Creative Relationships: Seasons, Shifts, and Self-Trust with Ashley Manley

⚠️ Note: This episode is from the Intentional Documentary® era. I’ve kept it in the archive because it’s a vibrant, open-hearted conversation about redefining your relationship with photography, creative identity, and the rules we think we’re supposed to follow.

This one’s full of permission slips, especially if you’re in a season of change.

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What happens when your creative identity shifts and your business no longer fits?

In this episode, Ashley Manley shares her journey of letting go, experimenting wildly, and finding her way back to a version of photography that feels deeply personal and free.

Topics We Explore:

• Ashley’s photography origin story — and why business “just happened”
• How a dead-bunny-baby Easter photo sparked a creative pivot
• Realising when her heart left the business side (and how she responded)
• Redefining personal projects and what “finishing” really means
• Getting off Facebook — the emotional, creative, and social fallout
• Why she limits her media exposure to protect her creativity
• Developing film in her kitchen + playful experiments with tequila and bleach
• Letting go of needing to be “a photographer” to enjoy photography
• Blending motherhood, creative freedom, and self-trust on her own terms

Connect with Ashley + access the free Mini Mag for this episode, along with other archived episode resources here: → dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-archive