Please join us in celebrating this month’s spotlight surface designer, Ashley Beasley. We know you’ll find her story inspiring!
Please introduce yourself.
Hey there! I’m Ashley Beasley of Presutti Design, a surface designer based in the suburb of Katy, just outside of Houston, Texas.
I specialize in vector repeat patterns, hand-lettering, & stationery design, and I always aim to keep things fun, authentic, and colorful.
When I’m not dreaming up ideas for Presutti Design, I’m a full-time corporate designer by day and a full-time mom by night to a fiery two-year-old boy and my brand new baby boy. I’m a total homebody and any spare minute between work and naps you can find me glued to my laptop or iPad.
Tell us a little bit about your design journey.
I’ve been creative since a young age. My sisters and I were always coloring or being crafty, and for my elective in school I always chose art. I first discovered Photoshop in High School, which eventually led me to pursue a bachelor’s in graphic design in college.
Upon graduating, I was immediately contacted to work as a designer, where I still work today — and this is where I first learned that pattern design was a real thing people do for a living!
I was immediately enamored with the idea, but I assumed it wasn’t something I could attain on my own until a few years later in 2019. I became pregnant with my first son and that’s when I decided I wanted to make him a blanket with my artwork, and from there I became hooked! 2020 was all about creating art for fun and seeing what I could make possible.
Do you have a favorite portfolio design or client collaboration?
My favorite portfolio piece is hands down my Zodiac collection of art prints for Pottery Barn Kids online via Minted. It’s funny because that work of art looks nothing like what you’d expect me to create, and I think that’s part of why it’s so cool.
So often we are hyper-focused on our style that we are afraid to branch out, but cool things can stem from stepping out of your comfort zone. I am truly honored that such a huge company noticed my art and chose me out of a sea of artists to sell my art on their website. Anytime someone asks me what I do, my husband is always the first to step up and say “She’s in Pottery Barn Kids!”
What or who are you inspired by?
I gain a lot of inspiration by listening to creative podcasts or live interviews. I love hearing how other successful designers started because so often it’s not much different than our journeys. It’s a good way to gain motivation when you feel you’re stuck in a rut or not moving forward.
Do you have resources you’d like to recommend?
My success with Spoonflower and all the questions I received about selling on their site led me to create The Ultimate Spoonflower Guide — an in-depth PDF guide answering all the most asked questions plus guidance from my personal experience.
I love being able to be helpful to my fellow designers, and this allows me to help them in their own time while I’m busy in the background doing other things.
What do you like to do outside of surface design?
Outside of surface design, I like to do more surface design — haha! But really, creating art and patterns is what I love most. Most people relax and wind down by watching their favorite show, cooking, or gardening, but for me, I relax by getting alone time with my creative thoughts and creating a new work of art or at least getting a good sketch in.
Outside of that my time is spent with my family. When the weather is nice my husband and I like to try to get outdoors and take the kids to the park or a museum.
When you look back at your design journey so far, what are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the fact that I don’t give up. It’s very easy to become discouraged when you don’t make the sales you’d hoped for, or you see others appearing more successful, or they’re gaining your clients on your vision board before you.
But to be successful means you have to keep moving forward even during rough times. I’m extremely proud of my portfolio of work and the effort I have put in to get me to this point.
If you could offer advice to other designers who are struggling, what would that be?
My biggest advice is to keep creating. As I mentioned earlier, it’s easy to give up, but you’ll never know what’s possible if you don’t stick to it.
Embrace every 50¢ sale you get, every encouraging comment, and remember to create for yourself. Having a positive mindset shift will help you more than you realize!
Where can we find you?
Website: www.presuttidesign.com
Instagram: @presuttidesign
