5 Questions with Ashley
A lifelong native of northern New York, I started my writing career writing poetry and short stories in an old farmhouse on the shores of Lake Ontario, heavily inspired by nature and long winters. I then earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish Language & Literature, with a minor in Human Services from SUNY Potsdam. After working as a Substance Abuse Counselor in both inpatient & outpatient settings, I returned to college to earn a Master of Science in Teaching degree from SUNY Oswego. I have been teaching Spanish for twelve years, starting my career in Central New York and the Finger Lakes area before returning to the North Country to work in a small rural district. Language has been a lifelong passion for me, and I consider myself a lifelong student of literature, culture, and the arts. My other interests include embroidery, painting, music, baking, gardening, yoga, traveling, boating, & hiking.
1. What’s a hobby you tried once and decided absolutely not?
A hobby I tried once and decided absolutely not was downhill skiing! I snowboarded in high school before a surgery forced me to stop. One of my boyfriends in college took me downhill skiing at Whiteface, assuming I would be competent enough for a hill after my experience snowboarding & cross country skiing. Were we all wrong! I was so inept that he had to give me a piggyback ride down the mountain (on skis), which was at once awesome and terrifying. I can say confidently I have no desire to ever try it again.
2. What food combination makes people judge you but you love it?
I am not a particularly adventurous eater when it comes to combining odd flavors or textures, but I will try anything once & keep an open mind - especially while traveling! Sometimes my willingness to try different foods is off-putting to other people.
3. What’s a belief you’ve let go of in the best possible way?
A belief that I have let go of is that we all should be striving towards a certain standard of perfection & rationality. While I consider myself a reasonable & down to earth person, lately I have leaned into the idea that we are not obligated to make sense to ourselves, or each other, all of the time! Humans are by nature fickle, emotional, & particular and it doesn't have to be a bad thing! I once read that annoyance is the cost we pay for being sociable, and I think this really applies here. It's easy to cut people out of our lives or not participate because we are annoyed by others' quirks & imperfections, but is that really the work of being human? I think we should try to love ourselves, & each other because of our quirks and not in spite of them. Alternatively, it is really easy to talk yourself out of starting something new or working towards a project because what you produce isn't perfect or "productive." We have to practice by letting go of our own ingrained standards, for ourselves & for others, to meet each other where we are at - celebrating it, rather than just enduring it.
4. What’s something you once believed about creativity that you no longer do?
Something I no longer believe about creativity is that it exists in isolation as a static thing. I find myself to be more creative when I am working on multiple things in all of my creative areas - for example, I may find it easier to write when I am practicing piano often. Or piano may feel easier if I have been painting. Painting & writing might flow better when I am spending good, quality time in nature. I used to think of creativity as a checkbox in my personality, but now I consider it to be an interconnected, living, breathing, membrane of daily life. Everything you do can contribute to it. I also don't believe "use it or lose it" really applies to creativity either. Your skills may get a little rusty, but this part of you is always there. I put down the novel I was writing for ten years because I got stuck. I went out and lived life & experienced all I could, then sat down one day a decade later & wrote the final two-thirds of it in three months. Sometimes creativity is just waiting quietly beneath the surface for you to be ready!
5. What’s the “oops, that actually worked” moment in your creative process?
"Oops, it actually worked" just applies to most of my creative process! Every project I start feels like surfing - trying to maintain balance with every change in the progression, inches away from a wipeout. This is probably because I rarely plan a creative endeavor - every painting, poem, paragraph, embroidery piece, or experiment starts with an idea, some pencil lines, and very little else. I 100% rely on flow & inspiration. I have come to love the element of surprise when I finish something - the "aha that's what we were doing!" As a teacher, so much of my daily life is planned out. When it comes to creativity, I prefer to "ride the wave!"