Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Griffin.
Ashley, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I took a really early interest in creating my sense of self through my personal style – I feel like it really started around the age of three. Being able to express who I was without ever having to speak a word was really powerful and meaningful for me even before I could really even comprehend any of it. After I graduated college at Florida State University I quickly abandoned what I thought was a dream career in broadcasting and pursued marketing in luxury fashion. I landed a position in the corporate marketing division at Neiman Marcus and before I knew it was moving to Dallas. After about 3.5 years there, I was presented with an opportunity too good to pass up with a luxury hospitality brand that allowed me to travel and see the world, but naturally I missed being immersed in the fashion industry day-to-day. That was also around the same time that so many of my friends encouraged me to start a personal style blog because they always wanted to know where I got a lot of the things I wore and help on how to style things for themselves. After much hesitation I finally decided to just go for it and hence The Inspired i was born. The name is simply my way of saying I am inspired backward because my style is intrinsically inspired by any and everything around me – art, nature, architecture, you name it – so I really wanted that to be evoked through the blog name.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have certainly been many struggles along the way. One of the biggest for me was balancing a passion project with my full time job and figuring out how to give 100% of myself to each without the other suffering. When I first started blogging I often felt like there were certain things I had to do, primarily with how often I posted. It just took time for me to get comfortable with establishing my own rules and not feeling like I had to follow what someone else said I had to do. I also really struggled with figuring out how much of my personal self to share, and that was mostly because I thought the style would matter the most to people and not who I am as a person. The world of social media has quickly proven that people absolutely care and are invested in who you are as a person so the more you’re willing to share the more they connect with you in an authentic way. My biggest piece of advice for other women juggling multiple dreams is to focus on you and your passion and don’t worry about what anyone else is doing because they are not YOU. Even when you hit a roadblock, just go for it and I guarantee you will find a way to figure it out along the way.
Please tell us about The Inspired I.
I’m so incredibly proud The Inspired i has evolved into so much more than a space to share my personal style. It has allowed me to connect with some of the most innovative, intelligent and witty creatives all over the world! Creating an uplifting and encouraging sense of community through this platform is by far the most fulfilling piece of everything I create.
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
Humble yourself and be willing to do what no one else will. The world can’t deny kindness, drive, passion and tenacity.
Contact Info:
- Website: theinspiredi.com
- Email: ashley@theinspiredi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinspiredi/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theinspirediblog/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinspired_i
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
