We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexis Grace a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alexis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I have taken many risk in life but the best thing I have ever done was bet on myself. I am a 2020 Graduate of Clark Atlanta University and a 2022 Graduate of Agnes Scott College both degrees centered around Digital Media and Writing. When I first graduated in 2020 – I had no idea what I was going to do in life but I had a small gig as a Social Media Manager. I started taking on more and more assignment with that company, The Atlanta Voice, and within six months I became the Director of Digital Media. During that time, I had the opportunity to change how some people viewed Black Owned Publications, interviewed celebrities to name a few: Kelly Rowland, Gunna, and the Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison.

I obtained so much knowledge and experience during a two year time period and did some I normally would not do- show it to people and be loud about it. What many would consider bragging, I deemed as a pat on the back for myself and that’s something I deemed risky.

After I received my Master’s from Agnes Scott, I started dabbling in LinkedIn because by this point – I had multiple direct messages from recruiters from all different fields looking to hire. It felt amazing to see the work that I had put in with many sleepless nights come to fruition. That was when I was offered a position at Cox Media Group to work as a Digital Content Analyst with the chance to give back to local news with the knowledge I gained over the years. I also decided to pursue a dream of having a wine career, where I applied for a scholarship with the Roots Fund – an organization dedicated to placing BIPOC professionals in the wine industry. My love for wine and giving back to others has increased tremendously all because I took a chance to not only love myself but the work that I can produce. It is a battle everyday but it was all worth it.

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 got into the media industry by not only consistently working on my writing and copy writing skills but learning the importance of having a mentor at an early age. There is something special in the power of Community. My first mentor was Marshall Latimore, who at the time was an Editor in Chief at the Atlanta Voice. He passed in 2021 ,but one thing he taught me was to try everything to find what I like even if it’s something I would not normally like. That is what made my image very marketable. If you know how to do everything, you are not as expendable to the company or industry you work in. Getting to know people and honing in on my skills on a consistent basis is what got me to where I am. Showing up, doing the work and doing the research has helped me become who I am in my career.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is being able to put your emotions in your work. It can be therapeutic but also it could be the reason you go insane.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Being a creative is not as easy as non-creatives may think. There are times where it may come in waves or where you need inspiration but you have a job to do and you have to find that energy or that inspiration quickly. It can be draining.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alexisgrace.agnesscott.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexissgraceee_/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-grace/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexissgraceee
• Other: The Wine Girlies – my wine page https://www.instagram.com/thewinegirlies

Image Credits
Photo credit: @thewinegirlies on instagram Photo credit: @rootsfund on instagram