How Multidisciplinary Creatives Can Thrive in 2025—with Alexis Young

[00:00:00] Ami: So, without further ado, let’s give a round of applause to Alexis.

[00:00:10] Alexis: Wow. I’m used to having a band behind me on stage, so I’m actually a little bit nervous just being up here by myself. I feel naked, raw, vulnerable. But no, the name of my talk is actually called Sound and Vision. Uh, which is the harmony, finding the harmony of your separate callings. So, first things first, hi.

[00:00:39] Alexis: My name is Alexis. I am a musician and creative director, or creative director and musician, depending on what day you ask me. Uh, this is the view from my office. Um, this is, uh, I guess you can’t really see it that well blown out on the projector, [00:01:00] but this is the view on stage at a sold out show in Hamburg in Germany at a festival called Reeperbahn.

[00:01:07] Alexis: Uh, where we played with my band, and on this particular night, we forgot to book accommodation, and so we thought that we were going to have to sleep in our van, but actually the bartender of Cocoon, this venue, uh, hooked us up with the punk squat for us to stay in for the night. And so after we stayed up all night partying, and then went to the fish market, uh, where the local grandmothers were buying fish for their families for the week.

[00:01:32] Alexis: We then went to the Punk Squad around eight or nine in the morning, had a little nap, and then went in the van, and drove to the next city on tour, ultimately living my best life. Just another day in the life, right? Um, so this is me living my best life. This is also me living my best life. This is me, without any makeup on, working from home.

[00:01:59] Alexis: [00:02:00] Actually, this Monday, a few days ago, putting together the slides for this talk. Um, and before I got to this place of complete joy and absolute harmony, as you can tell. Look at this face. Just absolutely living in balance. Thriving. Flourishing. Before we got to this girl, I was deeply, deeply unwell. So, I was suffering from A few different problems.

[00:02:34] Alexis: The first one was that I was afraid that people wouldn’t take me seriously in either music or design. The second one is that I felt stuck between two worlds. And the third one was that I was working way too much and I became the B word. And before you think, being a little bitch, no, I’m always a bitch. I was burnt out.[00:03:00] 

[00:03:01] Alexis: To give you a little bit of context, yes, thank you, Alex. To give you a little bit of context, in 2021, while I was starting my agency, I worked for six months straight without one day off while also recording a full length album. And I. So, highly do not recommend that to anybody. I learned the extent of human potential and capability during that time.

[00:03:27] Alexis: That was also only one of many times that I have burned myself out. So when we talk about burnout, I feel I am very much qualified to speak on this subject. But, in order to get a little bit of a sense of where I’m at now, first we must go back to the beginning. Uh, so we’re in this mess because I have two loves, and I feel like a lot of you in here are freaks like me that can’t choose.

[00:03:58] Alexis: We just love too many things. [00:04:00] I love design because it is a logical problem solving skill. I feel like the rational side of my brain loves to solve these problems. I love to solve them in a visual, uh, way. It’s kind of scratches that itch that I really have, um, for needing to be analytical and also visual at the same time.

[00:04:22] Alexis: Music, on the other hand, is a lot more of an emotional expression. And when I’m performing, I’ll tell you this right now, there is no other drug out there greater than being on a stage in front of a sold out crowd where people in the front are singing your own lyrics back at you. I would not trade that for the world.

[00:04:41] Alexis: So, we’re in a bit of a pickle here because between these two things is Lex’s happy place, but therein lies the struggle. Um, so, just to give you a little bit of context about both of these two worlds, um, With my band, uh, the [00:05:00] first single that we released, Feel Alright, was a viral success overnight. I Spotify and woke up the next morning to it being on the viral charts.

[00:05:10] Alexis: Um, I won the, or we, won the Juno Masterclass, which is a natus, or National Artist Accelerator program. Um, which we got to walk the red carpet of the Junos three times. And I was on the Huffington, Huffington Post top ten. So, no big deal. In the red dress, obviously I’m working it so hard. I was having the best time.

[00:05:37] Alexis: Um, we were also on the cover of Beetroot Magazine, uh, Swimsuit Edition, naturally. Could not have asked for a more awkward magazine cover. Um, and also we did CBC Music First Play Live, which was a live, uh, video performance. Uh, we were featured on Lululemon twice, and then we also have had a few [00:06:00] singles on the top 40 radio charts in Canada.

[00:06:02] Alexis: Most notably, the last single broke the top 20, and now we’re in recurrent position on the charts, which means you will never escape it. So, all that to say, through Blonde Diamond, I got to tour four different continents, and play with bands like Portugal the Man, and Broken Social Scene, and Chromio. Also, some other bands like CCR, just some random, amazing bands.

[00:06:29] Alexis: Um, and I wouldn’t trade that opportunity for the world. If I died tomorrow, I would be very happy. With design, uh, my very first award that I won was the Graphic Designers of Canada, uh, GDC Award for Emerging Students for my campaign called Think Dirty. Uh, also, Henry Slaughter won another same. shout out to Henry.

[00:06:55] Alexis: Um, also won an award applied to arts magazine for my [00:07:00] involvement in the film, the grand, uh, scheme, which was a film following a 2016 Rio Olympic athlete for the campaign, uh, for the Olympics while I was working at Lululemon. And then most notably, uh, my agency, definitely real. So, we won our first ever award in silver for best brand design, uh, for the Cascadia Creative Awards.

[00:07:26] Alexis: And so, in June of this past summer, me and my business partner, Danielle, over there, uh, and our production lead, Brandon, we went down to Portland to receive our award. And we are very excited, as you can tell. Baby’s first big award. So, as you can tell, I take these two pursuits extremely seriously. Uh, it’s not like, oh, music I just do in my bedroom here and there.

[00:07:57] Alexis: I take it very seriously. And design. [00:08:00] Obviously the same. So here we are again, therein lies the conundrum. Now we have the delicate art of balancing multiple passions. So at the beginning of my career, I was told by multiple bosses that I had to choose between music Because if I did not choose, I would not be successful in either.

[00:08:32] Alexis: I hope one of them watches the recording of this. Because, look at me now! No, I’m just kidding. Um, Basically, I refused to make that choice because I didn’t want to lead a life of someone else’s expectations for me. It just didn’t feel right. It didn’t sit within what felt intuitive to my nature. Um, and I felt incomplete without one or the [00:09:00] other.

[00:09:00] Alexis: You guys saw my beautiful Venn diagram, uh, of the two overlapping, so if I wouldn’t have pursued music or design, I would have felt like an empty shell of a human, and nobody wants that. So, now, we have to figure out how do we do this? We aren’t gonna be releasing music, we aren’t gonna be releasing design, so how do we figure this out?

[00:09:27] Alexis: Essentially, the biggest thing that I have learned is that in this process, you have, where is it, the ebb, and you have the flow. Sometimes I just focus more on music, and sometimes I focus more on design. This sounds so simple, when it’s all broken out nicely in a slide with beautiful white space and balance and there’s just one on either side.

[00:09:57] Alexis: But, in [00:10:00] reality, balancing these two things and finding the perfect ebb and flow is actually extremely difficult. I thought this was a really good gift choice, but, like, try, try doing that, that’s what it feels like. So, in that, a really crucial thing, is you have to define expectations. In my job’s post me refusing to choose between the two worlds, I essentially had to say up front that I’m not willing to accept a full time position because at that point I also thought that I was unhirable.

[00:10:40] Alexis: Um, and when I was working at Lululemon, I basically told them from the get go I’m not willing to work here full time because I have to be able to go on tour. This is a non negotiable for me. And if that means that when I get back from tour, there’s no work available for me with you guys, then that’s okay.

