Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alison Meaney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alison, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
My Tamarindo Mixed media project means a lot to me because it’s something I thought about tackling for years. I miraculously found myself with the time, the inclination and the funds to execute the project at the high level I envisioned; seamlessly combining painting and mosaic together for one continuous, highly textured image.
I described the scope of the project to a relative who had recently retired from the Smithsonian Museum of African Art, and he indicated I might want to extend my own arbitrary process in order to run some proper tests. From design to installation, the process took me about a year, but the outcome exceeded expectations. It really surprised me how well the work turned out.
Alison, 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?
My grandmother is the source of my interest in the arts and likely where I received any of my talent. When I was a girl, we used to sit together and page through old copies of American Artist and talk about what we liked and what she didn’t. That sacred time is a huge part of my origin story as well has being given the space to dig into being a weird, quiet kid; I used to steal paint samples from the hardware store on trips with my dad and meticulously sort them by color.
My preexisting interest in the arts ignited when I moved to Chicago and found whole neighborhoods engulfed in towering murals. Living around professionals making their way creating something beautiful out of little to nothing set me into high gear.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I am incredibly grateful to friends and family for supporting my art practice, but connecting with a stranger lights me up. An individual reaching out based only on the merits of my work is incredibly affirming.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
My obsessively cultivated Instagram following went down the drain in 2023 when my account was hacked. My friends and I watched as a bot removed all my information and every image of my artwork and flipped the page to a promotional tool for a Turkish vape company. It was surprisingly gut-wrenching, but you just start again.
I’m not quite at the same number of followers, but I’ve been really intentional about building my page back up and have actually seen an increase in engagement since the reboot. Like any creative endeavor, you just start somewhere and keep on doing the next right thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alisonmeaney.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisonmeaneyart?igsh=cWtvanY0emJrdGRo&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alisonmeaneyart?
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-hayes-baa73a44?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
