Meet Alex (Ali) Correa | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex (Ali) Correa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex (Ali), why did you pursue a creative career?
Being creative has always just been about survival. It started when I was young. Something bad would happen in my life, for no apparent reason, and I would become sad and confused. Using that experience for creative fuel would help me understand it better, until I could ultimately overcome the experience. It’s like a super power, really. Being able to take something that hurt me, and using art to change it into something that I loved and even wanted to share with others, has saved my life more times than I could count. I was also influenced heavily by my mother, who raised my brother and I by herself. She’s not an artist, but I was brought up in a household where we were encouraged to just be ourselves and explore. My mom always said “I’m just the bumper between you and sharp objects.” She never really tried to influence us outside of that. So I was never afraid to be the weird art kid. As far as choosing a creative career, it was never a choice I made, like most people choose a career. It wasn’t like “Oh I like animals, so I want to be an vet.” I need to be creative to continue to be alive, so the decision to monetize it just came out of necessity.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Whether it’s literally or metaphorically, all of my work deals with turning darkness, into light. With my photography for example, I work within a process that involves capturing photos in almost complete darkness. I then turn them into final images the are bright and bursting with color. With my upcoming Youtube series, “The True Darkness Show,” the process is much more poetic. Each episode is centered around it’s own event, all of which I would consider to be traumatic. Then through comedy, I try to create something really beautiful, and compelling. I like my work to explore the full spectrum of emotions, the highs and the lows, no matter how intense. I feel like a lot of artists shy away from that, even if they intend to to be really genuine, subconsciously they become afraid. I try to realize that no matter what it is I want to express, there will always be one person out there who will be able to relate, so I might as well go for it. If I had to simplify everything that I’ve made into one message or statement, it would definitely be that nobody is ever to far gone. They say “You can’t save everybody” but I believe everyone can save themselves. Nobody is beyond the grace of God, and it’s never too late to achieve happiness.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This one is hard for me, because I just moved to the city. And even though I consider myself an extrovert, I don’t go out too often. However I do know of one spot. Ever since Anthony Bourdain called it his “favorite restaurant in LA” I have been obsessed with In n Out Burger. That place is totally magical. They have some of the best burgers I’ve ever tasted, and it’s so affordable. I think I’ve eaten there every other day since I moved. So If a friend were to come and visit me here, In n Out is probably the first and only place I would take them. But there is a right and wrong way to order. Lots of people get their burger animal style, but you should save that for the fries. The double= double has enough flavor with the meat, cheese, and just a little spread. You wouldn’t cover up a steak with ketchup, so don’t do that here. The fries however, are perfect for making animal style. But if you must eat them plain, you need to get a chocolate milkshake to dip them in. The salt and sweet together is so good I want to cry. Just remember to get a spoon to go with it, way too thick to sip. So to all my friends out there, if you come to LA be ready to eat, cause that’s all we’re going to do.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It would feel wrong for me to do a shoutout if I weren’t to start out by mentioning God first. I would like to say my faith has always been strong, but that isn’t the case really. In my mind that’s what makes my journey all the more incredible though. I lost faith many times, but God never gave up on me. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for His strength. It’s something I never intend to take for granted again. In terms of inspiration though, I’d say about 90% of it comes from my relationship with my mother. The dynamics of our interactions really formed the base on which I create. We used to go back and forth a lot when I was younger, and I learned just as much from those times as I have now that we see eye to eye. Being around others can bring out different things in ourselves. I’m just really lucky to have a mother who made me very introspective. All of our interactions always ended in me looking inward, and discovering new things about myself. And it’s within those moments my creative mind was formed. Not to mention everything she’s taught me as well. I’ve been pulling from my childhood ever since I started making things, and I have no intention of ever stopping.

Instagram: @balletamane

Image Credits
Alexander Correa