Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Kipps
Ashley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve been a creative pretty much since I came out of the womb – whether it was dancing, drawing, learning to play the piano by ear, film photography, poetry, or painting, I have always felt the most me when I am creating.
I was born and raised in rural southern Virginia where the closest true grocery shop was the next town over & you could almost always guarantee you’d get stuck behind a tractor while taking the bus to school. Like most kids that grew up in a small rural town, you dream of the day you get to run away & move to the city – which is exactly what I did. I went to University for social work in a city about an hour away from home and fell in love with the vibrancy, diversity, & incredible cultures that were mushed together so effortlessly. But in 2020 after the thick of the pandemic, graduating, and feeling like I didn’t know what to do next – I packed up and moved 2000+ miles away and eventually ended up in Utah.
Following working in marketing/social media for nonprofits I found myself transitioning almost entirely into the industry – something that I had never intended to happen. And after six years of working for marketing agencies, incredible brands like Kleinfeld, & for hospitality businesses in Park City I decided that sending out email blasts, panicking over SMS campaigns, & struggling with the constant chaos of the corporate marketing world was not what I wanted from life. I wanted to combine my love for people and community with my passion for being creative.
After being in Utah for a few months I decided to restart sharing little bits of my life on social media (previously I had a lifestyle blog + Instagram throughout college), and all it took was one TikTok video to change my life. I realized quickly that amongst all the Amazon Hauls, stunning LA influencers living in insane condos, & constant trends – there were people who just wanted to find ways to romanticize and feel passionately about their everyday lives. Because in all honesty, everyone deserves to find joy in the mundane, the things we will experience the most.
I initially started sharing silent vlogs of me going about my daily life, or videos of my favorite local antique shops and cafes, and then when summer rolled around I began to share magic of Utah’s mountains. But now it’s been almost 5 years and what at one point was just a silly little outlet for me to not feel so alone has morphed into something so much bigger. My community of 300k+ people has stood by my side as I received an Autism diagnosis that ripe age of 27, I’ve met people at the SLC farmer’s market where we shopped local produce & then sat in the grass talking about life as if we weren’t strangers, & some have been inspired to start knitting & have joined SLC’s incredible fiber arts community at Handwork (local knit shop).
That first TikTok video I posted all those years ago has turned into me being able to do photography professionally, it has given me the ability to connect people with one another in ways I never dreamed possible, it’s given me a platform to share local business & causes that make Salt Lake City a better place, and I’ve ultimately been able to turn my love for creating into a full-time job that is filled with passion and purpose.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I never really imagined that being a creative had a place in the world, especially todays society. So I’ve always had a FT corporate job up until 1 month ago and that made balancing my FT role with freelance work, incredibly difficult.
Being a freelancer is incredibly difficult in more ways than one – many times you will find yourself at a crossroads where you’re having to choose between your values and making an income, you have to remain steadfast in the belief that you and your work is valuable even when others question that, the social media landscape is ever evolving and there is always the fear that you will lose the community you’ve worked so hard to foster
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve always told those closest to me that my biggest flaw as an influencer/creative is that I won’t niche down. This has also been the thing that’s come back to bite me most often. But it’s also true that my work is an extension of myself and to niche down would be an inaccurate representation of who I am. In a world that wants us to fit into neat tidy boxes, I want to show up as the multi-faceted person that I am.
I do documentary + nature film & film sim photography, interior decorating/design color theory in our 1930s cottage & for followers that submit inquiries, stream of consciousness poetry that I’ll often share online, knitting, oil painting, and so much more.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Moving to Salt Lake City has been so transformative for me, primarily because of our access to incredible nature. Being able to drive just 10 minutes into a canyon & watch the sun set & turn the sky shades of pink & blue is life changing. I also think that SLC is a precious little pocket of some of the most passionate people – fiber artists, activists, musicians, local business owners, & resilient farmers.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apkipps
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI2efK04Ho5XWmNj9VeWwVg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@apkipps?lang=en
