Today we’d like to introduce you to Ahsiahna Ford.
Hi Ahsiahna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’d like to think of myself as a creative visionary, and my main goal is to make a more positive impact on the Memphis Community. I enjoy recognizing patterns, connecting others, creative writing and directing, planning and organizing, and sharing knowledge. I didn’t know it all the time, but I was born this way. So to make a 30-year-long story short, I’ll just touch on some important milestones, which happen to loosely coincide with the different stages of my nickname. Without further delay, I give you…the evolution of Icey!
From the moment I entered this world, my tendency to observe the world around me was evident. “I see! I see,” was how the nurse described it. To me, this phrase represents my very first instinct…my purest form: a visionary. And thus, “I see” was the very first stage of my evolution.
Shortly after, she followed up with, “I’m gonna call you Icy,” marking the beginning of the next stage: “Icy”. This stage represents what the world imposed on me and how it shaped me; both the good and the bad. This stage lasted until about my sophomore year in high school. By the end of this stage, I had experienced almost every form of the arts. I did everything from drawing to singing and playing instruments to dancing and everything in between. There were many good impressions, but like any young child whose mind was a sponge, I had some traumatic experiences, too. I’ll save the details for later; for now, let’s just say I developed a fear of failure. And it took a while for me to even put a name to the feeling, let alone start to get over it.
The next stage is “Ahsi”. Ahsi is another name that was given to me, but one that I feel like I did more to earn. This stage lasted until about 2020. And the name was given to me by one of two important art teachers in my life: Mr. Charles Adair. The other teacher was Mr. Shamek Weddle. These men largely influenced my love for the arts. They taught me a solid foundation of visual arts and they encouraged me to express my creativity as well as believe in myself more. Unfortunately, they’re no longer with us, but they are truly missed by many. Just as my love for the arts intensified, so did that fear of failure. It caused a lot of anxiety, among other things, in many areas of my life. It wasn’t until the next stage that I finally started consistently putting a name to those feelings, and addressing them.
Which brings me to the current stage: “Icey”. This name was more than earned; I chose this name myself. This stage represents awareness and intent. It was during this stage that my company, Icey Reigns, was born. Instead of the world imposing its expectations on me (and me internalizing them), I finally started making my mark on the world. And I also put names to those feelings of fear and anxiety and started facing problems head-on. I definitely could have been cold hearted by now, but I’m not (thank goodness). I’m just a little air-conditioned if you know what I mean. So today, I am Icey; a mom, a teacher, a creative director, a model, and a business/brand consultant. And soon, I will add ‘local TV streaming service owner’ to that list.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it was not a smooth road, and I think it all originated from one thing: fear. Looking back, I feel as though I knew fear before I truly knew and accepted myself. And for a long time, fear drove my life. This included fear of failure, fear of harsh judgment, avoiding conflict, people pleasing, and the list goes on. It took isolating myself and reflecting on the experiences that caused these states of mind. I had to think back to a time when I was unafraid to express myself freely and analyze how certain situations changed that. And I had to make my way back to that. I had to learn to accept myself for who I was, flaws and all.
But I didn’t do it all on my own. I thank God for the friends and family who have supported me along the way. I could write a book of stories but there is one instance of support that still crosses my mind to this day. I was in the eighth grade attending Memphis Business Academy. We kept a journal and wrote in it at the beginning of each class (if I’m remembering correctly), and we could write about any topic of our choosing. I chose to write about my day and what I could see in class. When I got home, I showed my mom and she laughed throughout the whole thing. Seeing her laugh felt like I had won a prize or completed a mission. She still brings it up sometimes and it always lifts my spirits to hear her talk about it. because every time she does, it adds a little more fuel to my fire.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As I said before, I consider myself to be a visionary. People may know me as a fashion model for now, but what I’m most proud of is my writing skills. I love to write so much that I think I’m becoming something like a linguistic scholar.
What I currently do includes creative direction, brand/advertising consulting, and eventually, tv streaming. I like connecting people to one another and I help people turn ideas into functional concepts. If you want to inquire about services or ways to get involved, feel free to shoot me an email.
I also do fashion modeling and a little graphic design as well, but it’s not part of my main focus like the other skills.
I know it’s a lot, but even with all that being said…this isn’t even my final form. I may be just a little conditioned right now, but ‘A Cold Day in Hell Productions’ may soon be coming to a TV near you. So, stay tuned!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice is to heal if you haven’t already. Remember that most people’s life experiences are different, so most people’s healing journey is different. Remember that healing is not linear. There will be some backtracking and some side-stepping on your journey, and that’s okay. But keep moving forward. As you move forward, you’ll eventually find your purpose. From there, believe that you’ll know what to do.
Pricing:
- 30-minute Consultation- $25 (MEMVOY for $10 off)
- 60-minute Consultation- $50
- 90-minute Consultation- $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://iceyreignsintro.carrd.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/see.icey
- LinkedIn: https://tidycal.com/askahsiahna
- Other: askahsiahna@gmail.com
