We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alexis Peralta. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alexis below.
Alexis, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
With a lot of TLC! I treat my creative side the same way I would maintain and foster a relationship. We have our ups and downs. Sometimes, I neglect it because I’m busy. Other times, when my paintings or drawings don’t turn out the way I envisioned, I get frustrated with it. Most of the time, however, I’m in a happy, loving relationship with my creative side, as though it were a lifelong partner – and honestly, that’s exactly what it is!
I create things I’m very passionate about and enjoy every moment of it.
That being said, to keep things alive and prevent our relationship from going stale, I spend a lot of time daydreaming. I clear my mind of the mundanity of daily life and let my imagination take over. Not only is it relaxing, but it also helps get the creative juices flowing. I take walks a few times a day, stare into space, and let my imagination go on autopilot. Whenever my imagination conjures up something cool, I quickly sketch it on paper. I let it sit for a while until I either come up with more details or think of ways to refine it. Once I lay down the final layer and it all comes together, it’s the best feeling in the world to see that image from my mind come to life on paper!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
When I’m not wearing my many hats as a full-time Project Management Professional, wife, and mother, I’m passionately building my dream venture—AP Specialties LLC!
AP Specialties LLC is more than just a brand; it’s an experience. Tailored, personal, and bursting with creativity, it’s the perfect blend for clients seeking professional business services, ingenious solutions, custom artwork, or a dazzling fusion of them all! I believe efficiency doesn’t just have to look like a boring size 11 Calibri font spreadsheet with the default Office color theme when it can be beautiful and well crafted! From Small Business start up consulting, Event Planning, launching new initiatives, and Strategic Planning AP Specialties provides efficient, organized, and creative solutions to your endeavors. As the slogan goes, “Your Vision, My Specialty”.
I am excited to announce the upcoming launch of my art shop, CaughtonCanvas.shop, debuting in Q1 of 2025! 🎉 This shop is a treasure trove of my favorite creations, transformed into delightful items like pins, magnets, posters, blankets, and so much more. For those that are local to Phoenix metro area I offer a more personal selection with and emphasis on the local environment and reduce, reuse, and recycle. And that’s just the beginning! With each new idea and artwork, the shop will continue to expand, bringing even more joy and inspiration.
AP Specialties LLC and CaughtonCanvas.shop aren’t just businesses—they’re my heart and soul. I can’t wait to share this colorful, creative journey with you!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
These three things were essential to my sanity this year—along with wine and my shiatsu neck and back massager!
Communication is vital in all areas of life: at home, at the office, and everywhere in between. We all know this, but for me personally, it has never been my strength as an introvert. Now that I’m married, a mother, and a project manager, I not only have to communicate constantly, but I also have to adapt how I communicate depending on the audience. I can’t facilitate a meeting in the same tone I’d use to talk to my 4th grader. I mean, I could, but it wouldn’t go well for me! Each day requires mastering a whole array of communication styles, often in rapid succession.
If you’re an introvert like me and you want your voice to carry weight and lead a team to project success, don’t be afraid to speak up. As a passionate introvert, you’d be surprised how many people will listen when you have something meaningful to say. I learned this when I took a leap of faith and transitioned from being the quiet observer in the room to becoming the subject matter expert!
Patience, much like communication, is not one of my natural strengths. But guess what? When you have a career and a family, you have to develop it. You must be thoughtful and an active listener. Just as much as speaking and expressing yourself are vital to your personal harmony, it’s equally important to pause and listen. After all, you can learn so much just by being quiet and attentive.
One of my favorite quotes on this topic is from Jackie Chan in the movie Rush Hour:
“I like to let people talk who like to talk. It lets me find out how full of s*** they are.”
Now, while figuring out how full of s*** someone is isn’t necessarily the ultimate goal, it’s still solid logic for understanding others. Whether you’re chatting with colleagues or family, finding that balance between speaking and listening is key. I’ll admit, I’ve had my fair share of career blunders because I got upset or defensive and said things I later regretted. And yes, I blamed everyone but myself for the fallout.
Finally, the last skill I’d recommend capitalizing on is being highly organized. It makes such a significant difference in managing the day-to-day. As someone with ADHD, I can be quite scatterbrained at times. My brain often has random bursts of rushing ideas that I can only describe as the scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, where the flying keys are swarming Harry. This makes things are to focus on especially if of low interest to me. However I find that if I can break things down, create tasks, organize things and put them in place like a puzzle, I can focus better. It also helps to take a lot of notes! In those moments of swarming ideas and thoughts when I pinpoint something that is noteworthy I jot it down, before I lose sight of it.
These 3 qualities may not be the most important or impactful to everyone depending on where you are in life, but these are at least foundational qualities that are flexible and can be utilized in the background of your journey!
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Time. Simply put, nothing is a bigger obstacle for me than time.
Being married with a growing family, having a full-time job, building a business, and securing financial stability for my family’s future are all time-consuming endeavors—especially with ADHD on top of it all. I have to be very specific with how I allocate my time, and I definitely don’t like it when it’s wasted on the mundane or unnecessary.
Luckily, this is where my project management skills come into play and help me out a ton! Because I have a high aptitude for planning and organizing, it makes a huge difference in my day-to-day. For example, when setting up a business website or working on marketing, I create a task plan with milestones and action items that I can chip away at until completion, ensuring that I roll out a product I’m proud of. I apply this same approach to every project I work on.
I find it easy to let the week slip by without dedicating a single minute to working on current projects or creating new ones. While they’re all stashed away in my mind, time passes and they don’t always come to fruition. Taking a structured approach helps me hold myself accountable and avoid falling into procrastination hell.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://apspecialtiesllc.studio/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexis_the_project_god/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-peralta-ap/
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