Meet the Maker
Ashley Folkner is the person you want to invite to your party. In fact, she IS the party.
Her friendliness and humor make everyone she meets automatically feel at ease, which is why it’s hard to find anyone in town who doesn’t consider her a friend.
She creates art in the same way that she builds friendships, with cheerful, bright exuberance. She works full-time as a Display Experience Lead at Anthropologie, but she also creates installations for local museums, businesses, and individuals. Her work is creating experiences- imaginative environments where people can gather and soak in all the happy energy.
Get to know more about Ashley!
How would you describe your work and your process?
Playful, colorful, messy, but in a natural way.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
I would say just being curious in general brings me the most inspiration. Curious about nature, shapes, how light interacts with objects, how things are made and put together, and then how they can be brought into the world in the way my brain processes them and materials allow.
How do you cope with a creative block?
I allow myself time to do other things. Productive procrastinating. To clean my house, or go have an outdoor adventure. But if I'm on a deadline, and I'm feeling blocked, I sit with that feeling and try to be productive in other ways while my brain sorts it out. Then somehow I end up having an “ah-ha!” moment when I'm not forcing it. I'm learning that downtime is just as valuable as hustling art-making time. Some of my best ideas come naturally when I'm doing something else.
Favorite item in your closet?
That’s a tough choice! I have many favorites, but a buffalo hide poncho that my aunt made is my most unique piece and special to me.
Favorite item in your home?
Can I have a top three? 1) My living room rug. It was underneath the dining room table at my grandparents’s house, where I have wonderful memories of my family. 2) A burlwood wardrobe that was my first place I kept art supplies as a child, which still holds my art stuff (and a tv). 3) A Jujujust weaving.
What are you watching/reading/listening to lately? (Films/books/podcasts)
Listening to meditations on Insight Timer (a mediation app). Davidji reading The Velveteen Rabbit is a favorite to listen to as I fall asleep. Watching the Netflix series Night on Earth. Reading Rise Sister Rise by Rebecca Campbell.
Are you more productive in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
Afternoon, these days. But that has changed throughout my life.
Coffee or tea?
I'm on a tea kick right now, but I definitely love coffee, too.
To check out more of Ashley’s work, visit her instagram, @lafolkner
Photos featuring Ashley at the Hunter Museum of American Art are by Casey Yoshida, Art Director for Southside Creative. @caseyyo