Today we’d like to introduce you to Ash Prather.
Ash, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Prior to high school, my brother Taylor showed me the art world through a camera lens. Because of his influence, I went to Dreyfoos School of the Arts under the major Digital Media. During Junior year, my focus leaned towards sewing, alternative processes, and printmaking. Since cosplaying and sewing became gradually prominent in my life, I decided to attend an art college for Fashion Design. Pratt Institute, based in Brooklyn, ended up being where I declared attending. However, after a year of being in the program, I realized that my whole drive is to learn a bunch of different techniques and apply it towards new work- something that the Fashion program minimally supports/gives access to. This realization led me to switch my major to Sculpture and Integrated Practices, which I will begin in the Fall!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
A major obstacle at the beginning of my art journey was my inability to draw. I had always put it off, but over time, it became more and more prominent that I would need some aspect of that field within my work to create a variety of visual media. I ended up gaining the skill of drawing various faces, later discovered to appear like the cartoon version of African masks.
Another obstacle was the Fashion Design program at Pratt. As someone who fears change, realizing that the program wasn’t for me was devastating. I thought that was what I wanted to pursue, but the concept of the industry and sticking to traditional rules wasn’t my sort of thing. Also, one of the main reasons I decided to attend Pratt is because of the unique and welcoming community, a group that was impossible to be around lots of times since I was stuck pulling all-nighters in the studio. Once I realized though that the Fine Arts department is defined as such a general/open major, on top of providing a wide variety of mandatory courses, it seemed obvious that that’s where I’m supposed to be.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My main work is an incorporation of Fashion Design with other mediums, such as printmaking/silkscreen, drawing, etc. Recently, my most well-known work is a combination of faces that I draw and my handwriting. I’ve also been selling T-shirts with screen-printed designs on them! I believe what sets me apart from others is how much I thrive on connection, and how the smallest things can drive an entire body of work/collection. It never surprises me at this point how people I meet can influence me greatly.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have learned to trust my gut sooner and be more confident in what I love.
Pricing:
- T-SHIRTS- $20, price increases as more stuff is added to it (multiple colors, embroidery, etc)
- PRINTS- depending on size and design
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ashprather.persona.co/
- Email: radtypes@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radtypes
Image Credit:
PHOTOGRAPHERS: UGH! T-SHIRT PHOTOSHOOT- https://www.instagram.com/aw.876/, FALL 2018 FASHION GARMENT- https://www.instagram.com/p.atrickno/
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