CHLOU's Featured Artist: ASHLEY POMPELL

To know her is to love her;

No ifs, ands, or butts about it.

It is an honor and a pleasure to introduce our first ever featured artist, Ashley Pompell, with charm and talent far beyond our wildest dreams.  She beams with grace and kindness as she marches through life to the beat of Seger's drums. (Seger Rauls, formally known as a musical genius and Ashley's boo thang.) Ashley is a Media and Productions Assistant at Phoenix Studios in Nashville, TN, as well as a Cookout Drive-thru Extraordinaire. She could tell you exactly how old the cheese bites are in a blind taste test. Impressive is an understatement.  

This spicy redhead from Nashville is everyone's tattooed pinup dream girl, and her art is a brilliant reflection of the mastermind she is. Ashley's edgy femme craft takes shape in tattoo-esque digital and hand drawings, representing the sharp side of sensuality. Radiant in personality, questionable in soul, Ashley and her art share the allure of haunting complexity. 

Q&A with A.P.

Where are you from?! Give us a little background.

I currently live in Nashville but grew up in small-town, conservative Cookeville, TN. Raised by a sweet, baby angel mother and an unhinged, goofball father, my household was a constant pull between calm and cozy or hilariously disastrous.

We were the go-to fun house for both the neighborhood and church kids. While I’m technically an only child, it never truly felt that way. With broken fingers on the backyard blow-up water slide and exploded boiled eggs still stuck on the kitchen ceiling to this day, my childhood stories are endless.

While there was a ton of love and fun experienced throughout my childhood, I found myself unsettled in my adulthood, longing to be closer to the city. So here I am, Nashville living.

 

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I’m a massive foodie, so this is a difficult thought. I’m always weak for some BBQ but also a mac and cheese lover until the end. BBQ mac and cheese it is! 

 

Do gingers have souls? 

Absolutely not. That’s why we act the way we do! 

 

What is a day in the life of Ashley?

I try to start the day with a yummy breakfast and some coffee, always. Dove, my cat, is usually ready to sit in my lap at my vanity watching my every move while I get ready. If I’m not getting ready for a workday, you’ll catch me at a thrift store searching for treasure or helping Seger with home and work projects. Regardless, the night always ends with a meal (our favorite is Cookout) and binge watching whatever show we are currently obsessed with (it’s 24 for now).

 

You and Seger Rauls prioritize a daily mental health practice as a couple. How does that take shape? 

“Alexa, play ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by Black Eyed Peas”, then we jump on the bed until he simply can’t deal with me anymore. 

 

On a scale of 1-10, how bad is your morning breath?

A solid 7, which is a warning sign to not speak to me until I’m up, brushed, and have coffee in hand. I have never been and never will be a morning person. 

 

How many tattoos do you have? 

I have a sleeve, and I’m working on filling up a leg! I fill areas piece by piece, so maybe 16-17 of various sizes. I’m a big traditional tattoo fan, and it definitely influences my own drawing style.

 

What is the meanest thing anyone has ever said to you? 

When I was probably 14 years old, a boy told me I was so pale I looked translucent and sick. I told him, “I’m a redhead, dummy. Kick rocks.” 

 

What is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you?

A compliment that will always mean the world to me is when I’m told I’m kind and approachable. I made it a goal in high school to try my best to be inviting and inclusive. My friend groups have always looked like The Breakfast Club and that’s something I’ve always valued. 

 

Best advice you’ve ever been given/taken? 

Don’t be afraid to start over. You’re not starting from scratch; you’re starting from experience. A lot of things keep us in places, with people, in jobs we don’t need to be. People pleasing, fear, and anxiety have always been a ball and chain to me.

I’m proud to report, with a few traumatic experiences, therapy, and sense of humor, I’ve leaned into this advice more than once. I think I might be on my 3rd life by now?? HA! We live and we learn. Don’t be afraid of it.

 

 

 

Shop Ashley's Collection and Follow on Instagram @shlay_

~XOXO