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

Alex, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

Each pet portrait I do I donate 10% to a wonderful, amazing organization called Teo Tails in Teotitlan, Mexico, a small town outside of Oaxaca City. Teo Tails provides vaccines, preventatives, and other medical care to the precious animals that live within this community. They have so much love, and empathy for all creatures! I encourage you to follow them on instagram to see what they are up to! @teotailsmx

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been into photography since my first high school class at 16, and I found out I wasn’t to shabby at illustrating about 8 years ago. Within the last year, I finally got the courage to jump into the freelance realm and invest more time into myself and my work, as I know I have something special here that brands/ people want! My work is a little moodier than most are accustomed too, but in that regard, it stands out. One can (hopefully) tell the piece is noticeably an Alex Uvalle work.
I have two prominent mediums stippling illustration and lifestyle/ portrait photography. I’ve heard many people tell me time and time again I should focus in on one specific niche, but alas, I love both so so much!

For my photography clients: I now offer international imagery creation trips. I have had four of these so far, with another one coming up in a few short weeks! These trips are all inclusive product photography sessions in which I bring my own talent, scout out/ secure awe inspiring locations, and execute/ edit the photo shoots. So far we’ve been in the depths of the jungle in Chiapas with hydro flask, underwater in unreal cenotes with Topo Designs, and above the clouds in gorgeous architectural feats in San Cristobol with Chaco footwear. Mexico is the country I am most comfortable with as I have my Diploma of Mexican studies from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, and I can speak a decent amount of spanish. This allows for meeting locals and arriving at incredible locations off the beaten path.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

My creative friends have definitely been a huge asset in not giving up and not feeling quite so alone. From the outside/ instagram/ socials, it can really look like everyone is doing amazing and stacking clients, etc. this often made me feel like I was doing a horrible job when I had dry spells. I started actually calling up my creative friends and learning their journey. It turns out we’re all in the same boat, and or have definitely been there. This insight to everyones non linear journey gave me the fuel to keep going. Not giving up is easier said than done, but it’s way easier with good friends to lean on and support you!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Of course there are highs and lows, this is just inherently human! However the brain needs to be worked just as much as your physical body, gym time is equivalent to sitting with your thoughts, and morphing those thoughts into positivity. A positive thought is 100x more powerful than a negative one, and though I know it may sound cliche, having positive thoughts and feelings will create better outcomes. This has been difficult for me in the past, however after much practice I can catch myself a little quicker when I start going into a negative headspace. Being an artist can feel so emotionally exhausting, you put your work out for the world to judge, and it doesn’t always go great…. But a lot of times it does!!:)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alexuvalle.com
• Instagram: @uvalle
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Image Credits
Alex Uvalle