Alex Ann Allen was born and raised in South Bend. She attended Clay High School, graduating in 2012. She first fell in love with art back when she was 10, and she really got into portraits when she was 16. Nowadays, she’s a full-time artist, and several of her murals radiate off walls all throughout the Michiana area.
Allen’s jump to where she is today wasn’t an easy one. Before switching over to becoming a muralist and curator, she worked in every kind of environment under the sun. It was when she turned 25 that she chose to throw herself into her creativity. She’s since been self-taught and kept her eyes open to learn from the works of other street-art creators.
“I think for a while I was purposely running away from the thing I’m doing now. I was scared to fully dive into my passion, so I painted houses and worked in factories, but I eventually came to the conclusion that I needed to take a leap into my art,” she said.
Faithfully making the move toward fully embracing her creative skillset wasn’t a simple one for Allen. She realized early on that she’d have to plan, and that’s exactly what she wound up doing. Her budget was a top concern, but she concluded quickly that simply saving up for about six months of bills would set her on the right path. Then it became a matter of putting herself out there.
May 1 will mark seven years since Allen devoted herself to what she’s most passionate about. Her yearly income at this point in time mostly consists of the murals she’s done. Other sources make additions, too, contributing to her excitement about what she does.
“I’m very proud of how far I’ve come. I’m not only a muralist; any self-employed freelancer will tell you it’s best to have income from things on the side. One of the things I’ve learned, and find very exciting and beautiful, is that there’re different ways of being a full-time artist and surviving off that,” she said.
Allen plays a vital role in the community, showing it a richer side of life that might have previously gone unnoticed. For her, it’s also about respecting her growth.
“My why is made up of two things. First, I’m able to wake up every day and enhance someone else’s life with the colors I use and the public art I create. Being able to do that for a living, no matter what, I know it makes someone’s day, and that drives me,” she said. “Another big one is honoring the kid inside me; I’m honoring that person, that old joy inside of me when I continue to chase this path.”
The number of murals Allen has done continues to increase. She won’t be putting a stop on her work any time soon, and her portfolio will only become more and more vibrant with what she chooses to put out into the world. There have been moments of fatigue and exhaustion, but her will has dominated above it all.
“I went through a few burnouts, but I’m probably around 230 murals so far. With each and every one of those, I’ve learned something that takes me on to the next one. Things started to appear from the moment I put myself out there and said I was available,” she said. “I’ve been surviving off word of mouth, leaving places I’ve entered better than I found them and making good connections.”
Murals present a difficult medium to the artist, but ironically, smaller projects, like those done on canvas, intimidate Allen most. What doesn’t intimidate her in the slightest, though, is the variety presented to her. It gives her chances to find unique expressions never before seen.
Allen’s work exists all over. Almost 50 of her murals, both indoors and outdoors, can be found in her hometown alone. One is right by where J2 Marketing used to be located, another is near a prominent storage facility, and she’s completed multiple murals for farmers’ markets.
It’s not unusual for an artist to have numerous inspirations, including Allen. Luckily for her, she has been able to live in the same household as them.
“My mom is an artist herself. She’s a photographer, but she used to draw these really geometric, hyper-realistic pieces with ballpoint pens. When I was little, she would hide them under her bed, so I would look under there and see all these drawings. I think that’s what inspired my love,” she said.
Most of Allen’s time is taken up by her vocation, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t dedicate some of it to her powerlifting hobby. As she plans to go on making murals for the next 30 years, she enjoys lifting weights when she can because it keeps her in shape. She’s also considered going into teaching, regardless of whether it’s at the elementary, high school, or college level.
Developments taking place across the world put the impact of Allen’s work into perspective. She sees growing trends in the art forms she deals with, and one part of her job is concerned with bringing bigger-picture things to a local setting.
“I think public art over the last five years – not just in the region, but the country and the world in general – is blowing up a bit, and I think that having it a part of this solid community brings it together. That’s really beautiful to witness,” she said.