Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexis Diller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Alexis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I’m happy and grateful to be self-employed full-time for almost 7 years now.

With a natural love for photography and design, I was doing freelance with these services even when I worked corporate jobs out of and after college. It was a nice way to earn extra money, but I didn’t necessarily have a goal to be self-employed when I started my marketing career.

I really started to reflect on what I wanted to do when I left my job of 5 years as a marketing manager. Did I want to go back to corporate? Or, did I want to try things on my own? My network, family, and friends that knew I did freelance really helped me with making connections and creating work opportunities.
I got to do some bigger freelance jobs made this self-employed journey feel accessible and real.

My self-employment has also expanded to not just photography/video, writing, and social media management, but also music. It’s pretty cool to get paid for the things you like to do most in life.

Alexis, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Alexis and I’m a singer-songwriter and content creator specializing in social media marketing. As a Pisces, one could say that creativity is in my blood.

I’ve always loved music and was in the school band from elementary to middle school. Eventually traded my trumpet for a guitar and taught myself how to play at age 13. Though I also wrote lyrics, I was too shy to sing for a long time. Many of my OG instrumentals as well as current covers can be found on YouTube. My confidence grew over the years and I’ve been playing open mics and showcases since 2017. My big goal is to self-produce and get my music licensed from film, tv, etc.

My other love is marketing and its visual expression and messaging through photography, videography, and design. I attended SDSU as an undergrad and graduate and hold degrees in Integrated Marketing Communications and Masters in Communications. I was a marketing manager for 5 years before going full-time freelance in 2017.

Alexis Tia Creative Services offers a mix of content creation solutions for companies and individuals including photography, videography, social media management, email marketing, and Facebook ads. People describe my work and style as professional, dependable, flexible, resourceful, creative, organized, and just plain “getting it”.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I was less shy and more proactive with finding networking meetups, industry or general. A few that I recommend are Creative Mornings and MeetUp. I’ve connected with people that have led to business opportunities and just plain friendship. YouTube university is also great for anyone that doesn’t quite have the funds to take an expensive class.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is making a positive impact on someone’s day, life, etc.

One memory that stands out is when I was playing a 2-hour gig at One Paseo. With those types of gigs, people are really walking by and you are there as the background entertainment.

After my gig, this lady came up to me and thanked me, saying she’d been in a funk with writer’s block for months, and this one song I sang immediately inspired her. To be a catalyst for inspiration, sad to happy, etc, is a big reason why I do what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alexistia.com or www.alexistiamusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/alexistiacreative
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexisTiaCreativemarketing/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisdiller/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/alexistia

Image Credits
Darci Fontenot Alexis Tia Diller