We recently connected with Ashley Reynolds and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
My confidence is something i’m always working on. Somedays it’s higher than others. I am an untrained, fashion student who became an artist. I had to sneak into advanced art classes in high school because my drawing skills are non-existent. The teacher would allow me to be there but no grade was ever given to my works. That used to be something I was embarrassed about, especially when asked about my education by clients and at pop up shows. In college I studied fashion, I pursued a career in retail and styling. I never had intentions of painting, even though it was something I fantasied about. I started small with little works and jewelry and then went big. I went out on a limb and bought a 24″ by 48″ piece of plywood to practice on. I found my stride in large pieces, I fully immersed myself into the process. Using my garage as a studio, picking mosquitos out of my acrylics and dealing with freezing temps in the winter and boiling heat in the summer. After finding the right playlist I would get dirty in the work, I absolutely love that feeling. Now, I love my story. I enjoy telling potential customers that in fact I do not have a favorite artist and I did not study at an art college. I can share the process with people and I think almost any one can relate to that changes life brings us. Also, I have found more creatives like myself who have paved their own path, its a type of camaraderie I never expected! Being self taught has its challenges but it also gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. My painting style has evolved over the years and I have had to explore my way through what works and what doesn’t but I enjoy the process. I know my mistakes will help me, I welcome them now, as opposed to when I started. So, my confidence and self esteem has come from my journey.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My next step in the art journey is combining my love to paint and my love for all things social justice. I want to donate more original pieces for fundraising to non-profits that support marginalized communities. I also am working on launching a side project, Dance Party Protest, that will donate a portion of all sales to local non-profits. I feel strongly that local organizations need as much help and support as possible, forfeiting a portion of my income to donate is absolutely the least I can do. My goal is to highlight non-profit organizations and spread art far and wide.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three things that were the most impactful for me were letting go of an end result expectation, allowing myself to “waste time” in the process and experimenting with technique and materials. For me, end results were formulating in my head before I started. When the piece didn’t go as planned my frustration would often result in me giving up on the piece or finishing and not being proud of it. It took a long time to finally say,
“whatever happens, happens” my process became a journey and not a job. Now, I look at something after taking a break and I may hate whats happening but I still put on my loud music and keep going. I sometimes clear off my studio table, reset up all my paints, I might even change clothes. I stick with a piece but change my tactic and I remove my expectation. My favorite pieces start out completely different from how they end.
Waisting time, as a working parent and partner is hard! Waisting time has to be scheduled, it has to be planned to spend time unplanned. Give yourself grace with time. Wait for the weather, camps to start, whatever will make you comfortable to waste time. When I used to entire my studio with a specific goal of how much painting I need to get done in a certain amount of time, it never happened. Now, I still cant waist time all the time but if I plan it, beautiful things happen!
Experimenting different techniques and mediums changed my work exponentially. I found a great (affordable) art store and I bought things Ive never heard of! I asked questions and watched videos, I combined spray paint with acrylics and played. This is where I feel like not being an art student is a benefit, I have no pressure to do things correctly. My favorite techniques were born from “mess ups” and not using a material the way it was intended.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
My number one obstacle is finding my audience. I think most makers have this issue. Social media is a great tool to help but as someone who wants to be in my studio, not on my phone, it’s hard. Im still always looking for markets that seem to be a good fit, a lot of trial and error happens. This new year one of my personal goals is to talk to more makers about how they face these challenges. Gatekeeping isn’t something i’m interested in, sharing tips/tools/advice is in for 2024!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artbyashleyreynolds.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbyashleyreynolds
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artbyashleyreynolds