[00:10:59] Alexis: I accept that. [00:11:00] Because I can’t live my life without having the opportunity to go on tour. So, I had to define these expectations up front and something that really surprised me was that they were okay with it. They were actually really supportive of that. And it was really cool that when I was very forthcoming and just said, Hey, you know, this is a non negotiable for me and outlined it from the get go, they were like, okay.

[00:11:28] Alexis: Just what a concept. So then when I started my agency my business partner, Danielle I told her from the get go if we’re gonna go into this partnership. I Might need to take two months off to go on tour. I might need to take a week off to record an album Well, I guess it wouldn’t be a week for an album, but that’s another talk I might need to take a week off to do something music wise and she said, okay, I get it I want to work with you.

[00:11:58] Alexis: And if that’s part of who you are [00:12:00] That’s great. I accept it. Um, and in fact, I support it. So thanks Danielle. So, speaking of Danielle, Uh, I decided that I wanted to build and run a business because I wanted to build a life that made sense for me. And not somebody else’s expectations of me. And also because I don’t like being told what to do.

[00:12:29] Alexis: So, enter Definitely Real. Definitely Real is the agency that I’ve been building for the last five years. And This has been a very interesting experience with, uh, the comfort paradox, because no growth happens in the areas in which you feel comfortable, and I have done a lot of growing while running, starting and running this business, both willingly and [00:13:00] unwillingly.

[00:13:01] Alexis: You learn a lot very quickly. Basically, what I learned immediately is that it’s much more difficult to not be told what to do. But you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way. So the thing with Definitely Real and also with music for me is that in this house, in this house, we are anti niche, okay? And I am very passionate about this because I feel that niching down is the killer of creativity.

[00:13:41] Alexis: And I’m not saying that you can’t specialize in a field of creativity. I’m saying that when you specialize, or when you niche down in an industry, You’re essentially blocking yourself up, blocking yourself off from the ability to explore. And when you can’t explore, you [00:14:00] don’t have access to more creative ideas.

[00:14:01] Alexis: You don’t have the adventure. You don’t have the excitement of the unknown. And for me, I find that we, we tried niching down. We really, really did. Uh, there’s a lot of tech bros out there that’ll tell you you gotta niche down and we listened to a lot of those podcasts and we tried it and for me it just didn’t really feel right because I felt like I was closing myself off to opportunities and by being anti niche We have welcomed in clients that we never would have thought that we would have worked with before that have ended up becoming amazing friends and led to amazing creative projects that I never would have thought that I would have worked on.

[00:14:44] Alexis: So, niching can go.

[00:14:51] Alexis: I’m gonna take this opportunity of you guys appreciating this gift for me to take a sip of water.

[00:14:59] Alexis: [00:15:00] Because ideas are precious. As creatives, ideas are our most finite resource. We have to foster our ideas. We need to make sure that we have every opportunity possible to make sure That our ideas have an avenue and an outlet to be expressed. And if we are niching down and we’re blocking ourselves from any opportunity to have any sort of exploration or creativity, then we’re not giving ourselves the fullest expression of self.

[00:15:36] Alexis: We have to make sure that we protect our ideas and our space for creating ideas at all costs. And usually the way that we do that is by play. And if we’re not playing in the areas in which we are working, then what’s the fucking point? I’m serious. It’s [00:16:00] stressful. And stress is just basically killing you.

[00:16:03] Alexis: So, we have to be able to play. And that is the most important thing for me that I have learned because I was working myself to the bone and I was not enjoying myself. And I was not playing. So, I’m gonna take this opportunity to change direction a little bit into the next chapter. Um With Definitely Real, we used to be called the Social Circle.

