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

Alyssa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned a large portion of my art skills in high school. I was lucky enough to have gone to Eden JR SR high, where there was an amazing selection of art classes. I dropped study halls to take more art classes. I took Drawing and painting, studio in art, ceramics, cartooning, an arts and crafts class. I feel very blessed to have had that in high school. I took some art classes in college, but primarily studied graphic design. I learned so much about my artistic skills by doodling and just drawing what I see in my free time. My college classes were very unorganized. I had to teach myself most of what my professors were to teach me. Knowing what I know now, I realize how accessible it is to teach yourself art & design. When faced with, “Go to school, or self taught”, I recommend people teach themselves as much as they can. Going to school seems like the best bet if you’re looking for organized instruction, but that’s not a guarantee. I was disappointed, since college is expensive and all, so I didn’t continue after my two years.
I honestly think some of the rules you learn in school about art can be a bit suffocating. My high school education in art was far more valuable than my college art education. I think it’s important for artists to teach themselves as much as they can about art, and do your research about marketing, because that’s that hardest part.

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 am Alyssa Fiumara. I am an artist & graphic designer from Buffalo, NY. I find myself diving into a lot of creative projects, but I most enjoy painting, drawing, playing with natural elements like wood & moss, creating wedding stationery, logo design, sticker making and pet portraits!
I got into creative design in high school. I was having a hard time in school for a long while. I was very depressed and found it difficult to show up. After taking my first art class, studio in art, I realized I was passionate about something for the first time. It changed the way I viewed education entirely and I dedicated my time to art, primarily painting. I studied Graphic Design in college.
After burning myself out, working three jobs and taking classes full-time, I decided to get serious about making art my career. I was always shy about sharing my art with others, but this was something I really wanted. I began taking commissions, started making designs and pieces to share with others, and worked on wedding stationery.
I enjoy making art for myself and others, using calming elements that remind me of nature and being in the woods. I like to use unique colors, crisp ink lines, and flowing watercolor pigments. I love using pieces of earth in my works, things like moss, slabs of wood, and even mushrooms.
It is my goal to bring people peace and comfort with my designs.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

It’s a scary world out there for artists & creatives. Many of us have to work multiple jobs to get by, most our income isn’t the same month to month, and cheap manufacturers like to get in the way. It is so important to support artists, especially in your own community. Amazing ways your can support artists is by attending art shows & galleries, commissioning local artists, work with a local print shop, rather than a big online seller. You could reach out to an artist to have your logo and branding done, take art classes & workshops in your community, make donations to art centers. And one of the easiest and most helpful way to support artists & creatives is by simply sharing their work on social media! That really goes a long way. It’s not about gaining more followers, it’s about having more eyes see the work that they are making!

I think another way to support artists is to have small and big art fairs. A lot of the art fairs in the Buffalo area are just unrealistic for small artists, in terms of fees. We have some that are smaller and costs less, and I think that is very important for the creative ecosystem.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the connection and emotion being made with others. A lot of my art can be silly, and I love connecting with other silly people. But a lot of my artwork is sentimental. Seeing people’s faces when they first see what their wedding invitations look like is something I hold in my head and heart forever. Being commissioned for a pet portrait for someone whose cat has passed, bringing them to tears is something I can’t forget. You add up all these brush strokes and colors, and it affects people. Often my designs are made while I am working through something internally. Having other people connect with that, without words, is astonishing to me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssafiu/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alyssa.fiumara.1