Meet Alla K

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alla K. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alla, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I’ve built my creative rhythm around the idea of “pause and play.” Please Hold Studio began as a reminder that creativity thrives in both silence and motion. When I take pauses, they’re a full stop — a conscious step back to rest and recharge. Over time, I’ve realized that those pauses are where the real magic happens — the juicy ideas, the easy next steps, the clarity. Please Hold Studio itself was an idea that formed during a vacation when I had a strict no work boundary. When inspiration finds me in those restful, joy-filled moments, I know those are the threads worth following. I truly believe creativity meets us where we are most at ease.

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?

My work lives at the intersection of art, play, and mindfulness. Through my character-driven world at Please Hold Studio, I explore what it means to pause, recharge, and reconnect with joy. My characters — O, EM, and Obi — each represent a different frequency of emotion and energy. They’ve become a way for me to share stories that remind people to slow down and find beauty in small moments.

What started with just one character, O, has expanded into a full universe of possibilities. At the start of 2025, O was joined by two new friends — EM (Energy Monster) and Obi (Observer). With them in the mix, O’s world became richer, more layered, and filled with new kinds of stories. Lately, I’ve been expanding this world through paintings and sticker art that blur the line between fine art and character design.

I’m excited about the unfolding story of these three characters — building the world they exist in and inviting people to come along on that journey. This year, I’ll be launching my online shop for the first time with limited-edition art and stickers, and I’m looking forward to sharing more merch drops and surprises next year.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are resilience, curiosity, and community. Resilience keeps me grounded through the ups and downs of being an artist — it’s about showing up for yourself even when momentum feels slow. Curiosity keeps things playful; I’ve always been drawn to exploring new tools and ideas, and that willingness to learn has opened so many creative doors. And community — that’s the heartbeat. The artists around me in New York and beyond remind me that art isn’t made in isolation.

For anyone early in their journey, my advice is to stay open, stay kind to yourself, and keep experimenting. It takes time to find your groove and refine your craft — to uncover what your artistic voice truly is. Don’t give up. Keep experimenting, keep playing. Growth happens in motion — and often, it’s the quiet moments, not the big breakthroughs, that shape your voice.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

My biggest area of growth this past year has been learning to fully believe in myself and trust my own timing. I’ve reached a place where I no longer see rejection as a stop sign — it’s simply a redirection toward something that fits better. That shift in mindset has changed everything.

Over the past year, I’ve stepped into my creative identity with confidence — building Please Hold Studio, showing in galleries, and saying yes to opportunities that align with who I am and what I want to share with the world. And creatively, that belief opened the door for real expansion. I always knew O needed friends, and in the last several months, that world grew so naturally with the arrival of EM and Obi. It felt like the universe saying, “See? You were right to trust this.”

I’ve learned that when you believe in your path, even the quiet seasons have purpose — and the best things have a way of unfolding when you’re ready for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://allakart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allak_art/