Hi everyone!

My name is Taryn Ashley. I’m a 20-something artist just trying to make my way home and shine some lanterns in the dark.

Where I’m From

I was born and raised in a small town in West Virginia. I have a pretty small, but amazing family. I moved to Michigan in high school to get away from a toxic environment—to see my full story on that watch my documentary here. Since then, I have been all around the world. I have lived in Iceland, Switzerland, a very short time in Costa Rica and Italy, and now I am in Florida.

action shot of me at breslin center at michigan state university playing basketball in black uniform
action shot of me shooting a layup in blue uniform playing professional basketball in switzerland

Basketball Career

I played every sport as a young girl-even football! But I fell in love with the game of basketball at a young age and dedicated the next 20 years to it. I played college basketball at Michigan State University and graduated with a Neuroscience degree in 2020. I finished my career with the all-time assist record and finished as only 1 of 2 players with over 500 assists and 1000 points.

I played 2 years professionally—one season in Iceland and one season in Switzerland. I finally hung up the jersey in 2022.

art studio in florence italy with easels and model stand for live model drawing in charcoal or graphite pencil
charcoal long pose drawing of a woman in the nude black and white drawing
me walking down an aisle with people tossing flower petals on me in costa rica celebrating graduating my yoga and meditation course

Since then…

Since retiring from basketball, I have been on a journey to find life outside of it. Whether it be a job, a sport, a marriage, or anything else, we all must find our way through the big and small transitions in life.

After my life as an athlete, I traveled to Costa Rica to complete my Yoga and Meditation Teaching Certification, and traveled to Florence, Italy to continue my Art Education by completing a 2-month intensive course in Charcoal Drawing, Oil Painting, and Art History.

I have also been working hard on publishing a poetry book (which is out now! Click here to purchase on Amazon!) and using my education and experiences to help others find purpose and contentment in this life.

Who Am I Now?

That is a very good question. I am still learning and hope to be learning for the rest of my life. All I know now is that I am happy with where I am and where I am going.

My goal is to change the world and provide a safe space for all people of all ages and from all backgrounds. Let’s heal together.

me sitting on the edge of a fountain touching and looking at the water with a long dress
black and white me and my boyfriend keagan laughing sitting on a vespa in tuscany italy

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