Tuesday 6 May 2014

18: Ashley


Portraits - the Motherhood series.

Ashley and I were lucky enough to attend the BHB (un)Conference last weekend. I reached out over instagram to see whether any mothers attending would like to participate in my portrait project, and Ashley very graciously obliged. I'm so grateful to her for that, it can be daunting to put yourself out there and she was so kind. It was a weekend illuminated by powerful insights about creativity, business and everything in between. Something that resonated for Ashley in particular was advice from Danielle LaPorte to revoke the word busy and choose to see that our lives are as full as we want them to be. 

Ashley met her husband John at a creative arts camp when they were teenagers. They've now been married for ten years and together have three children, their foster daughter April (12), Molly (7) and Richie (3). An ex-social worker turned writer, Ashley is studying an Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT and currently writing a fictional story about a a child who has been removed from home. She is passionate about family, motherhood, community and being creative. Her life is certainly full to the brim and happily so. 

"In our experience, even when we have thought life was going to get the better of us we have ridden the wave. Sometimes we cruise to the shore like pro surfers and other times we are dumped. But we still make it back to shore with such fulfilment, having experienced a much broader spectrum of the human experience than if we had've played it safe in the shallows. I've learnt to take risks knowing that the little mistakes along the way make up a much more colourful, vibrant and exciting whole picture. Foster parenting was/is a risk for us. But it is certainly making our family's picture a thing of beauty."

It's a beautiful perspective. Life can get complicated but the rewards add such a richness to life that may otherwise be missing. If you'd like to get to know Ashley better, you can visit her lovely blog here.


You can view all of my portraits from 2013/14 by clicking on the Portrait Series links in the right sidebar of this page.

In case you're wondering about the inspiration for this year's Motherhood portrait series, you can read more about it here.

Belinda x

3 comments:

  1. Hello! Thank you for featuring me. What an honour!

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  2. Love that comparison of riding to the shore.....had my fair share of dumps but also know the feeling of riding like a pro...thanks for sharing another lovely lady. Xx

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  3. Oh...God Bless her! She sounds so wonderful! What an awesome perspective she has on being a mom! And a beautiful photo friend! Wishing you an outstanding weekend and I hope you are well! Nicole xoxo

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Thanks for your comment, so nice to hear from you. Belinda x

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