We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alecia Peck. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alecia below.

Alright, Alecia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

How did you learn to do what you do? I started 5 years ago watching YouTube videos. I would watch different artists, techniques, and products they used, always taking notes.
Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? I don’t absorb as much information if I am just reading material, it’s boring unless it’s directions. I feel fortunate for videos. I can rewind them, pause them when I am working with resin, and if I am unsure if I am working the resin correctly. The ability to watch them multiple times is one of the best ways to see where I made my mistakes and get better.
What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Patience is the most essential skill, resin is a fickle craft and an art in itself, patience is the key to success. You can’t pour resin and walk away. If you rush anything with Resin, it shows in your work.
Motivation is my biggest obstacle. There are times when being an Artist, Small Business Owner, advertiser, web designer, etc, can be overwhelming and tiring.

Alecia, 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 am a Flower Preservationist / Resin Artist, I preserve Bridal Bouquets into beautiful functional art. I preserve cherished memories and capture the essence of special moments using flowers.
Any flower can be preserved, it can be fresh, dried, or old and dusty, I can transform it into functional art.
One of my clients had a rose from her Mom’s funeral in the freezer for 11 years, she spent endless hours researching how to preserve it. I met her at one of my events, and after talking to her, you could see the weight being lifted from her. Now she is not carrying the burden, she is carrying a memory.
After I pick up the flowers, I take apart the bouquet, it’s just as much work as putting the bouquet together.
I then trim, cut, and dry the flowers. The flowers are dried in silica gel and can take a couple of weeks to fully dry. You can’t put a fresh flower in resin, it will start to rot within 5 days.
Next, the flowers are cleaned from all the gel that sticks to the pedals, then proceed to the layout process.
The layout process can be challenging because it’s a feeling, a mood. There are times I can redo an arrangement 10-15 times until it feels right!
Then the Resin process begins, and can take up to 2 weeks to complete, depending on size.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

My clients! They come to my events, they send their friends to me, and they have my art in their homes. When they come back and tell me how much they love something I have created, I just can’t put into words how rewarding it is!
I love to uplift women and I have a way with people. I can’t explain it but I just know when they need a hug, someone to talk to or they are carrying something around. When I get this feeling, I give them one of my mini-Goddesss, to help them. I tell them they deserve self-love, and the next thing you know we are crying. They tell me, I needed that right now, how did you know? It’s like a 6th sense.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My socials are built solely on people I have encountered at various markets, events, or festivals I have attended. My philosophy is sure I could pay for followers, but I want real people, who truly want to follow me or are interested in what I do. I’m not a fake person, so I don’t want fake followers. The best way to do this is to actually talk to people, and a QR code doesn’t hurt being in the great age of technology.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.reds-shadow.com
• Instagram: @redsshadowartwork
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redsshadow