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ASHLEY AYRES
EXPERIENTIAL & GRAPHIC DESIGNER
ME IN A NUTSHELL
Honestly, I have no clue what I would be doing with my life if I were not doing something creative. Since childhood, I was always involved in some kind of art class. It didn't matter if it was sketching, painting, airbrushing, etc.; I was there. I can remember being told at every corner as a child that artists can't earn a living and artists are poor, but for some reason, this never killed my faith in pursuing a creative career. I realize now that I received horrible advice and that what I had been told was completely untrue. Once I entered high school, I discovered the graphic design profession and thought that it might be an outlet for me to earn a living while simultaneously doing something creative.
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After graduating from high school, I had to pick a local college to attend. That narrowed my choices to the University of Houston and the Art Institute of Houston. I ended up choosing the Art Institute for its no-nonsense, accelerated program. I wanted to get out of school and start my career as soon as possible. While I was in college, I excelled in my classes, bringing in straight A's for most of the semesters. Eventually, I won Best of Show in my graduating class. Later, I took my portfolio to Creative Summit in San Marcos and won several awards there, including a Ralph Award. After that experience, I was granted the opportunity to submit my work to Graphis, and not only had a few of my pieces published in the 2009 New Talent Annual, but I also won two Graphis Gold Awards. It was a magical ending to three stressful years in college, and I don't think there's a much better feeling than watching years of hard work and dedication finally pay off.
After successfully completing my degree, I was hired fairly quickly. I had the honor of working for Chris Hill at Hill Design shortly after graduating. However, due to the economic downturn of 2009 and a few special circumstances along the way, I spent the next few years alternating between graphic design and environmental design positions. I eventually ended up gravitating toward environmental design and have spent most of my career working in the EGD profession. I guess you could say that I found the work to be quite meaningful and started to feel as though my work was making a positive impact in peoples' lives by being able to create these unique experiences for them.
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Artists in every medium gather a great deal of inspiration from their personal experiences. I’m a designer who enjoys creating experiences for the public, and if I have led someone in the right direction physically, emotionally, or mentally, I feel as though I have done my job well. I am, and always will be, a designer who values my personal time outside of a studio. I think it's healthy to have passions outside of design because such interests have a way of keeping everyone in-tune with life and all that it has to offer. Pursuits of excellence have the potential to inspire the creative mind and thought process. I enjoy spending my free time with my family, exploring new places, and getting my exercise in at the local rink a few times a week for practice before starting my day. Figure skating is a hobby and a passion of mine, another art. Of course, I'll always be looking for new interests and opportunities to inspire me because I'm just not sure that there will ever be a better feeling than when inspiration becomes a reality for you and everyone else . . . it's what keeps me going.
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