We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ashley Danielle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ashley below.
Ashley, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
Creativity is definitely a task that can also become a mental block for many in the art industry. I find myself reaching out to styled shoots, content retreats, or simply get together with other local photographers for a “non-working” day and shoot with a vibe, a feel that brings your creativity and senses of what you’re longing for back alive. Sometimes putting my camera down for a day and just doing something else that I enjoy will allow myself to reset to gain more creativity and enjoyment in my work ethics and field.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
They say when you find a passion and can make a living, it’s not work. For myself, this is truly an understatement. If I could work for free while giving people precious memories to cherish a lifetime, I absolutely would.
I have always been known to take photos everywhere for everything. One thing people whether it be colleagues, friends or family know about when I am attending an event, is that they will leave with some form of memory even if it be one photo. I believe time is a thief and that too many of us do not take advantages of capturing just that moment to cherish or reflect on in the future for others to enjoy and let the story unfold. I have been focused on furthering my education, knowledge and regardless of how long I’ve been in the industry there is always something to gain with the resources out there.
As far as gaining, I have learned and found myself or my brand to be more along the lines of earthy, cinematic, storytelling of your life unfolding for the time you are in front of my lens. When I put a vision of what I’m looking to capture in my head through my lens, the excitement I gain is unlike any other and I sometimes HAVE to run home to edit a sneak peek immediately. Never give up on your dreams, stop being your own worst critic and I often keep a photo from my very first paid shoot to remind myself how far I truly came.
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?
1. Persistence. Without the drive of wanting to further myself, or continue no matter how defeated I felt at times, this is what led myself to continue to push through the hard times and gain from the industry.
2. Support. Without proper support within the photography industry; whether it be from other professionals, clients or even your own family – it will make it difficult to thrive and be seen or keep your spirit alive for the career. Support from all areas has been a HUGE game changer, and one of the best intentions as professional in the industry is to be supportive of one another, root each other on and encourage others. After all, we are all striving for the same goal just in different directions.
3. Dedication. Picture this: you are wanting to learn to ride a bike, try it for 3 days and then stop for 3 months. Do you think you are going to just be able to pick up that bike and learn the necessary skills to be able to ride it properly? No. It’s the same thing for our industry. Anyone can pick up a camera, sure! However, it’s the dedication behind the camera, the hours of education or video watching of tutorials, investment and so forth that people and others do not see that have you pushing yourself in your range of practice for your goal. If you have a desired niche you are going to want to educate yourself, portray that image and more to book the clients you are wanting to gain and resemble your business accordingly.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
This one is challenging, and most would say “their parents”; however – my children have been mine. They have been the reason why I continue to push on, be humble, strive harder for them to see that you do not just give up when times get tough and to continue on no matter what life’s challenges may be thrown your way.
I am supposed to be their example, their role model and by doing, they see the work ethic I am encouraging upon them hopefully for their career goals to succeed a lot easier than most.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adphotographynepa.com
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