This episode is so exciting to me because it has me thinking of books that have really impacted me like Big Magic and The War of Art, as we dive into the artist's journey! I am so honoured to have the incredible Ashley Klassen on the podcast today. She is a beautiful photographer, artistic director, designer and owner of Sol Atelier Studio, a boutique photo studio is Toronto and Montreal. Ashley’s work focuses on soulful creatives, femininity, emotional aesthetics and is just so beautiful much like her studio. She is constantly curating the space with vintage finds and there is this light, golden, etherial, modem boheme aesthetic. This episode is all about her journey to becoming a photographer after leaving her music pursuits and diving into the entrepreneur world as she masterfully runs her popular and sought after Sol Atelier Studio. We chat about the creative muse and finding creative abundance, how she has cultivated a business mindset as an artist in transforming her work and studio into a gorgeous brand and business, what it means to access your muse and how she has created her style and finding ways to connect to her clients, and the essence of her ethereal and poetic photos. We also dive into worth and value as an artist and the ways Ashley has set rates and really fostered a strong abundance mindset. I love how open Ashley is about her journey as an artist and the winding road that led her to her current pursuits, while being humble and offering so much wisdom and advice. We also chat about the importance of community and how integral that is to her studio space and the incredible workshops and events hosted there. I love how this conversation weaved aspects of ritual and our intrinsic connection to the spiritual and creative realm as I like to call it the "muse." We also chat about the journey Ashley is on in becoming a mother this coming summer and how her work with mothers for the gorgeous Mother Muse magazine has offered her an appreciation for the beauty and strength of a mother. We also talk about the concept of slow living as a contrast to the idea of productivity culture (an article Ashley wrote) and what slow and mindful living means to her. This episode is so inspiring and throughout you will hear the through line of going out there and just doing it! You can find more of Ashley's work on her website: https://www.klassh.ca/ and her studio space: @sol.atelier.toronto and @sol.atelier.montreal and Ashley's instagram: @klassh and find more about topanga moon: @topanga_moon and www.topangamoon.com