Meet Ashley Dixon of Alexander Renee Design in Alpharetta

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

Ashley, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always had a love for making the spaces around me beautiful and probably an unhealthy obsession with HGTv. I work full time as a senior health policy analyst, and while I love it and am really good at it, it lacks a certain creative element. I think my love for home decor and DIY’s all started with our first home. I loved that we got to renovate it (a foreclosure) with little money as we were fresh out of grad school. Following that, we went on to build and renovate several homes, through each it was always a lot of fun and many lessons were learned. We also own a real estate investment company, Dixon Empire, and I get to design for our rentals and flips, but previously I never considered design beyond that.

For a while I was seriously feeling down and frankly just lost. Everyone around me seemed to be walking in their purpose and just thriving, I wanted that, I longed for it. For years, if someone asked me what my purpose or passion was, I would say I don’t know or I don’t have one. My husband asked one day what do you like, shopping and making our house look nice and managing our investment properties, can you do something with that? I started thinking and praying for guidance. During this time, we were in the process of building a new home, I thought maybe it’d be fun to share that journey via Instagram, to share my tips and the process along the way. I thought about it and quickly dismissed it, but kept coming back to the idea. Finally, I gave in and Alexander Renee Design was born from that. Alexander and Renee are my two children’s middle names, Grayson and Presley. I pursue my dreams so they can see it and hopefully be inspired to do the same as they get older.

I began by sharing my home build construction journey and interior stylings that inspired me during my own home development. Then the comparison game sunk in, I wasn’t growing and I started questioning myself. Out of fear I stopped. My 2019 New Year resolution was to give it a solid effort and not give up no matter what. Once I gave it 100%, I started to find joy in it all. I started off by sharing a few rooms that were partially decorated. Then I started to grow and gained confidence to share more and stretch myself more. As we are only eight months into living in our new home, I am still sharing my home decorating journey, along with the wins and the fails, fun DIY projects my husband and I undertake to make house home, new fun products I love, and family fun. I am immensely grateful for all 18K of my Insta-friends, some great friendships, and relationships I’ve made with brands.

Interior design isn’t my primary job, but it brings me so much joy to be able to inspire others and share and grow alongside them. There is so much support both on Instagram and off, if I’m away too long friends check in, people share how I inspire them or how they used something I’ve shared in their own lives. Each and every comment brings me so much joy. I want to always hold on to my goal to share what’s inside of me and inspire others to create the home they deserve.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh there have absolutely been some challenges along the way. Honestly, I’ve mostly been my own challenge and biggest obstacle. I’ve questioned my path, questioned why I wasn’t growing as fast as others on Instagram in the same niche, and had challenges balancing it all between a federal career, a creative career, and family. I stopped for a while just out of sheer doubt, feeling maybe I can’t do this. Since I’m a policy analyst, I definitely fell into the trap of analysis paralysis trying to research everything and finding a thousand excuses as to why I couldn’t or shouldn’t do something. I had to learn to get out of my own way. When I started doing virtual designs, the fear crept back in, but it is so important to push it to the side and affirm yourself and keep going.

Another challenge I struggle with for Instagram specifically is staying consistent. I’m pouring myself into my work, virtual designs with clients, and my family and I never want my InstaFam to get the short end of the stick, content doesn’t just come but you really have to plan it all out in advance or it falls through the cracks. I could also use a magic wand for more time in the day, but until then coffee and late nights are my friend.

Please tell us about your business.
Alexander Renee Design is a home decor and lifestyle brand, that offers personalized shopping, virtual design services, and seasonal home decorating. I primarily engage with my audience on Instagram sharing my love of home decor, DIY tutorials and a sprinkle of life as a wife and mom of two. My personal style is somewhere between modern glam and classic, I don’t follow the design rules when decorating as I truly believe your home has to be the best version of you because you deserve it. I am finally stretching even further to move into the blogging realm so stay tuned!

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I think I would have told myself to get past the fear and just start. Fail and question if you must, but keep going. It is much easier to just start and figure it out along the way, and much more rewarding to see the progress you’ve made and lessons along the way, then to wonder what if? I would also challenge myself earlier to stretch a little farther and take more risks for building a business and brand earlier than I did. I think it is so very important to invest in yourself, I just began doing this and it is paying off. Get a quality camera or pay a photographer, invest in courses to grow your knowledge base and services for your business, and just understand my value sooner. There can be so much joy found in pursuing what you love and what you were designed to do, I wish I had discovered that earlier.

For those who are in the same boat as me, or where I once was–whether you are trying to figure it out, or doubting yourself, full time at all of this or doing it on the side like me–keep going. You got this. I will say what I needed to hear and still need to hear sometimes. You have value and you have purpose; you are uniquely you and that is a void we need filled. Do not give up your space and stay out of your own way.

Pricing:

• E-Design Packages Starting from $247 for a full room design

Contact Info:

• Website: alexanderrenee.design
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/alexanderreneedesign
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/alexanderreneedesign

Image Credit:
Alexander Renee Design for all except family picture is Kristen Haynes Photography IG :@shotxkris

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