Happy 5th Anniversary. Fleur de lis-Worlds Within Series By Candice D. Alexander

Happy 5th Anniversary, Fleur de lis-Worlds Within Series!

alexander art studio

im holdin' on tight

music plays in the background, sia, i think from the twilight soundtrack,

thoughts of the livlihood of the connecticut families, 

i go through my email and move with my own life, happinesses, and sadness.  

quiet. 

My cat is an angel and sometimes brings me joy. Yesterday the assistants mentioned to me how he even rode out in a baby stroller. lol

tonight i worked long in the studio. tonight was a good night. 

everything is coming together, i manifest how to move success and in what direction would be best.   Art and the compass. 

honors...

 grateful thoughts tonight...

 I am thrilled with the timing of something so awesome condisering my business and my art has grown into a new 5000 sq ft.storefront  in downtown Lake Charles , LA .    For 12 long years I have been determined to create art and make a living an artist.
By making art, I not only share a part of my life and myself with others, but I witness those also supporting what I love to do.  To me, it’s about building excitement, brilliant colors and
community.  If there was a “best supporters award”, it would go to my fans and followers for buying and supporting LOCAL!   I was always told all my life to recognize when people do great things.  So Thank you!

 Both mentally and physically when I create a new piece, I experience creative bursts of
 inspirations, ideas and daily adventures, hand shakes and new smiles.  I love to create art. I love to play tennis, and I love to garden with my chickens.  I play hard but I work harder.  I believe everything we do affects what we desire in life.  I experience, when I make art, what one may feel when they know they are in the right place at the right time.  Everything...they say, happens for a reason. I am truly grateful to be surrounded by the many people whom are all artists who not only see what I do, but feel it.


 I believe we are all just vessels...burstings of creative light, sound ,harmony, and
 balance. Its hit me lately how these connections of people are vast but suddenly they start to spiral inward or become smaller and closer. There is so much energy being exachanged through conversation or visuals...or through what I love to do personally- make awerome art,  make designs...make peoples minds connect to ther eyes with color,  thoughts , experiences. Just life. And how everything is connected by layers. and those layers are what I explore in my work. Layers of minutes, memories, layers of blood, tears, layers of dirt, and eggshell layers.  Its all fascinating to me; its what i love to do and I get inspired when I realize how it truly all connects.  Layering with technology, art, sculpture, music and poetry. Its all pretty poetic to me.
  I am so grateful for having the opportunity to be able to do what I love, but the support of my people is what really keeps me going.   There is something larger than myself and I thank God everyday for being a witness of something amazing.
~Candice Alexander

I just realized all those times I've been wanting to create something... And not work so much- ( you know, business, orders...things that an artist must do) i just now I see that I'm creating one entire piece. And Ive been creating it for

years. Of course im proud- but there is so much more to do at the same time so much has gotten done. I have many amazing people in my life. An amazing team. Supporters and fans. :) Tonight I saw that its all one, like a sphere- for me it's this new space, my cube, community. And how, when I connect every piece I've done- it makes my showroom a sculpture... As I look around. I realize that my inspirations come from knowing many people have a piece of that sculpture - and we continue to create and move energy with people as we share it. Its the most beautiful thing in the world to me. Gratefulnessss. Tonight after many moments of planning this- we installed a window cellular looking device. Its huge. A slideshow of this cube.

11.29.2012   11:59 pm

~Candle

Fiction and the space between

Tonight I record these many thoughts. We set up the booth (a gorgeous booth at that) in the mall of Acadiana in Lafayette.  All week in the studio, I have been telling my assistants "this is the moment we've been waiting for".
With that said, its true.  The fourth quarter of the year is the time when we are the busiest. People come back every year loyally to get another piece.  I am grateful in realizing that there is some sort of satisfaction when others GIVE away my work...a feel good feeling or something..if that makes any sense at all.  Almost like, when you give away something and the person loves it so much, that it makes you feel just as good. THAT is what I appreciate most these days...its not about how many sales we make or how many people walk through my doors...Its about the love and support we get.  Its humbling actually.
All year long we organize, manage, we work, we create and we exchange ideas as a team, my dream team.   There are 8-10 of us on the Alexander Art Studio team. Most are angels that literally walked through my door and never left...loyal and honest and hard working...and part of the team.

But this week has been hard, it seems like I am in some kind of computer technology vortex or something. Email on a mac seemed to get a virus, the printers have acted strange...I mean even the iphone is all bogged down and stuff...all relating to being SO busy...and for this I find calm during this hurricane and I am grateful.  We waited nearly 2 months for the Iphone 5 cases to come in, only to find out the plates DO not fit on the rubber case...ugh.  BUT, we got it all taken care of and tonight i see the light, finally. Sigh.

Its nearly 1 am, and I still work in the studio.  I attempted to create a commission oil painting...until jazzman the cat decided to walk on it.  Orange footprints everywhere in the studio, lol.

Anyways, random thoughts tonight. If you read them, thank you..

C
fiction in the space

Angels and the passing of the torch: A dream team

With Black Friday creeping around the corner and Christmas approaching, I sit in my office and cant help but reflect how amazing things happen sometimes.
     A couple of years ago, when Alexander Art Studio was in the midst of becoming what it is today (this is only the beginning however) a young girl called me out of the blue. She was from Maryland. I didnt know her, and she told me she googled "artists, Lake Charles" and I was the first hit that showed up.  For months she called me back asking if I would be needing help because she was moving here with her husband to work for Louisiana Green Fuels.  I just knew I wouldnt need her.  I told her to call me back in a month, then in another month, and like clock work and on time- she did.  When she finally arrived in Lake Charles nearly 6 months later, she called me again.    Hali worked and helped Alexander Art Studio grow for over a year.  We grew out of one room of Historic Central School- to two rooms.
     After that year, Hali informed me that she would be moving back to Maryland because of her husband's job.  I was devastated.  I had no idea who I would find that could replace her, because I knew no one could.  And no one did...but...
      Little did I know- Hali would be passing her torch to her husband's best friend, Nathan.  I trusted in God that this was the best move, and I believed that change was a blessing in disguise.  It was and today I have to admit that I am witnessing what I am calling the Alexander Art Studio Dream Team.
It was somewhat rough getting use to a new assistant in a growing business.  It was a practice of patience starting from scratch, training and teaching someone new how to make things happen in my creative art world.