[00:16:36] Alexis: Um, this is our, uh, logo and branding on the left and I can shit talk it because I made it, but basically I created this design with somebody else in mind. I created this brand because I thought it was going to be a brand that would ensure that we were taken seriously as two young women who are starting an agency.[00:17:00] 

[00:17:00] Alexis: Uh, I wanted it to be really palatable. Uh, I wanted it to be really approachable and I basically wanted it to be Not me at all. And definitely real is definitely Lex. And we underwent the process of rebranding our company. As recently as this fall, is when we launched Definitely Real and I was absolutely terrified to change our company name because we had basically built up four years of brand equity in the space and even though maybe that doesn’t sound like that much, it’s still four years, it’s four years better than nothing and people got to know who the social circle was and I thought, are we throwing this away completely?

[00:17:47] Alexis: And I was super scared. And then I realized, Oh, hey, I’ve been here before. My band was called Youngblood, and then we changed our name to Blonde Diamond, and there wasn’t a huge [00:18:00] shift in the logo. We did hire the same person, Matt Redway from London, to do our logo again, because I did love it. Um, but you’ll see, I think I love red, so I just changed it both to red.

[00:18:15] Alexis: But when I was like, okay, you know what, I’ve been here before. That was me pulling from my resiliency reserve and knowing that, Hey, I have done this before. You can do this again. This is not as scary if you can step into the unknown and be comfortable in the space that you’re about to. encounter that I don’t know what this is going to be.

[00:18:40] Alexis: It’s going to be so much more liberating and free, freeing. And so the thing that I’ve learned in this process of rebranding not just once, but actually twice professionally, is that if it’s truly authentic, it will be timeless. And I feel free. [00:19:00] Truly, and genuinely. This may seem like I am exaggerating, but when we rebranded our company to being a brand that was so much more in alignment with our values, and even visually speaking, I felt A thousand pounds lighter.

[00:19:16] Alexis: I felt like everything that I did, I was excited about approaching again. I felt like I got to play. And I felt like it got to be me. And I wasn’t cosplaying as an entrepreneur anymore. I was just Alexis, and I was making cool shit with cool people. And that’s all that I really wanted to do. So please.

[00:19:36] Alexis: Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself. I think that that’s really important as creatives, that sometimes we get a little bit stuck, and we forget that it’s not as scary on the other side, and that it’s actually a lot more liberating if you give yourself the chance. So, speaking of reinvention, this is a quote from the master of reinvention, and I’ll step down so you guys [00:20:00] can see it, but essentially it says, if you’re, if you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area.

[00:20:07] Alexis: Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, You’re just about in the right place to do something exciting. I love this quote so much because it’s a reminder for me to always go a little bit further, a little bit deeper, become comfortable in the unknown.

[00:20:32] Alexis: And again, as creatives That’s where the best work happens. So I do want to ask you guys what opportunities would a way to, if you took a bold risk of reinvention tomorrow, or maybe like tonight, even if you went home and you wrote down some ideas thinking, how could I approach things a little bit differently?

[00:20:56] Alexis: Because in this house [00:21:00] we are anti niche.

[00:21:07] Alexis: Okay. So now I have established that I have an agency, and I have a band, and we are doing things very professionally. I know the burning question that you all have for me tonight is, Where do I find the time? And it’s a very, very good question. And the answer is one that some of you maybe aren’t gonna like.

[00:21:37] Alexis: I find the time. I find the time because it nourishes my soul. I make the time because it completes who I am as a creative individual. And the thing is is that I have learned that if you don’t prioritize something, you will not find [00:22:00] the time for it. So if you can’t find the time for something it means it’s not a priority to you.

[00:22:06] Alexis: So maybe you need to take a look at what your priorities are, and I can guarantee you, you will find the time. It is there. We have the time. Energy begets energy. Once you start moving into something, the momentum It always picks up. And it’s electric. It’s something that is contagious. And it’s going to be something that fuels you internally, but it’s also going to be something that inspires those around you.

[00:22:40] Alexis: And so energy always, always begets energy. And creativity Passion feeds creativity. The more that you work on your creative projects, the more you’re going to feel creatively inspired, and more ideas are going to be coming to you, and that you just have to run the tap. Give yourself the opportunity to run the tap, [00:23:00] and the ideas start coming, they start flowing, and you can’t stop them.

