Meet Ayesha Hilton | Generative AI Consultant, Writer, Creator & Designer, & Card Deck Design Expert

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

Hi Ayesha, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I get so frustrated with the phrase: Winners Never Quit.

It’s a big fat lie that we have been fed for years.

To win in life, whatever winning looks like to you, you need to know when to quit and then be brave enough to do it. And you also need the perseverance to stick with the right thing even when it’s tough.

There are many times in my life where I have given up on something I was previously committed to. I went to university and for some reason enrolled in a course that was not about anything I was interested (becoming an economist), so I swapped to a degree in education. After I got spat on by a 6 year old on my placement, I reassessed my dream of shaping young minds.

I swapped degrees three times, eventually graduating with a degree in communications and with only an extra year of study. Anyone that knows me, would say this was the most obvious choice of degree for me, but it took a circuitous route to find that out for myself. Since graduating, I always had roles and businesses that had a focus on communication.

There were people in both the degrees I quit that continued on despite hating what they were doing. They stayed because they didn’t want to waste the effort and time they had already put in. And many didn’t want disappoint their parents. After graduating, I know many of these people either got jobs doing something they didn’t like or quit the industry soon after to focus on something else.

What I learnt from this is: if you know something isn’t right for you, do something about it quickly. Success comes from failing quickly! Get it over and done with. Don’t waste time doing the wrong thing for you, just because you’ve already put in time and money.

In my own business, I’ve pivoted many times. I have been a web designer, a book coach, a business coach, and more. I commit to something, I give it my all, and if there comes a point where it isn’t working or it isn’t aligned anymore, I look for the next opportunity. This isn’t the same as Shiny Object Syndrome, though like everyone, I have fallen prey to it.

Sticking with something or quitting is very relevant for many people with online businesses right now. The online world is changing rapidly and even many big names are struggling with sales. Buyers are more savvy and facing increased costs of living, so they are more particular about their purchases.

As a business owner, it is challenging when things that worked previously stop working as well as they used to. I would spend thousands of dollars a month on Facebook ads and for every dollar I spent, I would make four back. Last year, I turned my adds off as they were no longer effective due to various factors, including changes to Facebook ads as well as consumer behaviour.

I went from a making a lovely income to almost no income overnight. I had to pivot and fast. I knew I had to keep going as the only bread winner in my family, with food to buy and a mortgage to pay. I tried several things and they didn’t work that well.

At times it felt helpless and I even looked at possible jobs after working for myself since 2006. But I wasn’t quite ready to jump into employment yet (and it’s hard when you’re skills don’t fit a tidy little box). I knew a job wasn’t right for my little family as I am a solo mama with a child with health issues. I need the flexibility that working for myself provides.

I have a lot of skills and can adapt to changes in the market place with agility. However, in order to keep going with my business, I am looking at what is working now. I can’t focus on how great it was to wake up on a Sunday morning and see notifications for hundreds of dollars in sales all while I was sleeping.

I still trying to adapt to the current online business landscape. And I want it to work. I am putting in the effort and I am persevering. However, if there comes a time where I can’t support my family, then I will have to find a job. Knowing when to quit is about being clear on where you are, what you want, and what’s possible. If the path you’re on is working, great. If not, you have to do something different.

Either way, it takes courage to quit when something isn’t right, and to persevere when it’s tough.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have been a designer and creative for years, first with websites, then books, and in the fast few years, oracle cards. When Midjourney and other generative ai platforms, became publicly available in late 2022, I jumped in, and with weeks, I was teaching others how to use Midjourney. I have always loved technology and used it in my creative endeavors. I have generated more than 50,000 images with Midjourney and I feel like it’s part prompt craft with a dash of magic. The things I am able to do with generative AI has transformed my creative expression as well as the things I offer in my business. While there are serious issues around the use of AI, I am an advocate for ethical use of artificial intelligence. In exciting news, I am one of a select few being featured in the first text book on AI Art Generation and Midjourney. One of the things I am passionate about in the images that I create for my clients and myself is the diversity of age, shape, and ethnicity. I want to represent people from around the world, with different body types, and celebrate beauty in all its forms.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in regional Australia, about 1 hours drive from Melbourne. My favorite place is Halls Gap. It’s about another 90 minutes drive west from my house. The area is called the Grampians, and it’s a captivating landscape with towering mountain ranges, beautiful bushland, and native animals. When you walk along one of the many tracks, you will see kangaroos and emus. You can walk to beautiful waterfalls. Enjoy a picnic lunch under the shade of eucalyptus tree. And enjoy an ice-cream in town after your adventuring.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Jayne Slack-Smith is a mentor I have worked with who is amazing.

https://www.facebook.com/jane.slacksmith

https://www.facebook.com/yoursuccessclubtoday

Website: https://www.ayeshahilton.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayesha_hilton/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayeshahilton/

Twitter: https://x.com/Ayesha_Hilton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayeshahiltonpage

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ayeshahilton 

Image Credits
Images are all credited to me – Ayesha Hilton