Meet Ashley Hankins | Artist and Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Hankins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
To sum it up in a sentence, to help people.

As a newer author myself I realized there was a desperate need in the community for a business that would deliver quality, affordable art that was focused on the client, not on themselves. There were far too many companies that took advantage of the lack of knowledge of the industry, and it broke my heart. I wanted to change everything about it.

My business set out to do exactly that when I launched. It was with the mindset that as an artist, I would put my vision aside and guide my clients with my knowledge of industry standards, to best promote their books, logos, edits, websites, etc., so they could market themselves to stand out in sometimes a very oversaturated market.

I have been very blessed that since my launch, I have been able to help many companies to do exactly that.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love to listen to my clients and hear their story, to truly bring their visions to life. Whether its cover art, character art, or a logo that represents their brand. My mission is to represent THEM and their story. I feel that sets me apart because too often as creatives, we let our own ego stand in the way for our own vision and what we feel something should look like and it ends up with an unhappy client.

As for challenges of where I have gotten today, there have been so many. The largest I would say would be my son’s accident. He was in a bad car accident and had to have both of his legs amputated. This was a HUGE setback for my business, and it would have been so incredibly easy to toss in the towel and walk away. After much thought, and he was out of the life-threatening part, I decided I could not walk away from my clients. So, I doubled down. It has been arduous and trying at best. But I am giving it my everything and I am so very determined to make it work while getting my kiddo back on his feet again, literally!

While time management has always been a huge thing, it is definitely a thing now, and I would say that is the biggest lesson I have learned in this business.

If I were to have the world know something about my business, it would be that I believe in you with my whole heart. If you have a story, I want to hear it, so I can fight for that story as much as you will. My company is here to be your advocate; to guide you and it is my pleasure to do so.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in one of the coolest places! Yes, I am totally partial! I live 45 mins from DC, and Richmond, and the city I live in is all about history and the civil war!

We would rent one of the haunted bed and breakfasts downtown. While my house is nice, staying in one of the B&Bs is a whole experience! In the morning, we would wake up and have breakfast with mimosas, and take a horse drawn carriage tour of the downtown Fredericksburg area. They give an incredible tour full of history, ghost stories and the views are amazing.

The following day we would go into DC, and do a tour of the Smithsonian and the international Spy Museum. Because who doesn’t love art and espionage?!

Next, we would go to Richmond, and go to the Zoo, and do a treetop safari tour! It would take us over the animal enclosures on zip lines. After we could feed the giraffes and just hang out in one of the coolest zoos.

The following day, we would just take a relaxing tube ride down the Shenendoah. Hanging out and having fun, enjoying the sights before exploring the areas wineries for a tasting tour.

Finally, we would spend time at an area spa, relaxing and taking in the mountain view for the last few days before heading home and back to reality.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, I owe this step to so many people that encouraged me to take the leap. Mel, Annie and Lynessa are all such huge supporters. They continue to support me even when life has gotten so incredibly rough and I could not continue to rock my business if it were not for them. They are such rockstars.

Website: https://belleamesdesigns.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/329160472332485