We were lucky to catch up with Alexa Ritter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alexa, 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.

I’ve always been someone who believed in the idea of taking a risk and failing rather than not trying it and living in regret. One of the biggest risks that I feel like I have taken, especially professionally, was just quitting my full time job – a job where I had consistent hours, consistent income, and more stability – to pursue a freelance role.
Although I love taking risks, I have always been someone who loves stability and thrives in a more controlled, creative environment, but I knew that if I didn’t try, I would regret not allowing myself to have the ability to grow in ways that I knew that I could.
Now, I won’t lie to you and tell you every day was easy or consistent, because it isn’t with freelance work, but there are so many incredible aspects to it that have allowed me to not only live life more freely, but to grow in multiple aspects.
By taking the risk, my life has bloomed in unimaginable ways; I’ve bonded and worked with some of the most incredible people and companies, I’ve learned so much professionally, and I have grown so much personally. By taking the risk, I have become a version of myself that I am proud of, which allows me to be better in every aspect of my life.
So, my biggest piece of advice is take the risk or lose the opportunity; you might just surprise yourself. It’s the first step to creating the life of your dreams.

Alexa, 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?

It all started back when I was in middle school, or at least that is the earliest memory that I have of when I decided that I wanted to get into the creative world. I remember diving into theatre, choir, and then eventually fashion as I got older. I met with the modeling and talent agency that I am now signed with about 10 years later, and I was pursuing a career in acting at a local theatre where I was living (Town Hall Theatre in Centerville, Ohio). From there, this passion grew and has only gotten bigger over the past ten years. Once social media was introduced, these passions bled over into platforms such as Instagram, which led me to start collaborating with brands then working for an influencer while I was living in Nashville, Tennessee for a small amount of time. Throughout all of these years and with all of these various creative experiences, alongside my college degree in Marketing with a minor in Fashion from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, I knew it was my time to take the risk and dive into freelance work for all of these aspects, but with a focus on social media and modeling.
My biggest “why” and the way that I feel that I am able to help my clients, whether it be to create social media platforms, cultivate social media ambassador programs, copywrite, plan and shoot photoshoots, etc., is to be able to be an asset to their biggest dreams. I am here to help my clients to be able to share their story, to inspire others and to constantly be inspired themselves.
I think that mindset is what sets me apart from others and what I am most proud of too. Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good Pinterest quote, but the two I live by more than anything are “I am creating the life of my dreams” and “Always leave people better than you found them”. I go into everything that I do with this mindset; I am here to put my whole heart into helping my clients live out their dreams, while also hopefully building deep connections and friendships with them so that I can be a light to their lives. That’s really what it’s all about – who you are and how you can use your passions to make the world a better place, every day.
At the end of the day, the thing that I want people to think of when they think of me is not only that I am able to provide them with a service to thrive in their businesses/careers, but they know that I am their biggest supporter, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to help their dreams come true.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

After I graduated college, I started working for a remote marketing agency. Now, I am so grateful for this opportunity, because I was able to grow an immense amount both personally and professionally, and I was able to work with some of the best people, but I remember feeling dull and uninspired in what I was doing. One night, I was laying in bed just thinking about it all, and I just asked myself the question – “Would younger me be proud of where I’m at today?”. This question led me to think about what my dreams, passions, and goals were at 18. Why did I work so hard in school or pursue the things that I did to gain knowledge and experience? It was all of these thoughts that set me back on the track of making a change; I owed it to younger Alexa and to myself today to live the life I had always dreamt about.
Life is so magical and so beautiful, and our time here is so precious and short, so we have to take every opportunity that we can to live it fully and passionately with all that we do. That dream was put on your heart for a reason, and that is what I tell myself every day. That is my mission – to pursue the life I always dreamt about and to live life to the fullest, never taking it for granted.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I am so grateful for my college degree, because the University of Cincinnati showed me and fostered the power of networking so deeply into my work. So, NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. When I first started doing work for social media, specifically collaborations with other brands to create content, I would reach out to these companies or fill out a form to apply to be an ambassador. Over the years, because I started small, I have been able to continue to work with these brands and to cultivate deeper relationships with them. I was incredibly hungry for brands to work with, still am, and I was willing to do things that weren’t paid, because that is how deep my passion was for it.
My biggest piece of advice for someone wanting to start out in doing what I am doing is reach out to brands, create relationships and friendships with the brands that you work with, and take opportunities that you resonate with as they come; these are ways that you are going to build a portfolio, gain credibility, and bond with some of the most incredible people.
Always leave people better than you found them, because the connections you have can also be a bridge to more connections down the road too. The opportunities are endless.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/alexanritter
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexa.ritter.96/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-ritter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexaritter_

Image Credits
My images are mostly the content that I have created myself for brands such as Albion Fit, Vestique, City Beach Australia, Altar’d State, etc. I have a couple of modeling shots from Shoppe Smitten and KINS Collective in there as well.