We were lucky to catch up with Alexis McDowell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alexis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

If I could go back to Alexis from years ago, I would tell her to immerse herself in her art and not waste time on other things, I was a rule-follower and very eager to please those around me so I listened when told art could not be a career for me.

I was encouraged to do “more practical” things and told “only the best artists can make it.” That made me believe I was not good enough and so I reserved my desire to create for a hobby. I did graduate school with a minor in art combined with a communications degree which allowed me to get a job as a graphic designer. This seemed like the responsible route to express my creativity. I found however, that designing for other people is not my cup of tea. I wanted freedom to create my designs, make my art the way I wanted. It was a hard spot to be in and felt very restrictive.

Fast forward a decade or two through child-rearing and pausing my work career for them. I finally decided to stop dreaming about having a career in art and I decided to go get my BFA in Painting. It has since morphed to a degree in Communications Design, and I am honing the direction I want to go professionally with my art each and every day. I realize I can turn my skills and talents, not to mention innate desire to create into a career. I can also design that career. I am not convinced I have to work for someone in order to be successful. I plan to use the new education I have received including a marketing minor to launch myself as a professional artist who can sell the art I feel compelled to make – and even do so without being commissioned.

I believe if I had started younger, I would be way ahead where I am now as far as how my art has progressed. However, I also know that I was a totally different person back then. Young, impulsive, shy, and may have not had the ability to take my art where it needed to go yet. Sometimes we have to take the long route to a future destination in order to learn certain lessons that will make us better once we get there.

Over the time I wasn’t working professionally as an artist I was collecting ideas, filling my bucket with inspiration, practicing when I could and slowly my artistic voice was being polished.

If I could do it all again, I would have been more assertive about what I wanted and gone to art school. I don’t believe in regret though. We can only learn from our mistakes or pass along what we have learned to others. I am here now, and working hard and so excited about the prospects of my future as a professional artist. And I encourage anyone who has doubts about being able to do something to put those internal (or external) voices to rest and go for it. Your future self will thank you.

Alexis, 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?

I have always loved art – being around it, creating it, being with people who appreciate it. In addition to many other things, I I have always enjoyed vintage travel posters. So when I moved into a beautiful valley in the foothills of Colorado, I was inspired to take that place and surrounding areas and create travel posters of the area. It turns out that I am not alone as far as loving the scenery of that place and many people have become fans of my artwork.

I have since branched out into making posters of the Denver area including many favorite spots like City Park and Washington Park. I have so many ideas for locations and venues, the list is seemingly endless. I get such a rush when I am creating the art and I see my vision come alive.

It’s so exciting to share the beauty that I see in our amazing state with my community and city.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I mentioned that I had to switch out of the BFA program into the BA for communications design at Metro State University. This wasn’t something I wanted to do exactly, but life had thrown me a very large curveball when my husband told me he didn’t want to be married anymore. No longer could I pursue this education for pleasure (and hopefully make money from it) now I had to focus on what I needed to do to support myself and definitely make a plan to get a job. The thing I have not swayed from though, is that I want to work by creating my art. I want to find a way to market myself and sell my own art. I believe I can bring in my own paycheck just as if I was working for someone else.

Life is hard. Change is constant. If we can roll with the punches and get back up again, maybe not right away, but a little tiny step each day…then we will succeed. I struggled with depression and moving forward greatly. But I knew that if I could work on one thing each day, move things forward just the slightest bit, I would make progress. I still struggle with it, but the momentum is catching on.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Currently I am reading a few different books that I am excited to implement ideas from. The first is “Two Weeks Notice” by Amy Porterfield. She lays the plan out for launching yourself as an entrepreneur in a very step-by-step banner. I am well on my way with my business – so I am excited to put into action her suggestions and see how that helps me grow.

The other book I am excited about is called “Jump Start Your Brain” by Doug Hall. It’s about thinking creatively in all situations and making yourself more creative all around. I would like to flow with new ideas and create ways to achieve my goals. I think that this book will help.

I also just finished “Lessons in Chemistry.” It is fiction, but the main character holds nothing back to achieve her goals. She speaks her mind. And while being a professional woman in the fifties was almost ludicrous to some, she did not let that hold her back. She fought back against the patriarchal mindset in her profession and personal life. I find that inspiring. I have always been way too concerned with what others think and let that prohibit my progress. But I am learning that there is space for me and I bring value to that space.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alexisnicole.art
• Instagram: @Alexis_nicole.art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexismcdowellartist
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/alexismcdowell/

Image Credits
Artwork by Alexis Nicole 2023