The side you might know first
My professional life is in technology. I run an agency, work with AI, and move between design, development, product thinking, and marketing. I like building things, solving problems, and figuring out how an idea can become something useful.
But that is not the whole introduction.
I also love the thought that goes into a holiday, a handmade gift, a gathering, or a little surprise for my grandchildren. I love making something feel special because of who it is for. The invitation, the ribbon, the detail someone might not expect: those things make me happy, too.
Secretly Domestic is a place for the part of my life that does not fit neatly on a professional biography.
It is still me, just with a different kind of project
I do not see creativity at work and creativity at home as completely separate interests. Both begin with noticing something and thinking, “What could we make of this?” The difference is that the thing I am making at home does not need a business case.
A little holiday tradition can exist because it sounds fun. A handmade detail can be worth the time because I enjoyed making it. A gathering can be meaningful without becoming content, a product, or a perfectly documented event.
I do not have to make my domestic side smaller to take my work seriously. I also do not have to turn everything I love into work.
That is what the “secretly” is about: a playful glimpse of another side, not an apology for having one.
The full-life part is real
I have a busy, full life, and I can get carried away. With work. With an idea. With everything I imagine a celebration could become. I know the feeling of adding one more thing to the plan and then wondering why there is no room left to enjoy it.
I am not building this space from the position of having balance perfectly figured out. I want a place where ambition and enjoyment can be in the same conversation, where the beautiful idea and the imperfect attempt both belong.
Sometimes the right version is gloriously extra. Sometimes it is something simple, chosen with care. I want to get better at knowing which version serves the day I am actually having.
Here is what we are making room for
Expect holidays, thoughtful things to make, moments with the grandkids, food, gatherings, and ordinary days that deserve a little attention. Expect a little humor when the Pinterest picture and the finished project do not look related.
There will be practical AI help, too, because that is part of my world. But the technology is here to help organize the plan, not become the point of the experience.
I want to leave room for books, photography, kindness, gratitude, and the pleasure of trying something just because it interests me.
Your other side is welcome here.
You do not need an agency, grandchildren, or a craft room to belong. You just need a life you would like to enjoy and a little curiosity about what might make it feel more like yours.
Start with one ordinary day worth making special, or meet the rest of the story on the About Ashley page.
