Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexa Ruvalcaba. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Alexa, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I feel like everyone had this epiphany, a specific moment where they just knew what they wanted to be. A cool “aha” kind of moment. I feel lame not having a cool moment like that. It wasn’t a specific moment, rather, the idea of pursuing a creative/artistic path professionally was something that had grown on me over the years.
I dabbled in the arts since I was a kid, jumping from one medium to the next. I started dancing when I was a toddler, and then later on in my adolescence, I got into drawing, writing, photography, and music. I began film/video editing when I was thirteen years old and have been doing it since. Editing was the main avenue that led me to filmmaking and when my love for it began and continued to grow over time.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was born and raised in Corona, California. My childhood was filled with the arts and creativity. It was appreciated and encouraged by my family, mainly by my mother. My mother loved doing arts and crafts and had me and my sisters participate in them as well. She wanted us to have that kind of freedom to be able to express ourselves through art. She believed art was incredibly important, and she was right.
I began film and video editing at thirteen and that was truly the beginning of what began my filmmaking journey. I had started a YouTube channel, posting fun edits of movies and TV shows I loved. It was a place where I could dissect visual stories I would see onscreen, to take something that was already cut together and do something different with it, to cut it in a certain way to convey various themes or ideas for the people clicking on my videos. There was one particular edit I had made of Star Wars (I was a major Star Wars fanatic at the time and still am), and it reached many viewers, among them was a music composer from Burbank who was also a major Star Wars fan. She saw talent in me, and she encouraged me to attend New York Film Academy. Around the same time I began editing, I also wrote, directed, and shot my own short films. I was able to submit to the school and, from my submissions, I was admitted. There, I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Filmmaking.
Editing has always been my main strength and is what I love to do for others. I edit short films, trailers, music videos, weddings, etc. Through my editing and the perspective I bring to a project, I aid in bringing someone’s artistic visions to life.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is how you can affect people. Creating something that people connect with is something that will never get old to me. It always leaves me in awe. You can make people laugh, cry, or make them view something in a different light. Art is fundamental to us because it reminds us of what it is to be human.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
I don’t necessarily seek out any books, videos, or essays on those things mainly because I come from a line of entrepreneurs. My father as well as both my grandfathers were successful self-starters. I learn a lot from their philosophies and their perspective on things. There’s one thing my grandfather on my Mom’s side told me once, and it has always stuck with me. “Other people should prosper because you exist,” he told me. It was a motto that was often told to my grandfather by his father. He wanted his son to live by that. It’s a saying that is frequently on my mind. It is something I want to live by, too. My work should help people. My editing should help others’ artistic visions come to fruition.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alexalexie.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-ruvalcaba-173595215/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexaLexie