Meet Alex Tiberio

We recently connected with Alex Tiberio and have shared our conversation below.

Alex, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Life is tough and I cannot say my upbringing was typical. In my earliest years my immediate family was dealing with some trauma and I was left largely on my own. I had to learn how to take care of myself. By my teens I was living with my aunt and she and I did not always see eye to eye. I found solace in running and that is when I learned to set, work for and accomplish goals. One area that my aunt and I did not see eye to eye was on education. When I made the decision to drop out of college mid way through my junior year I was once again left to fend for myself. I spent a couple years feeling a little lost, but then remembered what running had taught me and set a goal, I wanted to work for NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and by my mid 20s I was a Course Leader for them. You learn a lot guiding teenagers through the very remote wilderness. As I was approaching my 30s I was looking for a change wanting to spend more time with my partner Kristi. We took a job as caretakers for a remote biological facility 4 miles in the backcountry in Colorado. An amazing experience, we had to ski that four miles to get to our cabin. A job we had for 6 years. Caretaker duties were pretty minimal, about 4 hours a week so we had to get creative to keep busy we tried a lot of different things, but silversmithing was the one that clicked and we were able to start a business and gain a local following. Anyways, back to resilience, I think its a lot of things. I had to learn it quick, but then there were constant reminders. Working towards a goal and accomplishing it feels good. Challenging experiences like wilderness expeditions or having to ski 4 miles just to get groceries will teach you a lot and can help you feel like you can endure anything.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I own a jewelry business, Gothic Mountain Jewelers, with my partner Kristi. We specialize in silver jewelry, but work with a variety of metals, gems and minerals. Our jewelry is inspired by the mountains of the southwestern US. I am also a painter, I enjoy painting impressionist landscape images based on my travels typically based off of my photography. Both business are based out of our home/studio located in Western CO, a house that we designed and built by ourselves over a 4 year span.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Setting goals and actively working towards them. Sometimes the hardest part is taking the first step, but once you do, then you are in it, and the only place to go from there is forwards. A lot of times I feel like people talk about goals, but fail to take that first step. They get distracted and the goal eventually gets lost in everyday life. Turn that goal into your everyday life.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

I would say currently my biggest challenge is trying to sell paintings. I am relatively new to selling art that isn’t jewelry. My paintings are unique and more expensive than my jewelry, so finding the right audience has been quite difficult. Our jewelry business had success rather quickly, so I did not know what to expect and perhaps my expectations were too high. I have had to change my perception a little bit and I currently view my paintings as more of a personal artistic journey. Through that artistic journey I have been able to view silversmithing differently and I have grown as a silversmith. So despite the challenge and at times feeling discouraged, I have been able to learn and grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: alextiberio.com gothicmountianjewelers.com
• Instagram: oirebitxela

Image Credits

Jewelry Photos: Gothic Mountain Jewelers

Painting Photo: Alex Tiberio