I compare this story to angels.  I believe that if we are clear with what we want in life...and in our passions- things that we need will come to us at the right time.
During all of the above, I have had some amazing help that has been by my side and helped the business grow.  Jesse, also going to school has been a solid rock and always there doing amazing works in the backstage of Alexander Art Studio.  I must recognize my mom for doing 200% of an amazing job on the records in the business...lawd!

In August 2012, out of the blue I decided to open the 5000 sq. ft store front on Ryan Street, Downtown Lake Charles, LA.  As the grand opening was approaching, we sent out a huge email blast and at the bottom we mentioned that we may be needing help.  Again, from no where a young woman showed up, volunteered her time, and immediately walked on the team.   Whats ironic, is that she has also lived in Maryland where my previous assistant was from. Cooincidence?, NO.    I couldnt have asked for a more loyal honest and trustworthy team player.   Kim has not only become a worker, but a really awesome friend to me.  I value that.

Today, we speak of going on retreats where we can vacation and be away from what WE create on a daily basis.  I look forward to this time in the new year.   Great things are happening.  We are creating local jobs, making new work and bringing awareness to the community with what we are doing.
But if you are reading this- you are curious- you are also part of that dream team - and its because of your support- that we can do this! So, thank you.

I appreciate my  team...you are all angels to me.

Candice
Sunrise, By Norah Jones


   

Winning beyond a championship. Inspirational thoughts...I had to write this day.

I began this new blog thing with great inspiration.  This weekend ended on a memorable happening for me...and it inspired this new blog.  I hope you enjoy a little personal side of my work and my life... 

Im not sure how to begin these writings... 

For the past 12 years I have made a living as a professional artist.   What you are about to read is not how I struggled and starved to make art and feed my passion. This is not how successful I have become or how people collect my work around the world.  This is not how Ive slept in my van in parking lots or campgrounds just to make and sell art.

 We all know it takes hard work and dedication to be successful at what you love to do...

 This story is about something different...

In the spring of 2011 I had a life changing opportunity.  During one of the hardest times of my life I learned valuable life lessons; I learned patience and I learned a lot about myself.  Some may not call a heartbreak an opportunity, but here recently I realized it was.    Today, I reflect back to the spring of 2011 when I picked up a tennis racket for the first time.  Some may compare this to  picking up a paintbrush for the first time... It was intimidating...it was new...it was completely foreign...and it was a little scary not knowing what I was doing chasing a little yellow fuzzy ball.  There were several days I had tears across the court under my sunglasses, there were several days where If it had not been for tennis, I would not have eaten...To this day, I owe tennis for saving my life.

  

This past fall, out of no where really,  I was asked to be on a tennis league out of Lafayette, LA.  Whats so fascinating-to me about this, Is initially someone from a Lafayette team called me asking for a donation for the Lafayette High School Golf Tournament. I get donation requests every single day, but this one was different.   The lady knew nothing about me really, other than I was an artist and I had just started playing tennis a little over a year ago.  Later that same evening I got a call back, on a more "personal note", she said....it was a call to come and practice with a team in Lafayette.  I was thrilled!  I brought my best game, joined the team and even became a member of a new athletic club that same day.  Dedication.  

       Every Monday I would drive an hour and a half to be with my team, to practice, to play, to win and to stay dedicated to this new lifelong passion called Tennis. The more I played, the more I learned patience, mental control, and the more I loved it.  Tennis has not only become a valuable part of my life, but it also promotes my business.  I create art pieces and apparel using my tennis designs.  Some designs travel to tournaments on ladies clothing state and even nationwide!

I sit here at my desk today, with a heavy chest-  half united with beautiful happiness, the other a sweet sadness.  Im not sure what this feeling is actually, and Im sure Im not the only one on my team experiencing it.   This past weekend my same team of Lafayette women - "Ragin' Rackets" , and myself had an opportunity to win second place in the Louisiana State Tennis Championship Tournament in Baton Rouge.   Even though we didnt win like we all wanted to- I know for certain that I took something home with me even more amazing than a medal or a trophy... I took home a team of new friends, memories of winners, and battles within ourselves.

I have been sitting with all of this, completely inspired to share something so amazing.  I have experienced something awesome on a personal and a team level, and for that I am grateful to be such a part of a new passion: tennis and Ragin Rackets!

~Candice

the beginnings of this new blogging.

If you are reading this, you are probably like me...sometimes you like to just sit there or lay in bed just scrolling through peoples random conscious thoughts they post on facebook, or how like this page...youve stumbled across - this new blog written by me. I hope i can continue this new journey and no matter what- continue to create thoughts and art masterpieces that inspire....

    tonight we opened up for the mistletoe and moss, Junior league of lake charles - show here in Downtown Lake Charles...huge booth and big weekend ahead.   I will write more towards the weekend.  The wood is still a bit wetnin the fireplace, and its getting colder and colder at nights...i think we planted the winter garden too late, and the chickens are such a content little family. Today i picked 14 eggs, they've been a workin and a grazing..  :)