[00:23:04] Alexis: Passion breeds passion. I feel like you guys are picking up on some of what I’m saying here. Because the most important thing that you can do is be creative. As a creative, is to show up, show up, show up. And one day, the muse will show up too. I promise you that. So, I have learned to listen to the most important thing.

[00:23:30] Alexis: This is the thing that has provided me with the most clarity when it comes to balance. And that thing is, me. You gotta check in with yourself. You gotta listen to how you’re feeling. For me, I had to check in. Do I need? More music in my life right now. Do I have an amazing idea and I have to book some time off from work and go into the [00:24:00] studio and write something?

[00:24:01] Alexis: Do I need to book some more shows? Do I need to be performing and getting that electric energy from people? Or do I want to not have to put on makeup for a while and sit at my desk and wear a hoodie and then just dig into a creative project and not leave for like 12 hours because I’m so in the zone on figuring out this idea that I’m so pumped on?

[00:24:25] Alexis: I gotta check in with myself, because it’s always changing, it’s always ebbing, and it’s always flowing. But the only way that I can know what I need in that moment is if I check in with myself. The only person that has the answer to the key to balance is me. And if I’m not listening, then I’m never gonna find that balance.

[00:24:47] Alexis: So, balance is not something that you find. It’s something that you create. And creativity is not something that you find. It’s something that you embody. [00:25:00] We are all creatives just sitting here breathing right now. We don’t have to find it. We don’t have to turn it on. You just have to find an opportunity to express it.

[00:25:09] Alexis: You need to run the tap.

[00:25:13] Alexis: And I know that it’s hard because I have been there. I have been in the burnout zone. But I’m still here, despite it all. And the thing is, I don’t know about you guys, but who wants to have an easy life? I, I want to have the excitement. I want to have the thrill. I want to have the adventure. I want to have the creative inspiration.

[00:25:41] Alexis: I want to do amazing things. I want to meet amazing people. I want to feel that magic. I want to feel that spark. And that’s what I signed up for. And I don’t have an easy life, and I accept that. Because an easy life is not the path that I chose. [00:26:00] So, this final quote that I will leave you guys with, I mean I have a few more slides, but it’s the last quote.

[00:26:09] Alexis: Ah, there was a few quotes. Um, this quote, for me, recontextualized the way that I saw a balance in my life. This was what really showed me where I needed to check in with myself. You’re not stressed because you’re doing too much. You’re stressed because you’re doing too little of what makes you feel alive.

[00:26:43] Alexis: And I’ll just let that sink in.

[00:26:49] Alexis: You need to check in and remember what is making you feel alive. And when I realized I was doing too much of what wasn’t making me feel [00:27:00] alive and I was feeling burnt out. I completely re imagined the way that I approached my creative pursuits. Because again, if I’m not playing, and I’m not feeling alive, it’s no fun, and it’s not worth it for me.

[00:27:17] Alexis: So, here’s the problems that I had. I was afraid that people wouldn’t take me seriously with either design or music. But once I allowed myself to be scared, and I took risks, and I was comfortable entering the fear zone, Authenticity will always win people over. The funny thing is now, it’s actually a benefit for me being both a musician and a creative director because people actually want to work with me because of the experience that I have offering both.

[00:27:53] Alexis: It actually gives me a leg up in this industry which I was always told I had to choose between the two. But now, [00:28:00] as soon as people hear that I’m Pursuing this as well. They’re always interested in hiring us and they always find it really really cool I used to hide it and now luckily Danielle’s like my hype woman She always sends it through because I’m too embarrassed to send it through myself But as soon as Danielle sends them a link They’re super pumped and the thing with music is that obviously I never have to hire a designer so I felt stuck between the two worlds, but once I gave myself permission to play The two worlds became my one big world.

