Meet Alejandra Palma | Jewelry Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alejandra Palma and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alejandra, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
I feel like the biggest misconception people instill on others or they have themselves is that you need a huge monetary investment to start or pursue your dreams or creative businesses. I started my brand while I was unemployed and invested the little savings I had, going against people who believed it was impossible for me to succeed with that type of economy.

I feel like my passion, vision, and hope was bigger than my financial fears, which led me to go forward with creating and launching Androhmeda. I have always been a believer that you can’t buy talent with money, so if you do have the talent move forward in pursuing your dreams and the money will come along the way.

I do believe a plan and structure is necessary, however a huge financial investment isn’t. Your dreams will fuel you to move forward and you will attain the financial security if you’re dedicated and devoted to your craft.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I believe nothing in life that’s worth having comes easy. Androhmeda started as hope. Hope to leave the corporate world and follow my dreams. I was going through a very dark time, my parents were diagnosed with cancer back to back, I didn’t feel creatively fulfilled, I was burnt out and I felt like my talent was going to waste and that I didn’t see myself doing the same job for 10 years.

So I decided to take a leap of faith and do something I had never done before: Jewelry.

I quit my job, took care of my parents and once their radiation was finalized, I booked a 2 month trip to San Miguel De Allende. I didn’t know anyone there, all I knew is that I was going to learn how to make jewelry, which I did.

I came back to LA with a lot of inspiration, ideas and drive and decided to invest my few savings on a jewelry collection. I visited Guerrero Mexico and hired some artisans to do my pieces because I didn’t feel confident enough to do them myself.

Shortly after that, a month after I launched Androhmeda, COVID-19 happened. Everything closed and I found myself worrying about everything, including the future of my business.

My dad encouraged me to start making the designs myself, which I was hesitant to do, but once I did everything started flowing and my brand grew to a level I didn’t even imagine possible.

I believe that thoughts are powerful, whatever you feed your mind you’ll eventually become. The biggest challenge I overcame was making peace with those beliefs I had instilled in myself, and exchange them with trust in my abilities and it has been a game changer.

Things have not been easy, but everything has been worth it. Challenges allow us to grow and expand from our comfort zone, and regardless of the outcome, whether its positive or negative, we always take something with ourselves: knowledge & experience.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh my god so many places! But lets see for a 1 day itinerary I would start by getting some delicious coffee at Tierra Mia in DTLA (the horchata latte is bomb).

Afterwards I would take her to the last bookstore (I love reading!) and discover some new or old books, and support the small business in the building.

Then I would love to go to Grand Central Market and indulge in some delicious food.

If it was a Sunday we could go to Melrose Trading Post (where I set my booth every Sunday) and shop for some beautiful handmade items, vintage decor, and clothing.

And to end the day, happy hour at E.P. & L.P. & a nice dinner there!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would LOVE to give a shoutout to my first teacher at FIDM Mr. Armando Robles. He believed in me the moment I stepped foot in his classroom. My English wasn’t that good, and he spoke Spanish as well but he pushed me out of my comfort zone and only spoke to me in English, even if I stayed after class or through emails. Because he wanted to see me grow and not get complacent. There were so many projects I shared my ideas with, which weren’t the best to be honest, and he knew I was doing it with half of my potential and not to my full capacity, and he didn’t accept the project and always pushed me to strive for more, and those are some of my favorite projects until this day!

Sometimes we need people in our lives who don’t tell us yes all the time, who are honest and have a certain level of tough love because they see our potential and they believe in us.

I learned a lot from Mr. Robles, I hope I get to see him again in person and thank him, because I have been teaching others what he taught me.

Website: https://www.androhmeda.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/androhmeda/

Other: TikTok:

@androhmedaa