We recently connected with Alex Ippolito and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alex, thanks for joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?
The first really real time I made money as an artist was when I sold a Linocut print of a Jackalope in a gallery in Missoula, Montana ten years ago. My grandmother, who was also an artist, told me about a national exhibition called Icons of The West and she heavily encouraged me to submit my Jackalope print to the call for artists. I did it begrudgingly honestly, which makes me laugh to this day. I was so stressed about getting the perfect picture I ended up dropping my camera on my foot, which was ridiculous. But I pushed through my irritation and perfectionism about the perfect photo of my print and submitted my work. Weeks later, much to my surprise, I had been selected to show my print. It was a really fun night, being with my family and getting the opportunity to showcase my art alongside other incredibly talented artists. I knew it was a possibility that the gallery could sell my work, but I didn’t expect it to happen! I was actually looking forward to getting that print back and giving it to my grandma, but it actually sold and I got a decent bit of money out of it. It was really exciting and boosted my confidence as an artist and confirmed to me that I CAN be a professional and make money with my creativity.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
A little about me is that I’ve always made art ever since I can remember. My grandmother used to give me art lessons as a child, so I just sort of grew up around incredibly talented and creative people. After high school I tried to deviate from a creative field to study psychology, but in the end that lasted maybe a couple of months before I realized all I wanted to do was take photos and draw. So I enrolled at BSU in Boise, Idaho and started down the path to get my BFA in Illustration, which I’m proud to say I accomplished that officially in 2017. So with my BFA in hand I put my full heart into running my online shop selling stickers, prints, and clothing items I designed. Since then I’ve branched out into more freelance work, but I still run my shop on the side.
I think the thing I am most proud of is starting my own business and selling art to people all over the world. It’s really a neat feeling to know that strangers online love my work enough to buy it and support my dream of simply being able to be creative everyday. I’m really grateful!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to do creative stuff everyday. It’s also meeting up with other artists and having art days where we sip on cocktails and work on projects together. The people I’ve met are so neat. Another rewarding aspect is when people connect with my drawings and share them online or leave me comments about how much they think my drawings are funny. Especially because my whole IG is dedicated to my personal work, not my client work. It’s really awesome to have a following that’s tuned into the cartoon world I’m creating, who appreciate it and encourage me. That’s what’s probably the most rewarding of all.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I’d say my goal/mission in my creative journey is to make people laugh… make myself laugh to be honest. It sounds so simple when I write it out, but that’s really my mission. Life isn’t always great, grand, and wonderful, but if I can share a drawing that makes someone laugh or just brighten their day a bit then I’m 100% stoked.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theyounglass.com
- Instagram: @theyounglass
- Youtube: @theyounglass
