Rising Stars: Meet Ashley Abaco of fort lauderdale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Abaco.

Ashley , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story starts out in Miami, where I was born and raised. I think that sums up a lot of who I am. I grew up in North Miami – not Brickell or South Beach, all these fun, stereotypical spaces that people know Miami to be. I grew up 20 minutes from the beach, nowhere near my backyard, in a Caribbean household. Life in Miami is colorful. It always has been, and I hope it will continue that way.

I spent my childhood moving through magnet art programs from middle school to high school before eventually earning my BFA in Graphic Design. Creativity was never something separate from me, it was the language I understood best. The way I processed the world. The way I connected to people.

Funny enough, I originally wanted to be a musician, and I still think that dream lives inside my work today. There’s rhythm in the way I design, emotion in the storytelling, movement in the visuals. I’m deeply inspired by culture, feeling, and the small details that make something resonate with people on a human level.

Today, I run my own creative studio, where I work across branding, design, creative direction, and digital storytelling. More than anything, I care about creating work that feels intentional and alive. Work that carries emotion. Work that helps people feel seen, connected, and understood. To me, design has always been more than aesthetics, it’s memory, identity, and communication all woven together.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Are any roads smooth?

I’ve definitely had my share of obstacles. During COVID, I was laid off from my job at Alex and Ani and I could not maintain full time employment for the life of me. I was freelancing constantly, applying for full time jobs, interviewing, picking up projects wherever I could, just trying to make things work. It felt like I was living in this constant state of creating and surviving at the same time.

Around that same time, I started posting content online more consistently. It wasn’t part of some master plan. I think I just needed a creative outlet, somewhere to put my ideas and energy while everything else felt up in the air. But over time, that content connected me to people, opportunities, and eventually the foundation of the studio I run today.

Before working for myself, I spent years in agency and ecommerce spaces that were intense in every sense of the word. Fast deadlines, constant pivoting, wearing ten hats at once. Stressful? Absolutely. But I’m grateful for those experiences because they taught me how to adapt quickly, think strategically, and build a really wide range of creative skills. Every role added something to my toolbox.

Looking back, I think that season of my life taught me how to trust myself. Nothing about my path was linear or perfectly planned, but somehow all the messy parts ended up leading me exactly where I needed to go.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a creative director, designer, and content creator, and at the core of everything I do is storytelling. Whether I’m building a brand identity, creating content, or developing a visual direction for a project, I’m always thinking about how something feels just as much as how it looks.

I specialize in branding, creative direction, and digital storytelling, particularly for brands that want to feel more human, intentional, and emotionally connected to their audience. A lot of my work sits at the intersection of strategy and aesthetics. I love creating visuals that not only look beautiful, but actually communicate something meaningful.

I think what sets me apart is that I approach creativity from multiple perspectives at once. I’m not only a designer, I’m also someone who understands content, audience behavior, branding, storytelling, and community building firsthand because I’ve lived all sides of it. Creating online while building my studio gave me a completely different understanding of how people connect with visuals and stories in real time.

What I’m most proud of is building a career that feels honest to who I am. My studio was created from years of persistence, experimentation, and believing in my voice even during uncertain seasons. I love being able to bring my expertise to my community and serve them in ways they are being underserved. Being able to create work that resonates with people while also building something of my own has probably been the most meaningful part of the journey so far.

What makes you happy?
Art makes me happy, being myself makes me happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.608andco.com
• Instagram: ashleyabaco
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@608theChannel