Conversations with Ashley Liptak

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Liptak

Hi Ashley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I always loved drawing and creating art when I was young and pursued a graphic design degree at Kent State. I took lots of illustration classes during my time in college and developed a solid foundation in my personal creative process. After graduating, I began working full time in the design field, but also started getting more and more freelance requests on my own. These eventually turned into mural requests and now I’ve completely fallen in love with creating and installing large scale artwork as murals! I also create a lot of digital illustrations and drawings throughout my day to day life. I am largely inspired by nature, traveling, my family and friends, and spreading joy with my artwork.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes and no – I think a strong work ethic can take you very far, but there will still be hurdles to figure out in addition to working hard on your craft. Some things I’ve had to figure out are how to market my work, how I want to run my social media, what projects to pursue and not pursue, how to negotiate compensation for a job, and much more. However, I am so obsessed with this work that I get to do, so working through these problems and figuring them out along the way are completely worth it and allow me to continue creating my work!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create murals and illustrations! An outstanding theme that connects all of my work is creating a feeling of joy for the viewer. My hope for all of my murals in particular is for them to welcome and inform newcomers to an area while also sparking pride and excitement for the people that will see it in their daily lives. Throughout my murals and illustrations, I like to include motifs and aspects of the natural world as much as I can. The theme of nature combined with creating a feeling of joy might (and often does) look like ladybugs, trees, and flowers with smiley faces. This simple addition of a happy face makes me laugh and I hope that it can bring a smile to others’ faces as well. I am most proud of my work this year, which included countless illustrations and four murals. I hope to continue securing mural and illustration clients for the future so that I may keep learning and developing my work in this unique medium!

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
One big lesson I learned during Covid was how to be flexible and adapt my work to new circumstances. Creating more digital work while being in quarantine allowed me to switch to a medium that has benefited me in the long run, as digital work can be used in a lot of instances that traditional work might not. It was a great skill to pick up during this time and is just a small example of adaptability as well as learning new things.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ashliptak.squarespace.com
• Instagram: ashliptak