Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Smith.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Absolutely — my story starts long before Talented10th had a name.
I grew up loving music, stories, and the way creatives move culture. I’ve always been the person who could hear a song, catch the layers, and immediately start imagining the world around it — the visuals, the vibe, the message. That instinct turned into me helping friends with their creative direction, building small projects, and playing around in branding before I even realized that’s what I was doing.
Talented10th started as me wanting to create a space where creativity, excellence, and culture actually meet — especially for Black creatives. At first, it was just me helping artists shape their sound, tighten their vision, and present themselves in a way that felt true to who they were. Over time, people started coming to me for more than “can you listen to this track?” They came for strategy, storytelling, branding, visuals — all the things that help an artist or creative feel polished and intentional.
From there, Talented10th grew into a creative homebase. We support artists and creatives with direction, brand development, concept building, and the kind of behind-the-scenes thinking most people don’t see but everybody feels. Nothing overnight — just consistent work, building trust, and following where the creativity led.
Today, I’m proud of what Talented10th has become: a creative hub that helps people shape their ideas with clarity, confidence, and cultural intention. Still rooted in music, still rooted in storytelling, and still guided by the same thing that started it — seeing potential in people and helping them bring it out.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? Chile… no.
But every bump taught me something I needed for the next step.
When you’re building something creative — especially something rooted in culture and community — the biggest struggle is that people don’t always understand the vision at first. Early on, I had to learn how to explain what Talented10th is without shrinking it and without overwhelming people. That took time.
I’ve also had to navigate the balance between wanting to help everybody and realizing I can’t take on every project. When you’re naturally gifted at direction, branding, and storytelling, folks will bring you everything from music to marketing plans to “can you look at this real quick?” and suddenly you’re doing ten jobs at once. Learning boundaries was a journey.
Another challenge was resources — not money so much as time, energy, and the right people. When you’re building something from the ground up, you’re the creative director, strategist, admin, marketing team, and sometimes the emotional support friend. That can wear you down if you don’t pace yourself.
And honestly, confidence was a step too. Not in my talent — that’s always been there — but in trusting that my way of creating is valid. I don’t operate like traditional “music industry” folks, and that used to make me feel like an outsider. Then I realized that’s actually the reason Talented10th stands out.
So no, it wasn’t smooth. It took clarity, boundaries, learning curves, and a whole lot of trusting the process. But every struggle refined the vision and made the brand stronger.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At Talented10th, my work sits at the intersection of creativity, storytelling, sound, and identity-building.
From the outside it looks simple, but what I do touches a lot of different areas — brand direction, creative concepting, aesthetic development, visual storytelling, and the sonic identity behind it all. Even in seasons where I’m not working directly with artists, I’m still studying the craft, exploring new ideas, and shaping the creative language that Talented10th represents.
Sound plays a big role in how I create. I pay attention to tone, rhythm, and the emotional “temperature” of things — not just in music, but in people, visuals, and ideas. The same way some folks see in color, I hear in atmosphere. It helps me understand the world an idea belongs to, the mood it carries, and the story it’s trying to tell. You can see hints of that in the sample photo mockups below, which reflect the tone and sonic mood I’ve been developing behind the scenes.
What I’m most proud of is that Talented10th has become a space where clarity and creativity meet. Not because of constant output, but because of the intention behind it. I’ve spent years building a place rooted in understanding — where ideas don’t have to be perfect to be valued, and where identity matters just as much as aesthetics.
What sets me apart is the way I see and hear people. I don’t take ideas at face value — I look at the ecosystem around them: the influences, the energy, the intention, the world they naturally fit into. My mind works in stories, patterns, and rhythms, so even the smallest detail becomes a thread that pulls everything together.
And honestly? I care. That might sound simple, but in creative spaces that can feel performative or transactional, real care is rare. Talented10th isn’t just a brand to me — it’s a space built on intention, depth, and helping creativity make sense, even if the work happens quietly.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I like best about Orlando is the mix of cultures and the creative energy here.
People think Orlando is just theme parks, but once you actually live here, you see the pockets of community, the food spots, the young Black professionals doing their thing, and the quieter spaces that help you focus. It’s a city where you can dream big without feeling swallowed up. And honestly, the sunshine does half the emotional labor — it’s hard to stay uninspired in good weather.
What I like least?
Orlando will make you fight for community. It’s very spread out, and it can be tricky to find your people unless you’re intentional. And the traffic? Whew. Sometimes this place feels like it was designed by somebody who hates joy. But overall, it’s still a good place to build, rest, and get work done — you just need patience, a GPS, and snacks in the car.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Talented10thent.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/Talented10thent