[00:28:36] Alexis: And I was working too much and I became the B word. But once I acknowledged the natural ebb and flow, I couldn’t find balance, or I wasn’t able to find balance when I was doing both at 100%. And I think that’s a really, really important note. That whatever pursuits you are doing, You have to acknowledge that sometimes one is going to take the forefront and the other one is going to take the back [00:29:00] seat for a bit.

[00:29:01] Alexis: And once you acknowledge that there’s going to be an ebb and flow in that and you cannot physically do both at 100%, You will find the natural balance. And once I did that for myself, I actually finally, for the first time in doing this for almost 15 years, found myself flourishing. And so, is the juice worth the squeeze?

[00:29:30] Alexis: I’d say so.

[00:29:34] Attendee: That’s it.

[00:29:40] Chris: So who would have anything to say about what they’re gonna start doing at a specific time here? This side was super loud over here. You guys?

[00:29:53] Attendee: So. Two months ago, I started a project called, I’m a, I’m a graphic designer, and [00:30:00] I would like to also be an illustrator. So I, two months ago, I started a project called 100 Days of Drawing Food. Uh, I’m only on day 10. So, yeah, I just, uh, promised my fellow folks here that, um, every day, for five to ten minutes, I’m gonna spend time, I’m gonna try, create something, at least, A little doodle.

[00:30:23] Attendee: Um, so, yes, I will illustrate at 8pm. Every day after dinner. In my home, on my couch.

[00:30:36] Chris: Awesome. Who else had an idea of what they would do?

[00:30:43] Chris: Oh, okay.

[00:30:47] Attendee: You inspired me. Uh, so I started doing a project, um, I guess early January. I decided last year I was going to work on this. So, I went to [00:31:00] school for photography at a place called Langara. And they have this thing called an audit in class, where you’re allowed to go back in and take a class. It’s not for credit, but you get to work on a project.

[00:31:11] Attendee: So, the project I decided to work on was something I gave up about a year ago, or two years ago. And it’s called the wet plate colonial process, called tintypes. So, I’m working with an old process from the 1800s. And you, this is your great great grandparents, they had photos done, and it was shot on metal and glass, so it’s this process from the 1800s.

[00:31:32] Attendee: So that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 12, 13 years. So I decided to, uh, do that in my audit class, so that’s what I’ve been doing. So every Monday and Wednesday, I go to school when I’m not working, and then I do this process. So, that’s my creativity. I’ll go back to creativity. Creativity, sorry. I love it!

[00:31:54] Chris: Awesome. If, and, if no one else has anything, we can just move right into the questions. [00:32:00] Okay, well, why don’t we move into some questions, then? Okay. I know there was a lot coming at us all at once there, but surely someone’s got something.

[00:32:19] Attendee: This is a question for Alexis. Yeah. It can be just general too. Okay. I’ll try my best to answer it. I do have a question. Um, you spoke about Daniella or Danielle being somebody who supports you. Yeah. And if it wasn’t for Daniella helping you advocate for you or something like that, that you, you wouldn’t be able to do it because you’d be too embarrassed to.

[00:32:42] Attendee: Could you speak a little bit more on how important that is to have somebody in your life who could advocate for you? That is a great

[00:32:49] Alexis: question. Um, I think that having people in your life to support you is so integral to your [00:33:00] success. That, uh, we are not an island, that we can’t be working in silo. Um, and for me, I feel very, very fortunate that I have my business partner, Danielle, and I also have my band, um, of people who, really support me in, in both of these pursuits, um, but more specifically with Running an agency, it is pretty unconventional to like, also go on tour and, you know, record albums and stuff because it’s a very arduous process and so I do give a lot of credit to Danielle for wherever she is, over there.

[00:33:41] Alexis: Stage mom, ow! Um, yeah, shout out to Danielle for getting the BTS tonight. Um, Having people to support you and in your corner, honestly, truly, truly is integral to your success because I do think that, uh, if I didn’t have a business partner who [00:34:00] said, absolutely, I’m here to support you 110%, and I will give you as much time as you need to go and explore, and I’ll hold down the fort while you do that.

