S02 E24: On Arts Advocacy as Social Justice With Ashley Walden Davis

2021-11-29

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“You cannot work in a silo. You need community.”— Ashley Walden DavisA former actress and now the Founder and Executive Director of Unlock Creative Coaching and Management Solutions, Ashley Walden Davis wants to continue the work of social justice by expanding the networks and reach of marginalized artists.After studying theater at Old Dominion University, Ashley turned away from studying at Yale to earn an MFA in Producing from CalArts. She then became Associate Producer at Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles, before further developing her career at the sou...

“You cannot work in a silo. You need community.”

— Ashley Walden Davis

A former actress and now the Founder and Executive Director of Unlock Creative Coaching and Management Solutions, Ashley Walden Davis wants to continue the work of social justice by expanding the networks and reach of marginalized artists.

After studying theater at Old Dominion University, Ashley turned away from studying at Yale to earn an MFA in Producing from CalArts. She then became Associate Producer at Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles, before further developing her career at the southern-based arts and culture advocacy group Alternate ROOTS. She then founded Unlock Creative, a company dedicated to amplifying the voices of black artists and nonprofit professionals.

“What I always say--and this is the best piece of advice someone gave me--It was like: find your peers. I think that's true in any industry that you are in, but you cannot work in a silo. You need community. It really does take a village,” Ashley says. “And people say, this is my artistic home, because if you are an individual artist, that can be very lonely. So I always encourage people to find your network, whatever that network would be.”

Check out this conversation for an engaging and energetic conversation on realizing the potentials of networking as an aspect of artistic practice, and maintaining a positive attitude through the travails of an artistic career.

In‌ ‌this‌ ‌episode of the podcast,‌ ‌you’ll discover:‌ ‌

How inclusivity can be inducted into artists of different populations to create more open environments.
How authenticity and dialing down specificity actually helps expand business.
Why devotional and faith practices, affirmations, and positive energy.

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https://www.instagram.com/unlockcreative_/

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/unlock-creative/

Twitter
https://twitter.com/unlockcreative_

Highlights:‌ ‌

00:15 Intro

04:44 Meet Ashley

06:25 School years

11:38 Art as social change

15:05 Community and productivity in creative fields

19:50 “Not what you know but who you know”

24:00 Unlock Creative

28:00 Working in a remote age

32:05 Inclusivity and authenticity

35:58 Brand identity and development

39:40 Drawing Inspiration