About

Near Ash Creative was founded by Laura Nash (she/her) in 2022 and became a member-owner of Meadow Cooperative in 2025.

As a child, Laura spent many nights reading under the covers by flashlight. She was always ensnared by stories, struggling to put them down when it was time for class or bed. And when it was time for her to find a job, it was only natural for her to choose a field that centers on storytelling.

Since 2014, Laura has provided communications services to nonprofits and foundations in the Pacific Northwest, using the magic of words and images to support their work. Stories have the power to capture our attention, tug on our emotions, change how we understand the world and how we interact with it. Near Ash Creative endeavors to use that power for good, to advance civil rights and social justice.

We don’t treat communications like window dressing. It is strategy in its own right. And we ground our strategy in audience analysis, narrative research, and proven communications frameworks.

Laura earned a B.A. in Studio Art and East Asian Studies from Lewis & Clark College in 2013, an M.A. in Critical Studies and M.F.A. in Applied Craft + Design from Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2021. She also completed Neighborhood Partnerships’ Advocates College and the Oregon Voice Communications Academy in 2016.

When she isn’t working, Laura loves to make art, write speculative fiction, play trivia and board games with friends, and canoe on the Willamette River.

You can find Laura’s art and writing at lauralisonash.com.