Gold
Ashley Joan. https://www.ashleyjoanart.com/
The Gold Lining:
How Artist Ashley Joan Transforms Grief Into Creative Resilience
Have you ever been told to “look for the silver lining” in a hard time, only to feel like the advice was distant, cold, or out of reach? For Ashley Joan, the silver lining never felt like enough. It implied waiting for the storm to pass before finding anything worth holding onto.
In one of the most challenging seasons of her life, she found something warmer, more alive, and more present. She calls it the gold lining - what you carry with you through the storm, not what you find after it ends.
“Silver was cold,” she says. “Something you reached for after the storm passed. I wanted something warmer, alive, and present. The gold lining is what you carry through the storm, not a consolation prize afterward.”
Finding the Gold in the Storm
Ashley’s gold lining emerged during a period marked by repeated loss, including the death of her brother.
“The grief was unrelenting,” she recalls. “Much of The Gold Lining was painted after his passing, following other significant losses in my life. The studio became the one place where I didn’t have to edit myself or explain the weight I was carrying.”
In those moments, creating was not calculated or polished.
“My hands moved before my mind caught up,” she shares. “It wasn’t about making something beautiful. It was about breathing through the pain.”
For Ashley, painting in the middle of the storm feels raw - almost like survival. After the storm, the process shifts into reflection, sorting through what remains and making sense of it.
And grit?
“It’s picking up the brush when I’d rather hide under the covers. It’s letting the tears fall into the paint water. It’s trusting that even if the piece is unfinished or messy, it’s still part of the healing.”
Symbols, Stories, and Meaning
Ashley’s paintings are layered with personal meaning and recurring imagery:
The Ocean – a symbol of surrender, depth, and resilience.
Gold Leaf and Golden Tones – representing the light that persists through hardship.
Layers of Translucent Color – mirroring the way emotions build and shift over time.
“If my work could speak,” she says, “it would tell the story of surviving heartbreak without losing your softness. Of finding warmth in the coldest seasons. Of standing in the storm and still choosing to shine.”
At START, we often see how symbols like these help people name what they have been through and reframe their story, a process deeply tied to meaning-making in therapy. Whether through painting, music, movement, performance, or writing, personal symbols can anchor you when words alone are not enough.
Performance-based art forms, such as spoken word, dance, or immersive theater, share this same language of resilience. They allow a person to live inside the moment of expression, to give shape to emotions through their presence, and to invite others to witness the truth without requiring every detail.
The Courage to Be Seen
Ashley’s work is unmasked and unapologetic. That courage comes from living through loss and realizing that hiding her truth serves no one, least of all herself.
“If I can speak from the raw parts and still find something golden,” she says, “maybe someone else will believe they can too.”
Still, she is mindful about what she shares publicly.
“I share what feels like it could serve or connect with others, even if it is vulnerable,” she says. “The most private details remain mine, but the emotions they create are what I put into my work.”
This balance is something we see in therapy too: courage does not mean revealing everything. It means showing up authentically, in a way that feels safe and true.
Choosing Creation Over Withdrawal
When pain is heavy, stepping away might feel easier, but for Ashley, creating is non-negotiable.
“Creating is the one place where my pain transforms instead of festers,” she explains. “It is the difference between holding my breath and letting it out.”
Her creative process is grounded in honesty, presence, resilience, and connection, values that shape not only her work but also how she moves through the world.
This mirrors what therapists call values-based action, a concept from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), where you choose actions aligned with your deepest values, even in the presence of pain.
Living Through the Gold Lining
Today, the gold lining is more than a painting series. It is the lens through which Ashley lives. She hopes people who experience her work feel seen, as if it is speaking to a part of them they rarely show.
“I want people to know beauty and pain can exist in the same breath,” she says. “Strength is not the absence of struggle. It is the choice to keep going, even in the thick of it.”
For Ashley, the gold lining is not about optimism at the expense of truth. It is about carrying light with you into the places where it is hardest to find.
A Shared Language Between Artist and Audience
One of the most compelling aspects of Ashley’s art is how it meets people where they are. Some are drawn to the oceanic blues and golds without knowing her story. Others find themselves reflected in her themes of grief, resilience, and beauty in hardship.
This mirrors the therapeutic space at START, where art, movement, music, and storytelling often become a shared language between therapist and client. You do not have to explain every detail of your pain for someone to recognize it - sometimes they feel it in the colors, the rhythm, or the way you take up space.
Carrying the Gold Forward
Ashley envisions her future work continuing to explore light in the midst of darkness. Whether she is in the studio layering paint, speaking at an event, or standing by the ocean at dusk, she remains committed to being clear, seen, and felt.
Her message is one START hopes will resonate with everyone who reads this: you do not have to wait for the storm to pass to find your strength. You can carry your gold lining with you, even in the rain.
“The gold lining is not about pretending the storm is not happening,” Ashley says. “It is about carrying something warm, something bright, something alive, through it.”
We are honored to feature Ashley in what we hope will be many more profiles of artists, performers, and creatives who embody resilience through their work!
You can explore Ashley’s art, follow her upcoming shows, or connect with her directly by visiting [her site/socials]
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/ashleyjoan_art/
Website : www.ashleyjoanart.com