[00:34:09] Alexis: I don’t know if I could do that. Um, and same thing with, uh, my band. They’re so supportive and my fiancé is also in Blonde Diamond and so he’s an amazing support for me, um, that, you know, allows me the space to try and fail Many times, and sometimes it’s very insecure, and he also has to, uh, hold my head while I cry into his arms because I’m so stressed out.

[00:34:35] Alexis: But he gives me the space to process that, and like I said earlier in my talk, gives me the opportunity to check in and figure it out and support me through that process. So, absolutely, having support is integral to your success. Thank you. Great question.

[00:34:52] Chris: Yeah. Um, any other questions out there?[00:35:00] 

[00:35:02] Attendee: So, pretend I’m, I’m you in a band and I come to you and it’s your agency and I say, Hey, Alexis, I’ve got a couple hundred thousand dollars and I want you to do a creative project about my band. Would you do a project for your own band? And is that something where you want to keep those worlds separate, which is why you hired a separate designer?

[00:35:26] Attendee: Or would you want to do something together with both your pursuits?

[00:35:30] Alexis: That’s a really great question as well. I intentionally tried to keep my music world and my design world separate for a very long time. I used to say that it was my day me and my night me. Um, and I didn’t want people to know that I was in Blonde Diamond with my, sorry, with my agency world.

[00:35:52] Alexis: Um, but it’s funny that you mention that because I actually, we’re probably going to put my whole work with Blonde [00:36:00] Diamond as a case study on our website for Definitely Real because I was like, I have done so much work for this band that ought to be on our website because I do all of the design and our, uh, production lead at Definitely Real also makes all of our music videos for Blonde Diamond and so there’s so much crossover and so I have learned to embrace the crossover and also to the beginning of your question where you said I have 100, 000 to work on a project.

[00:36:27] Alexis: If you have 100, 000 to work on any project, I’m gonna say yes.

[00:36:38] Alexis: Yeah.

[00:36:41] Chris: Okay, I have a question for you. Maybe you could share with us a project that you’ve worked on lately, where the musician side of you really got to come over and cross into the design work.

[00:36:53] Alexis: Ooh, um, recently we have started working on more artist [00:37:00] campaigns. So, um, you know, with Definitely Real we work a lot in like CPG space and travel and, um, kind of service based industries, but we’ve also started working on more entertainment and working with artists and labels on, uh, their strategy and creative for their campaign rollout.

[00:37:18] Alexis: And so that’s been a really, really fun project for me because, I have a lot of experience in that, and I can offer a lot of understanding, uh, both when it comes to what the rollout strategy is gonna be, but also with the creative contingencies of it as well. Um, so that’s kind of been a really wonderful crossover of the two worlds, where it gets to be design and marketing, but in the music and entertainment world, which is, yeah, a beautiful blend.

[00:37:45] Chris: Nice, awesome, thanks. Anyone else have any questions? Oh, here, there.

[00:37:55] Attendee: Um, I just want to say thank you for the talk it’s come at like a really Uh, [00:38:00] big point in my life and I just really related to everything that you were saying. Um, for me, I actually just started, uh, my freelance career last week. Woohoo! Congrats! Um, and my two passions are illustration and design and the outdoor industry.

[00:38:18] Attendee: Um, so I’m actually trying to create this outdoors club where you draw outdoors, things like that. But I was just wondering Is there any advice you would give someone who is literally right at the start of this journey?

[00:38:31] Alexis: Great question as well. You guys are really making me work for it. Um, I think my biggest piece of advice would be don’t hide the other side of you.

