We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexa Ballenger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexa, why did you pursue a creative career?
It happened naturally. I’d always doodled, painted and sketched – my mom made sure there were a plethora of art supplies available to me growing up. Even in college, when I decided to take a step away from art and earn a degree in Environmental Science, I still created on the side, letting my formal education informing the artwork I made in my free time. Eventually I started to experiment with graphic design, and began helping small businesses brand themselves after I successfully created my own. I can also help with strategy and implementation, and have successfully applied these skills to my own business and seen lots of wonderful success! 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The artwork I create is tool I use as a method of self expression, meditation, and to talk about issues that are important to me. While the colors I pick tend to change with the seasons, I also see my work change in color and tone depending on my mood or what I need. For example, in 2020, I would have expected that I would create a lot of work with dark, muted colors to reflect the overall feeling hanging over the world but I painted a lot of rainbows and skies which helped put me into a more positive mindset and likely helped me get through the year. I also use my artwork and creative platform to talk about issues related to sustainability and our environment. This is something that is very important to me and helps spread awareness on how people can live sustainable lives. I will not be the first creative to tell you that none of this has been easy. There were a lot of years I struggled to find business and overworked myself and had a very poor work-life balance. While this doesn’t change for a lot, something I am working on prioritizing is saying “no” and taking care of myself so that I can continue to create consistently in the long haul!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a fun question! In a normal year, I’d probably spend a day taking my friend to brunch and try to catch some live music at some point. I live near Olde Town Arvada and there are some super cute spots down there that I love taking visitors to. Beyond that, I prefer to spend as much time as I can outside hiking, climbing or skiing. I’ve also taken friends snowshoeing in the winter which is lots of fun and my dog can join!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many wonderful people who have helped me on my journey and so many artists and creatives that have inspired me. However, I’d have to say that my mom and my high school art teacher were probably my biggest influences in getting me to step into a career in the creative field. They were so supportive when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grow up and still are to this day!

Website: gopaintthewild.com
Instagram: @paintthewild
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-ballenger-323a58b4/

Image Credits
These are all photos that I have taken using, or friends have taken for me 🙂

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.