We were lucky to catch up with Alex Peacher recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alex, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The first time I really remember taking a risk was when I moved to New York right after college. I didn’t have any friends, except for a colleague that was looking for a third roommate. I hadn’t secured a job either, but I had convinced my parents I was going to transfer from the retail shop I was working at to the one located in Union Square. Looking back now, 10 years later, it was an incredible leap and it will probably stay on my list of one of the hardest things I ever did in life. 8 years after that initial leap, after many ups and downs, I had a career in fashion public relations, a partner I loved, great friends and an apartment I adored but my job wasn’t fulfilling me. I was stuck in a rut and depressed. I just couldn’t see myself sitting behind a computer all day everyday and what I was doing wasn’t fulfilling me. I had been painting on the side and toyed with the idea of somehow making it as a freelance creative but just didn’t know how to take the leap. After many years of trying to figure out my next move, something clicked. I had moved to NYC years prior without any connections, community or experience. It made me realize I should 100% take another risk on myself because if Alex could do it at 23, she could definitely do it at 30. I always encourage my friends to take a risk, because life is too short to not at least try doing something you love.

Alex, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I always considered my self a creative kid. Some of my most cherished childhood moments were alone in my room drawing my favorite manga character, sailor moon, for hours. I was led to New York City due to my interest in fashion. I never really thought one could make a living through art so to me, fashion was the next closest thing! While I might no longer be directly in the industry anymore, I learned so much and created many meaningful relationships that have helped propel the opportunities that have come my way since pursuing my own creative path. I started painting in my bedroom about two years after moving to New York. It was my way of revisiting that childhood self. I slowly started to share that work with close friends and many of them actually wanted to buy it! From there it kind of snowballed. I created a website and started trying to find anyway to get my work out there. Don’t ever be afraid to cold email local businesses because someone will eventually say yes.

While I still do have days in front of my computer for admin work, I’m very lucky to say that my days don’t ever tend to be the same! Sometimes I’ll be designing floral centerpieces for an event and sometimes I’m cutting giant carousel horses out of a piece of plywood to be prepped for oil paint! This past year has been incredibly fruitful for my creativity because I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone for clients. My partner and I are building a home together, so I guess you could consider that one giant art project that we’re working on. The best way to describe it is that the details have details! I’d like to think that building a house has given me the courage to say YES to projects I may have said no to even as little as a year ago. We moved up to the Hudson Valley from the city about two years ago and let me tell you, being able to sit and stare at the mountains has done wonders.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Keep being patrons of the arts and keep supporting small local businesses! We need the all forms of art more than ever to continue to connect us, especially as we dive deeper into the digital age.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love being a fly on the wall and listening to what complete strangers have to say about my work. Sometimes I hear things that are exactly what I was trying to convey and other times not. I recently had someone purchase a piece and shared the memory that my artwork brought her back too. It was from her childhood and such a sweet moment.

I also just love that everything I do and create is a representation of me, so there is a sense of pride there to do it well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alexandrapeacher.com
• Instagram: @alexpeacher / @alexandrapeacherart

Image Credits
All these images were shot by me personally