Meet Ashley Ausburn of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Ausburn.

Hi Ashley, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hello!

My name is Ashley, and I’m one of three artists behind Fateful Creations. I also manage the shop’s social media and marketing. The shop’s other two creators, Shaun and Casey, are also based in Georgia, and we run the shop together. All three of us have been best friends since middle school!
Well, Shaun and Casey have actually been friends since elementary school, but I didn’t meet them until later on, and we all clicked right away. Something I’ll be forever grateful for, as they are two of the best people I know 🙂

We three have always been fans of the creative arts, from writing, drawing, sewing, painting, crafts, performing arts, and everything in between. But while we shared a passion for creating, we weren’t sure what to do with it. Most of our projects were made and given as gifts for holidays, like birthdays and Christmas, both to each other and to other people in our lives.

Our art always came from a place of love, and we wanted to do more with it. When we reached high school, someone suggested opening an Etsy shop to sell some of the things we enjoyed making.

We talked to a friend who had opened her own shop we got an idea of what we needed to make it happen. After that, we got to work brainstorming, trying to decide on something that would fit all three of us. It took a while, but eventually we settled on a name- Fateful Creations, partially based on the three Fates from Greek mythology. We wanted our imagery to incorporate a thread, one common element in the items each of us made for the shop, as well as an apt reference to the Greek trio of Fates. From there, we sorted through things we had already created that we wanted to list, as well as coming up with a plan for some new things we wanted to make. It’s been a long process of trial and error, but I’m so glad we started this together. It’s been a great chance to grow and expande and learn new things.

Now, we have an Etsy shop that allows us to share our art with others! And while we don’t ever truly stop learning new things about this project or challenging ourselves in new ways, it’s nice to have a bit more confidence with our platform.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Getting started was one of the scariest parts. Before starting our shop, we didn’t know much about Etsy or selling online. Things like international shipping costs, custom orders, and packing materials weren’t things we had to think about in our daily lives. It took a lot of research and double-checking to get us confident enough to start. Plus, since we were still in school, we had to learn to balance pretty quickly.

Once we had a plan laid out and actually got started, it was a bit easier. We’re still learning, and occasionally we encounter new challenges, but it’s more exciting than scary now.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Each of us specializes in different art forms!

I work mostly with fiber arts- crochet is my preferred medium, and I make a lot of things like blankets, coasters, dice bags, hats, bags, and plushies. I started crocheting a few years ago because I wanted to make my brother a scarf, and my love for it just grew! I love trying new patterns or free-handing something I think up. Crochet is much easier for me to work on than painting or sewing because I’m out and about a lot, and I can just toss it in my bag and take it with me. Occasionally, I make things like painted notebooks, stickers, or hair bows. I love painting, but haven’t been able to incorporate that into items I can list in the shop yet. There are so many things I want to create, and I don’t limit myself to just one medium to bring them to life. It just depends on what I have the time and materials for 🙂

Casey specializes in jewelry making. Every piece of jewelry currently listed in our shop is handmade by her! (With the exception of the spell-jar earrings, which are custom-made-to-order by Shaun). She has made so many cool pieces over the years; I always love seeing what she comes up with next! I’m proud to say that I have several pieces she’s made me as gifts over the years, and they are my favorite part of my wardrobe. She’s also incredibly skilled at painting, graphic design, and Perler beads.

Shaun started out making baby blankets and pillows, but now specializes in spell-jar earrings. She makes each set herself, with all the time and good intentions needed for each pair to be spectacular! She’s also an incredible graphic designer and soap maker 🙂

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
All three of us are big readers, and we love putting music or a good movie on while we work on our projects. While we’re primarily self-taught, and most of our experience with our craft comes from trail and error, I do find that it can be helpful to check out YouTube tutorials if you ever get stuck with something specific, like a certain type of stitch or an issue with Procreate that someone else might have encountered.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fatefulcreations.etsy.com
• Instagram: @fatefulcreations
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fatefulcreation
• Twitter: @FatefulCreation