Ashley Nicholson: Sister, Artist, Awesomesaucer

Ashley Nicholson: My sister, the artist

There’s always that one in the family: The artist who no one can perfectly peg. My sister is an artist.

As a child she was set on becoming a famous actress. She was great at tap dancing and always came up with the weird voices or impressions. She was a total fish and would beg me to come off the float into the freezing water (so we could have “tea parties” at the bottom of the pool).

Today she has a ton of fun as an extra in Michigan-made major movies like Harold & Kumar 3 & Reel Steel. Her goofy side shines as she stars in her own YouTube videos.

For too long into our adult lives, I avoided calling Ashley “an artist”. The term left me with a bad taste and I felt like it was a cop out for advancing into the real world. I was dead wrong.

When I quit my job to pursue entrepreneurship, I didn’t plan on working with Ashley. But as work piled up I quickly found the need for someone I knew I could trust.

Despite my skepticism regarding her talents, I have never heard Ashley doubt me. (I suppose I’ve always had the “older sister” mentality (i.e. I’m older, therefore I know what’s good for you.) Really, I was just being a jerk.) When I asked Ashley for help I didn’t realize what I was getting.

Living in a fantastical world of beauty — which can actually breed sensible design — is not the only characteristic of the artist. Visitors are drawn to her work and feel an emotional connection to it. The artist also acts as a muse for other designers. (SmashingMag)

Not only was Ashley a muse for my own work, she was a lot of fun to work with. She has a way of approaching things that I don’t always see. I think what blew me away the most was what a great leader she is. Ashley was responsible for managing teams, ensuring schedules and quality was adhered to. Once empowered with the permission to lead (really, once I got out of the way), she really shined. She was patient, direct, and responsible.

Bottom line: I’m incredibly proud of my little sister. She’s the kind of adult who’s comfortable in her own skin and ready to take a risk to pursue what’s in her heart. I hope more of you get to know her. She’s pretty remarkable.