We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alejandro Reyes-Knight. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alejandro below.

Alejandro, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Answer:

I like this question as it suggests a parallel reality, and I believe we create our reality. But first, I would ask, “What is a regular job?” For this article let’s say it’s somewhere between a 9-5 in an office in a city, as an attorney, or part of a corporation, institution, in an industrial park in a clerical or admin role, where there’s a cubicle, surveillance, and tasks to check off. Yes, I do sometimes wonder about it. I imagine how big the office might be, how friendly / competitive colleagues are, and all those unspoken rules and moments that corporate structures adhere to for the sake of profit.

When I used to live in London, I often walked past office buildings far more than I do in LA. I could see right into huge floors of people working away, from hedge funds to insurance or public service buildings. I was always struck by the personal details of people’s workspaces—post-it notes, family photos, quirky mugs. It was their mini home away from home, and there’s something comforting in that routine and personal touch. I’ve had stints at creative agencies, and I enjoyed the team effort. Even though ideas are competitive in nature, you have to let the best idea for the project rise.
I recently visited a large Google building and everyone seemed to be working from any chair, shelf, they could find, which is freeing but i’d now manifest my own space or office that I’d create as a future retro looking office from the 80’s. Haha, thats given me an idea.

However, the landscape of regular jobs has been shifting dramatically, especially post-pandemic. Many traditional office jobs are being lost to automation and remote work trends. This shift has highlighted the importance of people-based roles, where human interaction and empathy are irreplaceable. Jobs in healthcare, education, social services, and the creative arts are thriving because they rely heavily on human connection and the nuanced understanding that machines can’t replicate. I’m sure that would be rewarding on a very human level.

For instance, healthcare workers, therapists, educators, and community organizers play crucial roles in our society. These professions are indispensable, providing services that require emotional intelligence, creativity, and a personal touch. Similarly, roles in the arts, like musicians, performers, and event organizers, are essential in bringing people together and fostering a sense of community.

For me, I feel called to be out there, observing the world, patterns, humans, in the unknown, and being on the edge of calling in the next thing. It’s not an easily understandable place because people aren’t quite sure what you’re doing until you release it. There is a no man’s land area, but it’s good not to worry about what people think and follow your intuition, creating from that place. I am putting all of that into my current projects.

I do enjoy the clarity and rhythm that a regular job might provide, but I thrive on operating from my senses and heading in directions I choose, even if that means making mistakes. I learn more and gain wisdom from these experiences. In a regular job, the fear of making mistakes might be challenging, but it would be fascinating to be back in that environment for a trial period. Perhaps, in a parallel universe, I am super happy in a job at one of my work experience placements, and life took a straighter path.

After the pandemic, I felt a strong urge to reconnect with the world, diving into culture, art, music, business, and technology to inform my next phase of life and personal growth. Traveling extensively over the past few years, I’ve gained a broader perspective, allowing me to shape my creative journey with a deeper understanding of the world. So while the idea of a regular job holds its own charm and structure, my heart is in the vibrant, unpredictable world of creativity where every day is a new adventure.

Alejandro, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Certainly! My journey into the creative industry is a tapestry of experiences and influences from my multicultural background. Born to a British mother and a soon-to-pass Mexican father, my early years were shaped by drawing while traveling, music, and diverse cultures. This foundation set the stage for a lifetime of exploration and creativity.

I believe my career began in Bristol when I was about 17, where I immersed myself in the vibrant and wild local art and music scene. A pivotal moment was meeting Massive Attack and witnessing the creation of part of their ‘Mezzanine’ album, which profoundly influenced my understanding of music and the creative process. This experience, coupled with my studies in architecture and photography, led me to the world of touring, video production, and documentaries while running a niche high-profile London production company for 11 years and then onto investing, community building, and creative direction in Los Angeles.

I am incredibly proud of being a founding partner of Winston House, a community space and creative hub in Venice Beach that successfully evolved from a unique, cool house party to a well-known entertainment brand. Establishing Winston House required significant personal and professional transformation. I had to adapt my workflow, energy, make investments, and dedicate myself to supporting emerging artists and content creators and help build a community, which was my mission. This journey taught me invaluable lessons and challenged me to subsequently embrace my identity as an artist—a role I had been fulfilling all along.

Working for Sir Paul McCartney will forever stand out as one of the highest points in my career. However, my current focus is now equally thrilling. I am now advising a company that helps artists license their creations and monetize their work, bringing everything full circle. This new venture is a natural progression, combining my passion for creativity with a commitment to empowering artists.

