Ashley Cleveland
Musician
“Using the gifts that you’ve been given really contributes to a sense of purpose and place.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationAshley Cleveland
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and moved with my mother to the San Francisco Bay Area after my parents divorced.
The cultural differences between the South and California were very difficult for me to adjust to—I ended up moving back to Tennessee as a teenager.
I started playing music in clubs when I was 16 years old.
I went to the University of Tennessee for about two years before dropping out because I was spending much more time playing music in clubs than going to class.
I had been struggling with alcoholism and addiction for many years and my illness got even worse when I went back to California to play music along the West Coast.
When my daughter was born, there was a change in my spirit and my faith was renewed—it took a couple more years before I really found sobriety, but she was the jumpstart to that change.
I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and was admitted into addiction recovery treatment.
Through it all, I kept at my music and eventually landed a record deal—in addition to my music career, I’m also very involved in matters of recovery and helping others who are struggling.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Musician
I am a singer and songwriter.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Music
Writing
Being Creative
Day to Day
I wake up at 5 a.m. every morning because I like the feeling of quiet, peace, and independence that the early morning gives me. When I get up, I'll typically have some sort of devotional time. Then, I'll write. Writing is difficult for me—for every one great song that spills out of me, there are 200 that I'm unhappy with—but I make time every day to do it because using the gift that I've been given gives me a sense of purpose.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
If this is a career you want to pursue, it only really works if you're pursuing it because you're passionate about it or it's a gift that you've been given and want to share. If you're pursuing it because you want to become famous or make a lot of money, this won't work for you.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"You should hide your struggles and brokenness."
Challenges I Overcame
Drugs / Addiction
