As Strong As The Mother Next To Me: Ashley Wilson

Meet Strong Mother, Ashley Wilson, Mom + Owner, The Creative Learning Studio

We are so grateful that Ashley shared her story with us…

“Hi, I am Ashley, mama to three amazing girls and owner of The Creative Learning Studio, a sensory art studio for littles. My studio embraces messy open-ended learning and encourages creativity and discovery through hands-on learning.”

Our ‘As Strong as the Mother Next to Me’ weekly spotlight highlights and celebrates Moms in San Diego and across the globe who believe in building up and supporting moms.

We are excited to share Ashley’s story with you today!

How did you get started with your current role?

I was a teacher for 9 years before becoming a mom. When my oldest daughter was 9 months old we began to do sensory play together each day. With a few gross motor delays, this type of play benefited my daughter tremendously. It gave me a creative outlet where I got to use my education background to support her creativity and motor development. She learned to stand by pulling herself up onto the side of her sensory table. Her motivation and eagerness to see what was inside the table each day was magical! Soon she began using the table as walking support, holding on to the table edge to walk around the outside. Sharing my love of sensory play and process art with neighbors and friends who came for playdates led me to open my first home-based sensory art studio, Little Makers and Bakers in 2019. After closing during covid, I reopened a brick and mortar studio space in 2023, The Creative Learning Studio. We currently have 9 classes per week and I teach 8 of those classes so my day to day is busy teaching and experiencing the magic of hands on learning and creativity through the eyes of my artists. 

What does “As Strong as the Mother Next to Me” mean to you?

I firmly believe that while every mother has her own journey, we are united in our unwavering love for our children. Supporting each other is critical to feeling part of a community, feeling seen, and understood as a mother. We are stronger when receiving strength and support from each other through advice, emotional support, and knowing we’re not alone. Our collective resilience is so empowering and the more we support each other, the stronger we are.

What strategies do you use to stay connected?

I have a large network of amazing female art studio owners that I chat with weekly. I lean on them for advice, guidance and support. We all share the highs and lows of small business ownership while navigating motherhood. I feel lucky to have these women in my life.

How do you involve your children in your professional life, if at all?

My children have been a huge part of my studio story. They were the inspiration to start my original studio in 2019 and have cheered me on every step of the way! They LOVE coming to the studio and getting lost in art and creative play. Sometimes on the weekends they help me set up for the upcoming week and they love being apart of that process.

Can you share an example of a collaboration with another mom that was particularly successful or fulfilling?

After my daughter graduated from preschool, her group of amazing preschool friends needed a way to continue to gather. This was a super special class who made deep rooted relationships with one another. I collaborated with another mom to organize a monthly meet up where we all bring food and hang together. This has continued to strengthen the amazing connection and community we built last school both for the kids and the moms alike.

How do you define strength in motherhood?

Strength in motherhood is showing up day after day, night after night when your tank is nearly empty. Giving yourself grace, empathy, and pushing forward even when things don’t go as planned or seem impossible to navigate. There will be immeasurable ups, downs, worries, and victories to celebrate, but mothers are the glue that hold everything together. We are stronger than we know both collectively and individually.

How do you celebrate small victories in motherhood and business?

Life is all about celebrating the small victories! Life is simply too short to only celebrate the big stuff. We need to focus more on small wins and/or small steps forward. I strive to teach my kids the importance of celebrating the small wins that happen each day. There is so much good that happens daily (even on the impossibly hard days), we need to applaud ourselves for each and every small win.

How do you balance self-care with taking care of your family and business?

I have learned that there is no such thing as balance when it comes to being a mom and a small business owner. We all have to find our groove and put time into the things that fill our cup. “Balance” ebbs and flows for me, but family always comes first (business second). I find that just when things begin to feel routine/ “balanced”, something tips the scale. For me, self care is vitally important and must come before 6:30 am. In order to fit in my daily workouts, I rise before the sun and workout so I can start my day having my workout behind me. I love Pilates, HITT workouts and at home strength training. Starting each day by moving my body in some way has truly changed my mindset on exercise!