At NiftyArk, my production studio, we are on the verge of launching WRLD CHNGRS, a first-of-its-kind platform designed to help you grow through the power of daily journaling via your own superhero character that you create. This was a result of investing in learning about new technologies. When people obtain a hero through our hero builder, they design a hero avatar that expresses their unique style by choosing the body shape, pose, and auras. Your hero becomes a powerful symbol of your personal journey stored on the blockchain-powered marketplace and platform. We have blended a holistic approach to creativity, digital ownership with cutting-edge technology to deliver an innovative and impactful platform. With my team, we have pushed boundaries and explored new frontiers in art and technology, with music next on the horizon.

In summary, my journey has been a rich blend of cultural influences, personal growth, and professional achievements. From the vibrant music scenes of Manchester, Bristol, and London to co-founding Winston House and launching WRLD CHNGRS, each step has been about embracing creativity and supporting others in their artistic journeys. I am thrilled about my involvement in the new music licensing platform and I’m excited to continue empowering artists and pushing creative boundaries personally.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My creative journey has evolved over the years. Initially, it was about working with my heroes, live music, and learning cameras and filming. Then it grew into understanding production, storytelling, supporting colleagues, building a company, and connecting with people globally. I have always had a vision for the future, knowing that to live it, I would need to frequently embrace the unknown. I believe stepping into uncharted territories opens us up to limitless possibilities and profound growth.

Since I was young, my mission has been to uplift artists, friends, and creators. From my early experiences in diverse cultures and vibrant music scenes, to the 2000s in London, to co-founding Winston House and now launching WRLD CHNGRS, I’ve always been involved in ventures that raise eyebrows. My focus has never been on myself but on the bigger picture—whether creating videos, spaces, or now platforms where creativity can flourish. It’s been my natural instinct to provide opportunities for people to succeed while continuing to create and evolve myself.

Winston House embodies this mission by transforming a unique house party experience into a renowned entertainment brand and creative hub. This transformation required significant personal and professional rewiring and growth, but it was quietly rewarding to see the positive impact on the community. I love showing people their superpowers.

Now, with WRLD CHNGRS, I want to harness the power of daily journaling and innovative technologies to help individuals grow and achieve their personal goals. By designing a superhero avatar that evolves with them, users can visualize and celebrate their progress, fostering a deeper connection to their personal journey.

Overall, my mission is to blend creativity with innovation, pushing myself through art, music, and technology. The next phase of my journey brings everything together, focusing on how creatives can license and monetize their work and exploring new frontiers in digital ownership and blockchain technology. On challenging days, I think of my younger self in Liverpool watching my first concert, Michael Jackson, and tap into that mindset of wonder and excitement.

As the world changes, we must elevate ourselves. I am now driven by a respect for how the mind works with the body. I hope others can learn from my mistakes, but I also believe in the unique power of learning from one’s own mistakes. I’ve always felt that my life path has been guided by the Universe’s grand design, and I embrace that journey with gratitude and faith.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Those three letters have taken on all sorts of meanings and can trigger strong reactions and misunderstandings. I get it. NFTs can represent a wide spectrum of things. Personally, I’ve had a mostly positive experience with NFTs. During the pandemic, I was listening to Clubhouse through the night while realizing a lifelong goal of just making art for myself—no client, no brief, just me, materials, the process, and learning. I listened to many rooms with artists helping each other ‘mint’ work. It was amazing to see people selling their digital work without intermediaries, receiving royalties, paying bills, supporting one another, and in some cases launching new careers.

I remember the buildup to minting my first piece—a picture of spray paint on cardboard marking a friend leaving. It was a buzz, and I created more in different styles, learned new software, and started selling some. It really felt like the future had arrived. I was part of Searchlight’s group of up-and-coming NFT artists, who all supported each other. I eventually had the honor of putting together the drop for ‘The Lennon Connection’ for Julian Lennon, which raised $170k for charity. It was a significant milestone, but there was a lot of trial and error on this NFT journey.

I bought pieces to support artists I liked, and the meetups had a new collaborative energy unlike anything I’d experienced before. I enjoyed attending conferences and meeting people from various industries—developers, attorneys, technologists. I managed to avoid a lot of the hype projects that emerged as market manipulation became rampant. I eventually bought a Lil Pudgy, a project that has built real community and successfully given IP to holders. Now, as Creative Director for WRLD CHNGRS, I’m working on a platform on-chain about personal growth, which isn’t focused solely on NFTs.

NFTs might feel like a blast from the past during this meme coin era, but I believe the next wave will be different. Lessons have been learned, utilities are becoming real-world, people are safer, and the process to get involved is more streamlined. Soon, NFTs will be an integral part of life, and no one will care that these digital stores of ownership used to be called NFTs. But every innovation has to start somewhere.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.niftyark.io
• Instagram: @alejandro_reyes_knight / @onwards.x / @wrld_chngrs / @winstonhouse
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlejandroReyesKnight
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-reyes-knight-55340a41
• Twitter: @onwards_x
• Other: https://www.wrld-chngrs.com Launching mid July