Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Rakun.
Hi Alexis, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I never meant to be an artist, professionally, I was studying to get my Psych D and masters with a minor in a neurology. I wanted to conduct experiments on an individual’s self-efficacy (self-belief) with the support of expressive/intentional writing. I called myself a “spiritual psychologist” at the time. At this point I was actually anti-social media and had a flip phone in college as rebellion. Though unfortunately it broke and I had to get a smart phone… which led to a buddy of mine convincing me to let him create my first ever instagram. WHICH THE FIRST THING I NOTICED ON THERE WAS PEOPLE SHARING AND SELLING THEIR ART. It was an immediate light-bulb, inspired moment for me… the creative in me started roaring. Also, the risky entrepreneur on something nobody really did at the time. This was back in 2014.
I was already 3 years + into my degree and I just quit…. lol and went full-time waitressing and pursued my paintings, passion and artistry for the next 4.5 years until I could finally pay my bills and then I moved to Spain. It was an insanely expansive and soul-challenging time for me to GROW. To evolve… I was raised in a small hill-country Texas town where none of this was normal. Not being a “spiritual girlies” artist for a living nor moving to another country.
Flash forward another 5 years and I’ve went on to become a globally best-selling artist and author of my “magical spirit” oracle deck with Rockpool publishing. And somehow managed to amass around 350,000 followers of my art and writing across platforms. Have over 500 members in my “Alchemy of Art” class online. Insane! I’m thankful, pray, cry often (because I’m grateful and because this life is not for the faint of heart lol) and will continue to share my work as long as I’m breathing.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being a creative, online sharer and entrepreneur are, in my belief, some of the most challenging occupations. Not hard in a laborious way but in many intra-personal ways. You are confronted on nearly every level of your psyche, soul and limiting beliefs… YOU ARE IN THE PUBLIC ARENA. Truly. Innovating paths where you don’t always have a guide. Where you literally have no clue what you are doing 90% of the time.
A public creative is constantly being witnessed, copied, judged, criticized, pedestalized, exploited, extracted from and so much more. Nearly every day you are doing some form of self-work. This is all very fruitful, expansive and liberating, though. It ripples into every aspect of your life outside of your profession – too. That being said… it’s just a lot of YOU against YOU. Lol. Psychological and spiritual and emotional warfare … confronting the dragons and demons and angel within.
Second most challenging aspect for me, is obviously mixing money with your magic. This is a tricky line to walk… it’s stressful to make sure you are staying within your own honest expression and not accidentally coming from a place of survival or demand. Building a business model around your creative talents takes nearly genius level scheming, at times. But to be totally honest, I would still much rather get to use my technical, creative skills to earn money to live — than anything else. That much is clear to me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I like to think that the sort of “magic” of my work comes from the intersection of my deep love of psychology, neurology, self-transformation knowledge + added with the visually immersive, whimsically imaginative and emotionally provoking qualities of my technical art skills. POWER PUNCH I’D SAY. Or at least, what I create is deeply impactful and at the time, therapeutic for me… which I think typically is a sign that it will translate to others in similar heart and mind spaces…
Being a visual artist and writer and synergizing those 2 forms of expression was also a powerful unlock for me. Gave a lot of dimension to my work. I am able to build worlds much more cohesively and transmit my precise messages more clearly.
My aim is to continue furthering my own soul/self development, wisdom and knowledge — as well. In order to get to the deepest, transcendent and most impactful core of my creations.
What makes you happy?
Feeling as though I am evolving at some capacity and breaking through limitations. On all levels of self, soul and life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/alexisrakun
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexisrakun/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexisrakunartist/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alexis_rakun
