We were lucky to catch up with Alexandria Daniels recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alexandria, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I’ve been through my fair share of challenges and obstacles in all aspects of my life but what keeps me going most is the strength and clarity that’s gained through life’s difficult and heartbreaking moments. Giving up isn’t an option for me, ever. That’s not to say I haven’t come close to wanting to quit, but at the end of the day I keep pushing no matter how hard it gets or how much it may hurt because I know on the other side of that discomfort is so much growth and possibility. My ability to be resilient has provided me with a such an amazing level of self confidence and wisdom, that I’m always grateful for the journey even when it’s uncertain or bumpy. So, long story short, my resilience comes from my life experiences and my refusal to succumb to less than optimal circumstances.
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?
Right now, I’m focused on expansion professionally. I’m really enjoying connecting with fellow artists and exploring new ways to collaborate with local businesses. The creative community has my heart and at this time I’m on a mission to spread the importance of art and supporting those who create it. I have a lot of projects brewing in the background so I feel there will be plenty to celebrate in the near future.
As far as my brand and art, I mainly create polymer clay earrings but will be focusing on other pieces of jewelry and trinkets this year as well. My goal is to create pieces that are authentic to me and go beyond your typical earring. I think of my earrings as mini pieces of mobile art that you can wear. I want them to spark a conversation when someone sees them on your ear!
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?
The three skills that have been most impactful for me on my journey are self discipline, resilience and innovation. The good news is these things are all interconnected, so if you work on one, you generally will see progress in the others. In order to develop self discipline I think it’s important to have structure and routine to keep yourself accountable. Despite this structure, things won’t always go to plan so this is where resilience and innovation will step in. Be willing to see things through even when it isn’t easy. Be flexible and creative, this will provide you more options. Over time, you’ll notice these skill sets become second nature.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I’m someone who isolates when I feel overwhelmed. So for me spending time alone, focusing on my self care and disconnecting from social media are things that help me bring a sense of ease back. I then try to get my thoughts down on paper, making a dump list. From there I break that list down into smaller and smaller lists until it’s just a few manageable tasks per day. When I’m overwhelmed, I quite literally have to force myself to slow down and recenter. If you’re feeling this way, remember that it’s okay to step away and get back to the basics.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bohohazeclay.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bohohazeclay/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BohoHazeClay
