Meet Ashlyn Lin | Fashion editor, stylist & photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashlyn Lin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashlyn, why did you pursue a creative career?
People now live in an era of information explosion that changed a lot in the world. One of the most widely used forms is photography. I am fascinated by artistic careers because they can provide stunning visual images to audiences. Therefore, working in an industry filled with aesthetics has always been my ambition. More importantly, I find myself always intrigued by fascinated photos, which makes me want to be a person who can inspire others as well.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I recently developed my skills in fashion photography. Before becoming a photographer, I was an editor of a fashion magazine. While working in the industry, I developed a keen interest in reflecting the soul and identity of fashion trends through visual images. So I decided to let my passion drive me to a different path. I consider that is a big move in my career cause those are different fields. That is to say, to learn a new profession from scratch. I would not say it is easy to make such a decision. The lesson I have learned along the way is that you need to have an open mindset. As well as allow your passion to drive your dream. To quote Paulo Coelho, “When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you to achieve it.” As I mentioned previously, I am fortunate to have lots of people to help me along the way. More importantly, you need to trust yourself and put more effort into working on your skills. Eventually, seize the opportunities. After half a year as a photographer assistant, I started to have some clients want me to shoot for them, including companies and celebrities. I am grateful to have these clients trust me, as well as to the people who introduce them to me. To make a long story short, I will continue to seek out any resources available to help quench my insatiable desire for the fashion industry.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend is visiting Taipei, I think I would take them to Taipei’s bars & restaurants. Even though Taipei is not a very big city, it indeed has a bunch of terrific bars and restaurants. That is why friends and I started a foodie account named @alcoholmap. You can find it on Instagram. We have been to lots of fantastic places. For instance, Indulge Bistro is famous for using Taiwan’s tea (which is a famous product in Taiwan) to make their awesome cocktails. Indulge is also been selected in Asia’s 50 best bars several times. Besides, because Taiwanese girls love to take photos at restaurants, most of it is stunningly beautiful. That is also why I love to go to restaurants in Taiwan. Beautiful places always light up my mood.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Throughout my work in the fashion industry, I believe the most critical thing to survive in this industry is relationships with people. I consider myself the luckiest person during my career life. I always have friends, colleagues, seniors, or even my boss to help me out when I boomed into problems. For instance, when I was an editor in InStyle magazine, my seniors Zoe & Ken taught me lots of things about writing. They are not only the person who recruited me into this company, but they also became my mentors throughout my editor life. Afterward, when I decided to leave the company and pursue my passion for photography, my friend Jovi immediately introduced his friend —— an impressive photographer and now my boss Cheng-Po OU-YANG to me. OU-YANG has taught me everything about photography. He not only has a superior sense of aesthetics, but he also is the best boss in the world. I am grateful that he has been extremely patient with me. Words cannot express how much I gratitude to him. Last but not least, my best friend in the fashion industry—— YuShuan, who is also a fashion stylist. When we were both stylist assistants, we reached an unspoken agreement long ago. Even though we head the different paths in the fashion industry, we still help each other a lot. Even often have abundant opportunities to work together. To make the long story short, I appreciated the people who helped me along with my career.

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