There is beauty in becoming.
Identity | Transformation | Womanhood
My name is Ashleigh.
I am a woman.
I am a mother.
I am a creator navigating ancient archetypes in a hyper-modern world.
Writing, photography, and video are mediums I use to document my journey through womanhood. I assemble moments from my life to tell stories that explore our humanity. I am inspired by nature’s cycles and symbols, and our connection to the world around us.
Welcome to the space I’ve dedicated to reflection and self-expression.
I went viral for the wrong reasons.
I shared a throwback post on TikTok expecting minimal response. It received 1.4M views.
Something I shared from a place of self-love was reduced to a rating game: was I more desirable now or ten years ago? The consensus seemed to be that I was more desirable ten years ago.
What struck me most about this experience wasn’t the criticism itself. It was what it revealed about our collective behavior online, and our fears and attitudes towards women’s aging, appearance, and lifestyle choices.
Having a visual representation of my growth receive so much attention forced me to reflect on the story behind my transformation. I realized it has been a lifelong journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.
People saw two photos of me and thought I had lost myself, but in reality, I never truly knew myself until I reached this stage of my life.
An exercise in being seen
I am an eldest daughter, a recovering perfectionist, and a chronic sufferer of imposter syndrome.
For much of my youth, comparing myself to my peers left me feeling inadequate and unworthy of taking up space.
This is my personal challenge to create simply because I can.