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BY TERI R. WILLIAMS | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY TAMMY CRAFT FAMILY PHOTOS BY LILLIAN MORSE BURTON PHOTOGRAPHY Finding her own Magic With the help of a former supermodel and through lots of hard work, Ashton Craft stepped out of her shell into the limelight as a model and budding actress. 22 Toombs County Magazine su Asht a Magic. The moment you sing your song and glitter falls to the stage from the sky. The moment you write your story and your characters get their own theme park at Universal Studios. When that thing you did, whatever that thing was, becomes the thing you want to do forever. That’s the kind of magic Coca-Cola was looking for when they chose Ashton Craft to advertise their product on billboards last summer. It was the kind of magic that happens every time she steps in front of a camera. Ashton’s mother, Tammy Craft, started her three-year-old daughter in dance at Sassy Sisters. “She was so shy, I thought it would bring her out of her shell,” said her mother. She also encouraged Ashton to compete in beauty pageants for the same reason. Even though Ashton did well and won many pageants, including Miss Vidalia Onion, the Soapbox Derby pageant, and Miss Lyons BBQ Queen; it was not something she wanted to pursue. Ashton was fourteen when Tausi Likokola, a former International supermodel from Tanzania, came to Vidalia. “She was speaking at places and mentoring some girls here,” said Ashton. Tausi had once worked with world-class designers such as Gucci and Christian Dior and appeared on the covers of many International fashion magazines. Through her program, “Beautiful You,” named after her book by the same name, she works to help teenage girls reach their full potential. A mutual friend brought Ashton’s Facebook pictures to Tausi’s attention, which led to their meeting. “She always told me that you never meet anyone by accident,” said Ashton. Even when there’s magic, it takes a lot of work to give that magic an opportunity to be revealed. Tausi began with teaching Ashton how to walk in heels. At fourteen, she’d had little experience with pointy high heeled shoes. Tausi had Ashton practice walking and turning for hours on the concrete by their pool. She also took Ashton to Savannah to shop for the right outfits and set up a photoshoot. “Tausi did a shoot with me on the beach,” said Ashton, “and took me to two different studios in Atlanta to help me build a strong portfolio.” Ashton’s first modeling experience was on a runway for Charlotte, North Carolina’s International Fashion Week. “It was crazy,” said Ashton. “There were about 200 models there and all these famous designers. Tausi knew some of them, so that’s how I got in.” Parents of the younger models pretended to be a part of the press so they could watch. With all the cameras clicking and flashing, Tammy watched as her daughter’s shy and reserved nature disappeared. “I thought, ‘Where did she learn that?’”


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