LILY HANSEN

Karen Elsy is peppy, lighthearted, and genuinely apologetic for her dodgy internet service and being a few minutes late to the chat. In her sharp-as-a-knife RP accent, the eternally polite Brit explains that she got behind because she was bathing her golden retriever. Unfortunately, the pup had an accident in the dog bed the night before. In short, even though her closet’s overflowing with couture and her friends are among fashion and entertainment royalty Elson knows how to spin plates - and occasionally let them drop.

It all began with a mission trip.

Barrett Ward landed in Peru on a mission trip days after buying his dream car: a Lexus with a price tag of $300,000, an amount that could have paid for 300 houses in the area he was visiting. On this trip, he watched a young girl walk out of a tin shed, grab dirty water, and drink it. He remembers thinking, “How could a girl so beautiful be living in so much poverty?” He was struck by the shallowness of his mindset, realizing that he equated beauty with money...

I've had a great time recently writing for the financial publication Go Banking Rates, which specifically seeks out creative writers to add some color to money-related advice articles. This is a play-by-play of the best practices pertaining to managing your bank account.

Nashville’s famous hot chicken is a must-try while in Music City. Crunchy, juicy, sticky, and — of course — spicy. Nashville's hot chicken scene is certainly delicious but can be intimidating if you don't know where to go. From the pioneers who created the local specialty of crispy fried chicken heavily doused in hot sauce to those who commercialized it, here’s where we go for the best hot chicken in Nashville. These welcoming spots look after their customers, fry up some mean hot chicken, and offer a great experience.

Thinking about moving to Nashville? Here’s what you need to know about Music City.
Gritty honky tonks and sleek cocktail bars, long-time locals and brand new transplants, classic music, and contemporary tunes — Nashville is a hipster haven with a country vibe, homey but with an edge. And a happening place to move to. Here’s your unofficial guide to what it’s like living in Nashville.

Jordan Ahlers and Shifra Ahlers are the co-owners of Momentum Gallery located in downtown Asheville’s arts district. Since their grand opening in 2017, the husband-wife team has been blown away by the support of the community. In this exclusive interview, I explore how the couple started their business, the organic way in which they have attracted a loyal following, and what they specifically bring to the Asheville arts community.

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from 'The Nashville Edit Volume 7, 2021'
The Big Easy
For creative design and painter right Benji Peck… it starts with embracing what is wrong.
BY LILY CLAYTON HANSEN | PHOTOS BY ADRIAN MORALES
That’s the epiphany artist Benji Peck realized when crafting pieces for his debut abstract series Thinking Feelings. It was a big step for Peck, a self-proclaimed perfectionist. Like many abstract artists, he experienced his first successes in realism. Though he’s always pushed against the n...

Andy and Tonya never cease to become fascinated with the couples whom they design for. However, on one January morning Tonya, the thinker to her husband’s creative, relayed the narrative behind their nonprofit, Unbroken Circle Project. Five years after founding their successful Biltmore Park business, Marthaler Jewelers, the couple’s passion has pivoted.
While the Marthalers have always been givers, using luxury jewelry to help the Lumbee tribe wasn’t on their radar until recently. Yet, the t...

This is a guide that I wrote to my former neighborhood SoBro in downtown Nashville. It features a long, well-curated, and researched list of recommendations regarding where to eat, drink, shop, indulge in culture, and exercise/walk outdoors to take in the sights. Sentral, the company that commissioned me to do this, offers stays of all lengths to digital nomads.

For the release of her first LP "Blaming the Weather," Lindsay's record label Sunday Sunday Group hired me to tell her story, both in regards to her artistic journey and the making of the record during quarantine. The bio is used on her website and in all marketing materials.

In an ongoing project, I have edited and co-written hundreds of biographies for global wealth management firm Bernstein. For this project I interviewed 300+ people, all in the same position, about their career background, secret sauce, and what brought them to Bernstein and has kept them there. The Q&A interview-style bios are showcased throughout their newly renovated website and send out to current and prospective clients.

While music video director Ed Pryor might not enjoy talking about himself, he was certainly easy to write about when I crafted his bio a few weeks back. Pryor, who was nominated this past year at both the ACMs and twice at the CMT awards, is my kind of creative: while he is a true Southern gentleman, polite and diplomatic, he has also been rewarded for being rebellious. All the director and music producer ever wanted was to be accepted as himself in the mainstream country music world, which h...

Recently, I had a great time writing a bio for REALTOR® Annette Stithem. I always love learning about new industries and was delighted to find that Annette’s process for finding clients a new home wasn’t all that different than my own way of getting to the bottom of someone’s story. By spending quality time with her clients and thoroughly getting to know them as people she figures out and finds the right living sitch for them. It’s always an honor to connect with people who care about what th...