Oh winter, where is your sting? For faithful comes the face of Spring!
Having lived in Montana for 5ish years - through rain and ice and months on end of snow snow SNOW - the season of spring became a glowing beacon of hope. Hope that the walls of snow and sleet would eventually melt and give way to new growth. Hope that winter wouldn’t last forever. Thankfully, whether it felt true or not on those dark days, winter never wins. Even though it always seemed to last a little bit longer than I wanted it to, winter would eventually, inevitably surrender to spring. Year after year, new life would awaken from below that frozen surface, blooming and growing where all seemed dead and lost.
That yearly experience and now memory of faithful Spring triumphing over winter has become an unexpected pillar of faith for me. Trials threaten to leave us in a cold, bitter state of winter... but God uses that very snow of hardship to soften the soil our hearts, so that we might grow and bloom in ways that wouldn’t be possible in any other ‘easy’ climate.
Montana was a journey of seasons [quite literally and figuratively]. A journey of snow and sunshine, of valleys and mountaintops. Of learning to let go, of forging friendships in fires. Of experiencing God’s grace in the wilderness. It wasn’t easy, but now looking back, I see it as a pivotal chapter in my story, one that was maybe prophetically titled “Thorn + Sparrow”.... a chapter of some of my hardest trials, but also a chapter of God’s unconditional care and love.
In 2011, I kind of stumbled into creating this little business. It wasn’t something I was actively seeking to do, I had just picked up my rusty paintbrush and started making things for people. Invitations and logo projects trickled in and I found myself saying, “Why not? Why not start a business? It wasn’t an intentional goal I had set, but I liked the idea so I went for it. And I loved it! Loved working with people, loved bringing commissions to life, loved painting and creating all day long. What a gift! It was amazing and I don’t ever regret going down that path...
But sometimes good things can get in the way of the best things. That has been a whisper in my ear for almost a year now... knowing that this Thorn + Sparrow thing was a good thing... but realizing it’s no longer the best thing. Because when I look at it, the name itself reminds me of my time in Montana. That chapter was beautiful in so many ways for which I’m thankful - my husband and I met some of our best friends there, we bought our first house there, we had our Indie girl there. I see so many good things, yes, but at the same time I see my trials, my winters. Winters that represent things I’m ready to put behind me. I don’t want to keep looking at those past hurts and hurdles. I want to focus on what God has set before me, not behind me.
Who I am today as an artist/wife/mom/believer is quite different than who I was when I started this thing.... and I know who I am today is different than who I’ll be in five years, and so on... so I wanted this new name to be something that could represent me in whatever state and season I’m in...
ASHLEY & CREW
It’s just me and my crew through it all. :)
My family, my friends, my creative community, my literary characters that have been stirring around in my heart for years... this is where I feel the most creative freedom and fulfillment. This is where I feel truest to my calling, my belonging.
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported T+S throughout the years - whether we’ve collaborated on a project or you’ve downloaded a wallpaper or purchased a print... in whatever capacity we’ve connected - thank you!! I’m so excited to share this new chapter and all the new things with you!
So much love to you guys, my friends, my crew. :)
xo
ash
p.s. here’s a little peek at one of those literary characters [from a children’s book I hope to release later this year!] ... yay!