Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Jackson.
Hi Alicia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Since I was 10 years old, I remember wanting to be an artist, but I took the safer route and I became a civil engineer instead. I spent about 10 years in the field, knowing it was not where I wanted to be, until I was finally laid off in 2020 during the pandemic. I took that as my sign to finally pursue what felt most right for me. I didn’t want to go my whole never knowing if I was ignoring my calling. I was going through a lot personally and emotionally at the time, so art just felt like the thing I had to look forward to in the day.
I started going to the library and I got those step-by-step books on how to draw, because as much as I loved drawing and painting, I had very little skill. I practiced every day and I got better and I ended up getting into a program that taught me the skill and filled the gaps between where I was and where I wanted to be.
I fell in love with oil painting the very first day that I put oil to canvas, and I’ve been painting in oils ever since.
Something that I struggled with since very early is connection and I spent a decade of study, research, and practice learning how to see people, like really see them, and connect with them on a real level. It also became the voice for the art that I created and how I created ArtRise.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has 100% NOT been a smooth journey. For instance, when I first decided I was going to pursue a career in art, many of the people around me didn’t understand that as a viable career. They wanted me to be safe and they wanted me to be financially OK so it was difficult to experience the kind of support that I was hoping for. I had to work through that. I had to become my own support which I had never done before. I was so used to following the rules and doing what I was supposed to do that going against any grain at all, or doing anything unconventional required me to become someone new.
I had some serious financial struggles because just coming out of my marriage and into a life where I’m supporting myself and also starting a completely new career had me on some shaky financial ground. But I was so driven, and so determined to create this career that I put all my eggs into the basket and that drove me to stress. It actually caused the opposite effect. I was not able to grow because the stress kept me from being creative and kept me from finding solutions. So I had to backtrack and live with my parents for a little while so that I could focus on creating this career. It was frustrating and I felt humiliated at the time because to me it was saying that I couldn’t make it on my own, but now I understand that it was such a massive undertaking to get to this point. I needed the help and I learned that it’s OK to ask for help, and it’s OK to not be perfect at everything all the time and it’s OK to grow slowly.
There was also a point in my life where the idea of posting anything publicly made me want to vomit. I would post something and instantly I’d get nauseous and my heart would race and I would breathe heavy. It was just the idea of putting myself out there into the world for judgment that kept me from sharing my voice publicly. It took a few years and a lot of discomfort to finally figure out what those feelings were and how to work through them. I had to learn the value in my voice. I had to learn the impact that I can make. I had to learn the magnitude of what I was creating.
Challenge after challenge has told me to stop, but the call has been so much stronger.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My art medium is oil on canvas. I created a method called The Lumen Peel Technique. It creates the illusion of the canvas being torn back to reveal a solid textured golden core. This represents the truth that lies behind what we think we see. It represents the beauty, love, joy, pain, truth and depth of humanity when we take the time to look. It represents what I want people to remember when they look at my art and when they look at each other.
My work has been featured in gallery, I’ve sold at art shows and I have created commission work for collectors. And as much as I am an artist, I’m also an advocate for human connection. I aim to create beautiful works of art and also to create shifts in perspective. My goal is that anyone who finds my art also finds a part of themselves that they’re able to connect with a little deeper and that leads them to creating a deeper connection with the people in the world around them.
I want my impact to be creating opportunities for people to truly see each other and to bridge the disconnection and the divides and the silos that are becoming more common in our society. Connection can be scary. Vulnerability can be terrifying, especially when we’ve been hurt or lied to or abandoned. But I believe in what’s beneath the surface. I believe in the bridges that we can create, the relationships that we can build, within ourselves with each other and within our community.
I also created The ArtRise Method, which I’m using in the ArtRise Leadership Team Training as a creative way to teach the tools for human connection. I believe leaders are most impactful when they can truly see and connect with the people they’re leading. The best part about this method is that anyone can do it. It does not take any talent whatsoever. It’s fun and it’s an opportunity to rise up as an emotional leader. People leave the space feeling empowered to create deeper connection in their lives. They feel more connected to every person in that room, and it pulls on the thread of the shared human experience that connects us all.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was super introverted. I was really shy. I was typically the only little black girl in my class which made me feel like an outcast, and I so much wanted to fit in, that I shrank the qualities that might make me stand out. I was always artistic . But I stayed in line. I worked really hard to be the best that I could at everything that I tried because I think if I was going to stand out in anyway, I wanted it to be with talent and achievement.
My parents were incredible parents and they supported everything I wanted to do from art classes to dance classes and they still do. My parents are the reason I’ve achieved anything at all. My Mom gave me an example of an open heart and being loving and never giving up on seeing the beauty in another person. My Dad provided every opportunity for me that he didn’t have, believing that I could do anything. He set me up to be a person who knew that I was smart and I was gifted and I was talented enough. And that the only thing that could hold me back was me.
Growing up, I think it was more of the social pressure that made me feel like I needed to be smaller in the ways that would set me apart, and as big as I could in the ways that were acceptable. I think I looked happy and accomplished on the surface, but inside I was pretty melancholy and I was missing the things that I had to wait to become an adult to find. I spent a lot of time alone in my room, it became a sanctuary to be away from the pressure of eyes. But it was also a place where I got to be my most creative and my mind got to roam freely. I got to come up with whatever I wanted. And I think that set the foundation for all that I would create later.
Pricing:
- Artwork ranges from $20 – $4,000 so that everyone has the opportunity to own a piece
- leadership workshops start at $3000 for a half day experience
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ArtRiseCo.com
- Instagram: @ArtRiseCo
- LinkedIn: @AliciaNicoleJackson
