Get to know Ashlynn, the multi-skilled entrepreneur who is next on our small business spotlight. Get to know more about her in her full interview below, and be sure to follow Jukebox Culture on Instagram.

Where are you from and how was life growing up? I am from New Haven, Connecticut. Growing up I lived in a very small apartment on the third floor with my mom and older sister. Since the apartment was so small I took over the living room area and that is where my imagination and creativity started to blossom. My Grandma would watch me while my mom was  at work and we used to play until we were tired and make up the craziest scenarios.

We see you’re a graphic designer, videographer and photographer. What got you interested in this field of work? What got me interested in this field of work was my former graphic design teacher Mr. Harry Dicker. I attended an after school program called ConnCat at the age of ten and went there until I was fourteen years old. Throughout my time there Mr. Harry took me under his wing and taught me endless amounts of knowledge on Adobe Photoshop. While other kids looked at it as just an after school program I knew the skills I was learning can lead to success. ConnCat also introduced me to more knowledge in photography and from there I showed interest in it so my grandma bought me  my first camera for my twelfth birthday and I’ve been creating content ever since . From learning graphic design and photography I also moved into videography. I used to edit the same kinds of videos I saw pop up on Instagram and make my own version. At the time I didn’t think too much into it, but as I got older I realized how much can be done when it comes to cutting and adding effects to videos.  The program director at ConnCat, Steve Driffin, gave me the opportunity to shoot and create documentaries for two plays he’s written because he knew I wanted a career in directing and saw how driven I was.

What do you hope to achieve or help other young women achieve through your work?  One of the things I hope to achieve through my work is showing that age doesn’t define your skill set. I feel a lot of young graphic artists are overlooked simply because of their age. However,more often than not it’s the youth that has the raw talent and are not limited by the same biases that adults face. My field of work is male dominated and I want to show younger women especially women of color that we can do the exact same job creating a new norm.

Do you believe qualifications are important, or have you built your business through experience? I believe both are important in certain circumstances of course. Not everyone who doesn’t have experience lacks talent, and not everyone who has a degree has talent. I’ve built my business through experience, hard work, and talent. Which is why I believe people shouldn’t be dismissed strictly because they lack experience when all they need is a chance to showcase what they can do.

Do you have any new projects you’re working on? I have a few upcoming projects I am working on, one being my art exhibition at my job NXTHVN. I am also in the process of doing videography, graphic design, and photography for several talented artists.

What are your plans for 2022 and beyond? My plans for 2022 and beyond are huge! I really want to focus on getting my name out there and working with people I’ve admired for years. I also want to find a friend group who is doing better than me so I can learn from them and we can come together and create dope content! I also want to be able to give back to my family as a thank you for all that they have done for me.

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