We caught up with the brilliant and insightful ALEX PURYEAR a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, ALEX thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

As a kid, I’ve always wanted to become an artist, I always got in trouble writing on classwork assignments. My pursuit in the artistic field never dulled, as a kid, I had the perception of an artist living in Paris, wearingng a beret with a baguette.
I don’t think there was never any moment that triggered me to go harder. I think more so it was the steps and accolades that I got throughout the years in high school that pushed me forward. My first taste of as I would say 15 minutes of fame was a contest that my art teacher submitted and won…! the artwork was showcased at the museum of contemporary art

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?

First of all, I don’t think there was a beginning or end to it. Art has always been in my blood. As I was discovering who I was as an individual, I had always been drawn to the creative. As a child, I found myself drawing cartoons and it grew from there. Today I look at it as a gift that was unavoidable. The development of art as my craft has been exponential from the moment I realized I loved it. As an artist, I constantly approach all my creative works with a sense of evaluation. It is a constant for me in my process. I enjoy experiencing art through others, attending exhibits of my peers, visiting museums, staying present in the art world, etc… This keeps me grounded in my work and ensures continuous growth. I am most proud of my dedication to my craft over the years, my ability to be humble in what I create and allowing interpretation of my work through the viewer.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Art as a whole is based on emotion. There is a feeling that you experience, either through music, smell, taste, etc… that can take you to that place of creativity, or a moment in time, that some may not be aware of. My approach to creating, starts with accessing my emotions about the piece, more often than the technical ability to execute. In recent times of exhibiting my art, I have encountered non-creatives, that admired how I arrived here. I have always told a story about my days in art school, where my instructor provided a demonstration on how to tap into our emotional side utilizing freeform drawing. Basically, no direction for where the drawing was going, just scribbling on paper and experiencing the results. We all received 6 sheets of paper to then write down 6 different emotions or actions. For some of us, this felt strange to express our creativity in an emotional setting. He had us react creatively to each word we had written, in scribbles on a page. For example, if the word was love, close your eyes and express in scribble what love is without actually thinking of what love is. Towards the end of this activity, I was able to uniquely see the difference in my scribbles. For example, love was very different from anger. Looking at my response to love, was like looking at a bee searching for his next flower, loose and flowing. In contrast to love, anger was very centered in strength, structure and sharp edges. I tell this story to people that may not have the same view on art as I, to help them understand through my experience that art is not something that is exclusive to one type of person. Everyone has the ability to be creative through their own means of accessing emotion, without expectation of result.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The release is probably the most rewarding aspect of being an artist. Being able to access these tools is pivotal for my well being. Also, having the ability to showcase my work and having the privilege to hear others curation and story of my work is rewarding. Almost like my work or art in general allows others to have access to their own creative center. Art, creating art, enjoying art, being art, gives me the most satisfaction.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://puryearart.wixsite.com/alex
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexpuryearart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexpuryear
• Other: https://society6.com/alexpuryear; https://puryearart.threadless.com/

Image Credits
Alex Puryear