[00:38:43] Alexis: Because I, I don’t live with any regrets, but if I did. It would be that I tried to hide both of my worlds from one another, um, and it was exhausting, and I didn’t feel like I was living authentically, and it was rather ironic that once I [00:39:00] actually allowed the two worlds to bleed into one another, I got so much more support, and there was so much more excitement, uh, and people wanted to collaborate, and so my biggest piece of advice would be just allow yourself to be both.

[00:39:16] Alexis: Simultaneously, and don’t feel like they have to be separate. I think that there’s a lot of beauty in finding, uh, how they can work together in their own unique ways. And good luck.

[00:39:31] Attendee: Hi. Hi. Since you’re on stage, lyric or two? From you tonight?

[00:39:41] Alexis: You have to pay, sweetheart. I mean, if you just want a lyric, I mean, what’s, uh, what’s one of my favorite lyrics? Uh, mm, oh, you’re putting me on the spot. I don’t know. I’ll come back to it. I can’t sing right now. So

[00:39:59] Chris: you’re just going to start [00:40:00] belting something out in the middle of the next answer.

[00:40:02] Chris: Does anyone have anything on this side here? I’m going to start walking this way. Someone will have a question.

[00:40:11] Attendee: Hi, um, so at the start of your kind of creative journey, when you said you went and spoke to Lululemon about, um, doing both, how did that conversation go? I know you said it was positive, but have you tried, had you tried it before, um, with other employers, or was that the first time and you just happened to be super lucky?

[00:40:31] Alexis: Uh, I had tried it before with other employers, and I got fired. It didn’t go well. Uh, yeah, no, they told me that, uh, they needed somebody who was, uh, serious about design. I’m, I’m pretty fuckin serious, so anyways, uh, you have to also find the right people. Um, I didn’t think that Lululemon was gonna be a [00:41:00] community that accepted me, and they were amazing, they were so supportive, and so I was very nervous going into that conversation, and I was fully prepared to walk away without having any work, and, because it had happened before, and so I think Because I was very forthcoming, and, uh, my expectations of, you know, I can work, I can give you this, and I’m gonna show up, and I’m gonna be excited, but I am gonna need to leave at this date, and if you’re willing to welcome me back, uh, when I come back from tour, I would love to come back.

[00:41:31] Alexis: And I worked there for eight years. It worked wonderfully. So, uh, yeah, I did get lucky, but I also think that in the contracts that I had after that, I also had really positive responses. I worked in house at Cactus Globe Cafe as well, and they were really supportive of me, uh, recording and playing music and other freelance contracts as well.

[00:41:54] Alexis: They were all really, really supportive, and I think the more confident you are in [00:42:00] not willing to Um, negotiate on that, the more people are just willing to accept it and then ultimately support it. And if they don’t, then, you know, get lost. I wasn’t giving you the finger. Generally.

[00:42:19] Chris: I think we may be able to do one more question before we move on.

[00:42:22] Chris: Back here.

[00:42:27] Attendee: Hello. Hi. Did every client that you worked on successfully, did they like, did they enjoy your music?

[00:42:38] Alexis: Did every client I worked with successfully enjoy my music? Is that what you said?

[00:42:44] Attendee: Yes.

[00:42:45] Alexis: Successfully though specifically?

[00:42:46] Attendee: Like, by working successfully, I mean the project went well, and you got paid, it wasn’t cut short or anything.

[00:42:56] Alexis: Right. Cause the people who don’t like my music, they [00:43:00] should get lost. No, no, no.

[00:43:03] Alexis: Uh, I am taking that seriously. And, you know, I haven’t asked them. I didn’t actually I might ask my clients if they liked my music. Um, but I wonder. I wonder if they do. I’d like to know. But, you know, I think the clients that, um, have been the most successful for us are people that are kind of like minded individuals and really understand the value of creativity and so most likely would probably Like the music if not the genre then the concept of creating music.

[00:43:45] Alexis: So yeah, probably I would say so generally speaking

[00:43:52] Attendee: Awesome guys, let’s have a round of [00:44:00] applause