Meet Alexa Beltran | Handcrafted Jeweler & Student

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

Hi Alexa, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I am currently a full time college student and I work part time while also doing my jewelry on the side. Balance has definitely been something I have struggled the most with this year but I am thankful that I have been able to fulfill my first two wholesale orders this year. My jewelry is in two stores, Prelude & Dawn in Highland Park and Rooftop fruit in Indianapolis. These have so far been my biggest accomplishments in my small business journey and I feel so blessed with having the opportunity. I feel like as hard as it’s been to ground myself with all of my endeavors, making jewelry has particularly been something that never feels like it is “too much” for me to handle. It’s one of those things that makes me feel like I am meeting myself again. Every single time I create something new and tap into my inner child, which is where I find much of my inspiration.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Since starting Blushy Cheeks I have always created with the intention that every single piece makes someone feel like they are connecting to their inner child. I started my small business during the pandemic when I was going through lots of inner turmoil and the one thing that brought me peace was the fact that I was able to connect with myself by making necklaces. Soon enough it became something that I felt would help me make some extra cash while I was going to school. Something that makes me the most excited that I do not think I will ever get over is the way people react to my pieces. They will be like “Oh my gosh I have never seen this before this is so pretty” or “Please make more of these” or “When are you going to re-stock?” I do not think i will ever get tired of hearing those questions because it is so fulfilling to know that other people love what I create with my own two hands. I know that there is always room for improvement and I yet have so much to learn but the beauty of it all is being able to have the chance to learn from mistakes and being able to be better. The biggest challenge for me has been finding a balance. I am very close to being done with my undergrad program so that has been very time consuming but I always look forward to my downtime or my small breaks to be able to create. I want the world to know that it is very important that we all have a creative outlet, no matter what it is, wether it funds us or not. Having the opportunity to create has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love having creative outlets, some that I share with the world and some that I do not. Something I frequently tell myself is that it is better to create than to not. Even if no one sees it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First, we would grab breakfast at millie’s on sunset, then we would get coffee at day glow. Then we would take a walk around echo park and have a picnic and we will work on our creative endeavors i.e. i would crochet and she would draw. Then we would get on the swan boats. After, i would take them to a book store called stories because they have a great selection of books and the vibes are always so good! Next, we would hit my favorite thrift store called sunday’s best. To end the day we would go to lowboy and eat some delicious burgers. The most fun places to hang out are calm places. I love to go to coffee shops and having picnics with friend’s. Quality time is my definition of a great time!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this shout out to my best friend Marisol! She has truly been my biggest supporter throughout my creative journey. Every single pop up that I have- she is there and for that I am so thankful. She has supported all of my ideas even if they do not get executed and she has always been there to uplift me when I get my random waves of imposter syndrome.

Website: blushycheeks.net

Instagram: bluushycheeks