Bright. Colorful. Fun. Those are the three words that I would use to describe the amazingly cool things that you can find in Ashley's Etsy shop,
AshleyAfterDark! Ashley makes some beautiful peices using alcohol and ink to create random, gorgeous patterns! Read more about Ashley in her own words below:
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1.Who are you and what do you sell?
I am an artist that loves trying new ideas and projects. I specialize in
designing an assortment of gorgeous and unique alcohol ink products.
You will find a very colorful variety of coasters, tiles, framed art,
motivational and inspirational art pieces, as well as upcycled and
repurposed jewelry. I am also in the process of adding a new line of
trendy magnets. As time progresses I continue to branch out on new
adventures in order to create fresh and new products.
2.What inspired you to get started in your craft?
I had been eyeing alcohol inks for awhile so one day I decided to give
it a whirl. I started out with 3 colors for a trial run. And as soon as
I tried them I was completely hooked. It was fascinating to see all the
colors and how they combined and mixed. You will notice that all my
products are different and reflect a unique style.
Crafting and creating however has always been a big part of who I am,
and is something that I am passing along to my children. I grew up in a
house with a mom that is very talented and always had some craft project
going on. We now can create together and bounce ideas off one another.
It has become a real bonding time for not only my mom and I, but my
daughter and I as well. She is always asking when she gets to head out
to the craft cave to do some art.
3.What is your favorite part of your process?
Getting to view the final product is by the far the best part of the
whole process. I have somewhat of an idea what it’s going to look like
just from the colors that I have applied, but the high gloss glaze is
really what completes it in order to make the colors POP!
I also love to see what tiles people gravitate towards and so far people
seem to order such a variety of colors and would much rather them be
all different versus coordinating.
4.Handmade: What inspires you the most while you create?
While I am creating a big part that plays into my creativity is my
emotions. I have to be in a carefree relaxing state of mind in order to
properly create something that I love. Many times I will sit down to
start a piece of art, then when I step back and view it I think of it as
just ok. With a little more color and love being poured in it, it
usually ends up being one of my favorite pieces of art.
5.If you could pick, what is your most favorite item in your Etsy shop?
There is so many that I love that it’s hard to pick just one. The
brighter colors have more of an appeal to my eye so I would have to go
with this one…..
www.etsy.com/listing/121152239/alcohol-ink-modern-artwork-trivets
6.Got any social media links?
Following me on:
FACEBOOK:
www.facebook.com/AshleyAfterDarkWhereThePartyStartsAtTheCraftTable
TWITTER:
twitter.com/AshleyRodgers26
PINTEREST:
pinterest.com/ashley_breann/
GOOGLE+:
plus.google.com/u/0/101678518806867897153/posts?tab=XX
7.Anything else that you want to share?
Creations of any sort come from the heart and have meaning behind them
for each and every individual. You must have confidence in yourself and
in the products you are selling. In order to make it worthwhile you have
to believe in yourself.
The first craft fair I did was very intimidating, but it was also a
great learning experience. There was a blind vision on my part that I
could hide in the corner and magically sell my art. But as many of you
know that is far from how it works. It forced me to communicate with
buyers as well as various sellers in order to get my products out there.
When I began to see results there was a confidence about me that I
wanted to share with the world. If you are able to connect yourself with
craft fairs and galleries it's something I would highly recommend to
any artisan.
You also have to go into selling with realistic expectations. Most etsy
sellers aren't able to throw some items together, take a few pictures
and make money. It takes patience and realistic goals. Success is not
going to happen overnight.
