Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alex Savakis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alex, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
I always had an interest in art and drawing. I didn’t consider art a viable career option. My professional experiences tell a whole different story. My creative career started the moment I earned a BFA in art history.
I made signs for my family’s gift shop and ice cream parlor. I moved to California from Ohio. I found work in a sign shop where I was trained to cut and install vinyl graphics. Later I managed an in-house sign shop. Besides making signs I learned to create a budget and buy for the shop. The shop earned a profit which I used to buy new equipment.
I returned to Ohio. After a few brutal interviews I went back to college. I earned a BFA in graphic design. I interned as a catalog designer for an automotive tool company. After I graduated I worked as a production designer and lettering artist at a greeting card company. I met amazing lettering artists and illustrators. Everyone had a niche in which they succeeded and excelled. I found my creative voice as a lettering artist. I converted one of my lettering designs into a typeface. I can’t explain the joy I felt when I saw it on cards in a retail environment.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
When friends founded the website, They-Draw.com, I stretched my creative muscle by designing illustrated recipes and illustrated maps. I started a blog of my hand lettering designs. I posted a new lettering design daily for about two years. I developed an expressive script which I use to this day.
Personal or passion projects really do have an impact on creativity. Besides my blog projects I participated in the first 100 Days Project. I hand lettered over 100 names of family and friends. I developed an expressive way to design display type and lettering. Making the work was so satisfying. I would transition into a flow and the world fall away.
For the second 100 Day Project I bought an iPad and Apple Pencil. I illustrated over 100 buildings, structures and places of public interest in my Ohio hometown. Persistence and timing landed me in a group show which led to a solo show in my hometown. During my show people would tell me stories related to the buildings I illustrated. The work become a gateway into personal histories. That show was an honor.
Since my show I created a mural, designed beer can labels, made digital paintings of houses, and illustrated maps for places and events. Each piece told a story about the person or community who hired me.
Today I create illustrated portraits of lesser-known yet influential inventors and innovators. Research is a big part of my process. I search for biographies of my subjects and histories of their invention or innovation. Their information motivates me to keep going because they kept going and succeeding against all odds.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I mentioned it earlier. When I returned to Ohio I was humiliated during my interviews for design positions. I thought I knew what I was doing as a designer. The faces of interviewers and their words cut me deep. One art director was down right insulting. I returned to school for graphic design, understood what a graphic designer truly does, and reentered the job market with a renewed confidence. My design career guided my taste which helped me evolve and grow as an artist.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I quit my full time job and went freelance after we returned to California. Work was steady but the hours were inconsistent. A year into freelance the country experienced the Great Recession. All my work dried up. My spouse lost his job. I stayed connected with temp agencies. I landed an interview with an entertainment company which led to a steady freelance gig. I reviewed designs for consumer products submitted by licensees. After a few months all freelancers were laid off. Fortunately I had a good relationship with one of the licensees whose work I reviewed. They hired me. Establishing and maintaining professional relationships was the key that kept me working despite the economy. Out of the blue the business closed.
I found my way through the disruption and disruptions to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alexsavakis.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_savakis
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-savakis-5b158728b
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alexandersavakis/shorts
- Other: https://letteringguy.com
Image Credits
Illustrations and lettering by Alex Savakis