my “liked” posts and use it as a sort of mood board for inspiration, a collection of works that have made me feel something. And there’s usually something in there, some sort of feeling or essence that I want to evoke with my own work, and at that point it’s about using all those things that already exist in order to make something new.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Ash Elizabeth, and I’m an artist from New Jersey. I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember, and I just never really stopped. I was in art clubs in school, I took many different art classes as electives over the years, and I eventually went to college for photography. And while I didn’t end up finishing my college career, I continue to use what I’ve learned in the work I do today.

While I do a number of different kinds of art (jewelry-making, polymer clay, painting, drawing, photography, etc) my main medium right now is polymer clay. I’ve been creating with polymer clay since I was around 14 years old, when I made miniature cakes and cute charms of all sorts. I started by mainly making miniature food jewelry, but eventually branched out, and now I mostly make nature-themed necklaces, earrings, and figurines. Right now I’m working on making a new batch of miniature book necklaces, which are tiny books made out of polymer clay that have various designs on the covers, often nature-themed such as roses, mushrooms, and leaves.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think the three things that have been most impactful have been learning my limits, connecting with other artists, and learning how to be more confident with self-promotion. And to any folks who are early in their journey- maybe they’re trying to improve their skills at a certain kind of art, or maybe they’re trying to sell their work, I would just say, as cliché as it sounds, to have patience. Give yourself the time and grace to learn these new skills. I think if you are expecting everything to be perfect right away, you’ll likely become frustrated, impatient, and even end up feeling like you’re failing. But if you build in the time to learn, to make mistakes, to try again, it will give you some space to breathe as you figure it all out.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed, one of my favorite things to do is to have a cozy evening in bed. I love carving out time to make myself a cup of tea, get one of my favorite snacks, and watch something comforting, like a romantic comedy or a YouTube video that makes me laugh. I think it’s important to give ourselves permission to take breaks. I still struggle with this, with feeling like I “deserve” a break, but then I remind myself that I’m not likely to make work that I’m proud of when I’m feeling so stressed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ashelizabethart
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashelizabethart/