Truthfully, this week I don't have much to say. BUT...Here is my space that I work in :) Welcome! I wanted to let you in the space where I paint and sleep...all bundled into one. There are a few pieces in progress that I'm working on at the moment in the background. The most current is the flamingo painting. I will have it finished within the next couple of days and will be taking it to State of the Arts Gallery. 
In the mean time, I'm really looking forward to see how the other two pieces turn out. 

I have to admit, sharing a full picture of a piece that is unfinished is a challenge for me. I get a little self conscious about it, exposing this thing that I myself am not completely satisfied with just yet. But I want to be honest and open...and sharing my works in progress is something I am excited to continue. There's more where this came from. Tune in next Sunday to see a finished shot of the flamingo and progress on the other pieces! 

​xoxo Alexa 

This week, I watched an online video on creative inspiration. The speaker was explaining his work history, and that no matter how dreamy his current job was, he just couldn't fight the feeling that he still wanted something more. This "something" was not yet defined, but he knew it had to exist and was only scratching the surface. One very particular portion of the video stood out to me the most and caught my attention. It was this...

He spoke of a longterm project that was estimated to take around 6 months for full completion. The intentions for this project were published online for an audience who had the opportunity to contribute financially to the process. When 6 months had come and gone, the project was nowhere near finished, and the followers he had established in support of the idea had begun to wonder if the piece would ever meet its end. The thought of disappointing those people was very concerning to him, and so he began refunding those who had given funds toward the project. Here's the real kicker, and I mean that in the best way.... He refunded those people because he felt that he had wronged them, and his goal was to be honest. Honest. I absolutely love that.  Maybe in a very disjointed manner, this week's topic idea came about because of this man. 

The more he explained his process of rerouting his plan and taking on this sort of project on a new platform, the more something clicked with me. He was learning throughout the journey. He committed to a very specific time frame and failed. That is something I think at times we fear as humans: Failure. It reminds me of blogging each week...wondering if a post doesn't go up on a Sunday, will I have completely failed; the Sunday that I have specifically committed to. Naturally, his story hit home for me. But I realized that it's through this trial and error, and ultimately practice, that we learn to persevere. Practice does not always mean that we succeed right away, but we take something good from it, and it allows us to move in the right direction. When you look back at a collection of instances, maybe time that you set aside to practice for something...despite any hiccups or disappointments along the way, can you identify some mile stones? I believe we can learn something about ourselves through practice that would not have been known if we hadn't tried in the first place. And this is why...

by CPO-Photography

When Pinterest first stepped on to the scene, I really didn't understand what was so great about it. (and why I ever felt that way is beyond me) You could search and save pictures to their website and organize them into categories of your choice. I truly couldn't see the glamour in it, and maybe this was because I had a similar process for my own computer with pictures that I saved to files. But like most trending things, it took me months before I caught on to what everyone had been buzzing about. One day, I finally decided to jump on the wagon with everyone else. As a result, Pinterest is now my go-to site for pinning any of my favorite works of art, studio ideas, and inspiration. I even have a private board set aside specifically for aspirations, goals, and dreams. With the Holiday season approaching and the New Year just around the corner, I can't help feeling excitement for the endless number of opportunities and changes that the future has in store! Do you ever get that feeling? If you're reading this, I want to challenge you to create your own board of dreams and inspiration---even if it's on a tangible board. If you're feeling crafty, foam  core works very well...or even poster board. It's always great to find something that not only once sparked your interest, but may very well open the door to many new ideas!
​Happy Pinning! :)

This weekend, I made a road trip East to scout out some  inspiration. Destination: Miami, FL
I wished I had a whole week at my disposal, because there was so much to see in just 2 days!

Each year, Miami hosts one of the largest platforms for worldwide Galleries and Artists to exhibit and represent their work. (Around 25+ venues in 1 week) Among the many venues, I visited Art Miami, CONTEXT Art Miami, Spectrum, Red Dot, SCOPE, and Untitled. If you're an art enthusiast, I recommend seeing as many as you can, and taking plenty of photos! 

​If you have the opportunity to visit Miami for this event, GO! There will be a show in Spring 2016 in NY as well!
Make sure to book a hotel well in advance and close to the venues that you would like to go to. Public transit was available, but my mom and i decided to take my own car through town. Traffic was intense, but well worth it! 

​I had the opportunity to speak to some wonderfully talented artists and exhibitors.​ Surrounding ourselves with inspiring people truly helps us to learn more about ourselves, grow, and move toward a dream.