We were lucky to catch up with Alexa Boggio recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alexa, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I’ve always been very creative. I’m much more right-brained, visual, and intuitive. I grew up on a horse farm where I was constantly exploring and having adventures. As a child with no responsibilities, my creative mind was able to run loose. I was constantly writing stories, painting, sewing, and doing anything else I thought would be fun to create. There was no lack of inspiration. Now as an adult, I’ve gained responsibilities, and my mind prioritizes those. There’s less room in my head for exploring creative thoughts. However, I’ve found that there needs to be a healthy balance of what you allow to occupy your mind. It can be easy to focus solely on your day-to-day responsibilities and lose inspiration, losing that connection to your creativity. However, the brain is a muscle, and you must exercise it and keep it active.
How I exercise my mind and keep my creativity alive is by following my curiosity.
If something brings you joy to learn about, or if learning about something makes you want to dive deeper into that topic, then follow that. For me, I love to go inward and reflect. I would constantly journal and make lists for myself based on insights from past experiences, almost like a personal guide for my life. I become extremely curious to learn about myself, what led me to where I am, how I can use my experiences as tools in my mental toolbox, and the reasoning behind why my brain works the way it does. There was a purpose behind my curiosity, and that was to fully understand myself and how to become the best version of myself. That then led me to a more scientific approach of wanting to learn how the state of my physical body affects my brain and my thoughts. I’m also very spiritual, and I found the more I learned about each topic – mind, body, spirit – the more I drew connections and parallels between each area. It’s very exciting when you make a new connection and feel you’ve gained a true understanding of something you previously hadn’t seen before. It’s also especially impactful because it’s learnings I can apply directly to my life and take actions that can benefit me and others.
I’m a visual learner, and as a graphic designer and marketing specialist, I realized I could use those skills to create visuals and clearly communicate what I was learning. I created my wellness blog Inside Joy Lifestyle (www.insidejoylifestyle.com) and Instagram @inside.joy.life, where I can now share my insights through visuals and hopefully help others feel inspired. This feeds my feeling of purpose because it’s taking a passion of mine and using it with the intention to help others. That feeling is what compels me to stay curious and keep creating.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m currently a Freelance Graphic Designer and Marketing Specialist. I also started a wellness brand called Inside Joy Lifestyle (Instagram: @inside.joy.life | Website: www.insidejoylifestyle.com), and I am a 200hr Certified Yoga Teacher through CorePower Yoga. Other passions of mine include fashion – I love designing clothing; I learned to sew and now enjoy creating clothing pieces for myself – and I love horses – I grew up competing as a nationally ranked equestrian and still love to ride in my free time.
As a graphic designer and marketing specialist, I’m able to make visual assets that bring me a large amount of joy in creating. I love bringing ideas to life and communicating through visuals. I also love that I get to work with a variety of companies from different industries, such as apparel, music and entertainment, health and fitness, among others. Prior to freelancing, I worked in Marketing for Oracle, so I’m able to utilize that experience to best deliver impactful solutions for my clients. My experience managing marketing campaigns combined with my experience as a graphic designer allows me to understand both the art and science behind communicating. I love seeing a finished product, and seeing the happiness of a client who feels their message has been effectively articulated to be able to connect with their audience. I put a large amount of effort and detail into my work, and it’s an incredible feeling to see it pay off.
Using my graphic design and branding skills, I created Inside Joy Lifestyle. It focuses on health for your mind and body, self-development, and personal growth. I’ve always been very introspective, and through Inside Joy I’m able to share my insights, learnings, and inspirations to benefit others. It’s a fun way for me to connect with others, create content that is personal to me, and helps me continue to learn and grow while helping others learn and grow, as well.
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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?
Curiosity, open-mindedness, and perseverance.
Curiosity to always foster your creativity, and maintain a student mindset. We must always strive to keep learning.
Open-mindedness for new opportunities, and not place limits on yourself by assuming you always know what’s best for you. There could be something infinitely better for you out there, you just have to be open to accepting it. Follow your passion, continue taking action toward your goals, know the purpose of why you’re doing what you’re doing, and be open to where that journey takes you.
Perseverance for powering through the more difficult times in life, and for believing in yourself. When you persevere, you become stronger by gaining more tools that will then elevate you in life – tools that you would otherwise not have if you hadn’t experienced that hardship. Have faith in yourself, and have faith that every experience has the ability to make us stronger.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m always looking for ways to collaborate with others, particularly those who work in wellness, fashion, or music. Those are the areas that bring me the most inspiration, and I believe are incredible forms of self-expression that I’m passionate about.
If anyone is looking to collaborate, they can visit my website www.theboggioportfolio.com and message me through the Contact Me form.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theboggioportfolio.com & www.insidejoylifestyle.com
- Instagram: @inside.joy.life
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-boggio-49661aa3/