How did you build your community of moms around you? 

When my oldest daughter was born I started a meetup group for moms with babies around her age. At one point we had close to 80 members. We enjoyed weekly activities and playdates. This group helped so many women find their long term “mom” friend besties, me included. Building community is something I truly love to do! Now with my studio, I have built an incredible community of like minded parents/caregivers who believe in the power of play and hands on learning.

How important is it to you to surround yourself with other moms professionally and personally?

Mom life can be super isolating, especially in the early years. Surrounding yourself with mom friends who are going through the same thing is so critical. My friendships (with other moms) are so important to me, and I feel blessed to have a support system both professionally and personally.

What piece of advice would you give another mom who is struggling with balancing motherhood and business?

I have come to realize that there is no such thing as balance. You have to find your groove and what works for you and your family. This will eb and flow as life happens (new baby born, new school drop off/pick up times, medical diagnosis, etc) and you need to be nimble and flexible to navigate changes. Give yourself grace and take care of your own mental health first. A family needs a happy mama who has a full tank. If you are someone who is struggling with juggling being a mom and working full time, it is always ok to change course. It is always ok to recalibrate. Jobs will always be there, but the kids will not. If you have the ability to take a pause from professional work and spend more time with your kids/partner, take the time! You will never ever get back the time, but you can always find another job.

Do you have a non-profit or cause that you are passionate about and want to share with us? What drives your dedication to this cause?

I make lots of donations to the Rancho Coastal Humane Society. I LOVE all animals and enjoy supporting an organization that supports animals while they find a new home.

What challenges do you face as a mother and businesswoman?

Getting my kids to and from after school activities has been a huge juggle as they get older and more involved with teams/classes. Thankfully I am able to lean on friends/family to help with this, but being with my kids in the afternoon is a top priority to me, so work pauses from 2:15-8:15pm.

Tell us about a challenging time in your business or in your role in motherhood and how you overcame it?

Last year I made the difficult decision to close one of my small businesses that started during Covid. It was a tremendously successful business, but I knew it wasn’t my passion. The stress it was causing me and my family was simply not worth it. I decided the best thing to do was to close the business, but it was definitely an emotional process.  Closing such a big chapter of my life was emotional, but it allowed me to reopen my art studio and shift my focus back into what I love! With every small business experience there is always so much learn, so even when something “doesn’t work out”, there are so many valuable lessons learned.

What are some of your favorite resources managing your business and/or home life that have saved you time?

Keeping a little note pad next to my bed is my secret weapon for late night thoughts, brainstorming, and planning! Also using a paper calendar has always worked for me. I love physically writing down my commitments in a calendar vs using a phone calendar. One of my favorite business tools I use is called Gusto which is a payroll service. My employees can clock in when they arrive and clock out when they leave and it makes it so simple for payroll.

Would you like to offer anything to our readers?

If you would like to come try a class at our sensory art studio, I would be honored to have you join us with your little one. Use code “FIRSTTIME” to get 50% off your first drop in class. 

MOMination

We become better women, partners, leaders, and friends by empowering and lifting each other up. Thank you Ashley for MOMinating these two women below who have inspired you.

Nicole Gerbarg, Owner of Our Outdoor Classroom (play based preschool)

Nicole is an incredible educator who started a magical school in her backyard. I am always inspired by her play based approach to learning and the warm school community she has built/fostered.

Kelsey Swann, Owner of Kelsey Swann Photography

Kelsey is a selfless mama who homeschools her two boys and squeezes in photography. Watching her be able to juggle so much is truly inspirational.

We are thrilled to bring back our weekly spotlight that will highlight and celebrate Moms in San Diego and across the globe who believe in building up and supporting moms.

We hope that if we can debunk the idea that you have to take on this journey alone, as a community of moms, we will all walk away stronger, inspired, and raise stronger children and become better partners. We’d love to hear from you!