We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashaya Nelson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashaya, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
My love for art was discovered early in life. Since I was younger I enjoyed creative writing, drawing, painting, and fashion. As I became an adult, digital art and creative directing began to spark my interest. In the past year especially, I realized that art is not just a hobby, but has become my passion and purpose.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
College was a hard time for me, but I came to the realization that it laid the foundation for my future. While in college I was unsure of which career path I should embark on. I began my college journey wanting to pursue a degree in communications, switched to a social work program, and then ended up receiving my Bachelors of General Studies and Social Science. I think having taken a wide range of courses in art, business, social work, psychology and communications, developed me into the creative entrepreneur that I am today.

In 2016, while in my sophomore year of college, I stepped into the entrepreneurship world with my best friend, Chevannah Hardie. We founded Elysian Hair Collection, a hair brand that offered high quality hair extensions at the time. Over time we have expanded the collection to add beauty accessories & all natural hair care products. Our mission has been to create an experience for our customers that goes beyond just hair. The Elysian experience involves quality products, excellent customer service, and product education. With this mission, we want to provide customers with an overall sense of beauty, being both internal and external.

The journey through launching my first business has taught me the importance of professional visuals and marketing. As we grew, I was able to exercise my creativity when creating marketing materials and trying to elevate how our brand visually appealed to potential customers. Over time, I started to also assist family and friends with creating designs tailored to their business, social media tips, creative directing photoshoots and more. It then inspired me to create “A. Mone’t Design Studio” this year to help brands vision come to life through designs. I currently offer logos, website designs, social media content creation, and more.

As any first time entrepreneur knows, especially as a young black female, a mountain of challenges (such as finding resources, guidance, business planning, etc..) comes with owning a business. In order to overcome those challenges I did a lot of research, found mentors, networked and surrounded myself with a team who had the same passion as I did. Because of this, I hope to play a part in helping other first time entrepreneurs grow and establish their businesses.

From both of my businesses I learned that there may be obstacles and doubts, but never forget your purpose and why you started.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
God, family, friends and mentors have helped to encourage and push me to my fullest potential.

Website: https://direct.me/amonetdesignstudio & www.elysianhaircollection.com

Instagram: @amonetdesignstudio @elysianhaircollection

Facebook: @amonetdesignstudio @elysianhaircollection

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