We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexander (Alexis Maarte) Hernandez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexander (Alexis Maarte), how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Right after college, It was engrained that I had to “prove my worth” for employer, and that meant working overtime, taking work home, and limiting the times I saw friends and family. As time progressed in my mid to late twenties, I realized what was important to me and that was finding the balance between my professional and personal life. The work will always be there, but the experiences cultivated by loved ones won’t. Do the best that you can in your field, but always know when to stop, especially when it becomes a major stressor in your life. I always check-in with myself and try to assess what I need to be my best self, and that’s what really helps me with my work life balance.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
How I got into drag was my love of art and eventually makeup. In college (CSULB) is when I really got into makeup. I would free time in between lectures, and on a whim, I decided to play with makeup. This was my first year being openly queer, and my family started buying me makeup. So I decided to jump right into it and put a whole bunch of greasy makeup all over my face. I posted it on Instagram and a lot of my friends and followers started liking my posts. After I saw the positive feedback, I kept posting new looks everyday because it was the first time anyone liked the content I was putting on my social media. Naturally I was drawn to the adulation. Eventually I got more serious with makeup and branched out from abstract face paints to female transformation(drag) and that’s when things really taking off. After graduating college I enrolled to a makeup academy to really refine my skill and eventually started doing freelance work on the side of my day job. In the beginning finding work as a makeup artist was difficult and I was beginning to doubt my abilities since I wasn’t getting any work. I always did my makeup in my apartment and never left my place to show off my work. Then one day around October of 2019, I went out in drag for the first time. Strangers came up to me to me how beautiful I was and I asked if I preformed around the area. Of course I said no but something in me knew that I wanted to do what the other queens were doing. Eventually I met my drag haus who cultivated my talents and really boosted my presence in the drag scene. I’ve performed a few shows and it was all thanks to the people I met and associated myself with. The most important thing I learned is to show up and show out. If you never interact with people in your industry then you’ll never make a name for yourself. Also, be nice to anyone who you cross paths! It takes zero cents to be nice and you never know who you’re talking to that may change your life.

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.
Anywhere that lgbtq+ friendly. In my area, I take them to Beaches and Rocco’s in West Hollywood to watch brunch drag shows. We order a couple drinks and we tip the performers. After that, I like to go on food trips around the city so I would take them to my favorite food spots. I love Korean food so we’d def go to K-town. If we’re in DTLA, I’m definitely taking them to grand central market to get Sari-Sari for some amazing Filipino food. If it’s a Friday or Saturday, we’d go back to weho and bar hop. I don’t have a particular spot that stay at, but if there’s drag performers around, you know it’s gonna be good time.

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?
I would like to shout out anyone who I came across throughout my life that saw something in me that I didn’t. My family, Drag family (Haus of YUQ), my boyfriend Justin, my best friends Corey, Esther and Melissa, and my cats Kit and Sun

Instagram: Alexismaarte

Other: Tiktok Alexismaarte

Image Credits
@bohennearreaux

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