Alexander Gore shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Alexander, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Painting has always been the portal to find myself, again and again. It’s my way of processing my emotions and inner experiences. Time stops, and I am connected to myself.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Alexander Gore and I am the creator of Dream Like State Studio. My intention with my art business is to create art expressing my own inner experiences on a canvas and hoping that my vision comes through and speaks to others. My business consists of selling my own personal artwork including originals, prints and other products. I paint about my experiences with mental illness, relationships, basically my own inner world. Something interesting about my vision/business is that I am planning to host painting workshops to help people get in touch with their own inner worlds and help them turn that vision into reality through painting.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
When I was young, my self-esteem was really low. I can’t remember how I viewed myself and wasn’t in tune with my inner experiences. I would seek validation and attention from sources outside of myself. I believed that I wasn’t smart, that I was even stupid. I had to do a lot of inner work to deconstruct this view of myself, to heal and to love who I am.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain and suffering during my first psychosis, in 2018. I discovered painting for the first time, and although I didn’t think I wasn’t good at it- I kept moving forward with it. Art gave me a purpose, a reason to be alive. When I got out of the mental hospital, art became my life. I was taking a break from college and didn’t have anything else going on. I made art every single day in that period of time. Once I was able to reflect on my psychosis from a different perspective, after some time has passed, I started making art about my mental health, specifically my psychosis. Painting gave me a way to express experiences that were challenging to express through words, and that became my superpower.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I have committed myself to walk the path of making my art my career. I think that walking this path can be challenging, because sometimes people are blunt about what they think about my choice. In those moments, sometimes I question myself, my purpose and my path. I have to come back to my reason for being. My reason for being alive, my passion and my path. I know realistically that it may be 3 to 5 years before I can call myself a fulltime artist. I’m okay with that, and I’m okay with people not seeing the work I am doing to work towards this goal, behind the scenes.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Yes!!! When I was 22. I made the decision to go to Grad school to study to become a therapist. In the program that I did, we didn’t start actually seeing clients until the third year, in internship. After I completed about half of my internship, I debated if being a therapist is something I really wanted. I found myself spiraling about my career path, over and over again. I came to the conclusion that if I followed my passion and calling, I would do art. I made then made the decision to finish the internship, but to not pursue therapy once I graduated. I moved states on a whim, and decided to pursue art.
When I first got here, nothing was falling into place. I couldn’t find a job that aligned with what I wanted, and I am still at the stage in my art career that I need a day job. Therapy was something easy to fall back on, so I spiraled into convincing myself that it was something I wanted, again. Once I tapped into my inner being, my truth- I knew that this cycle couldn’t last forever.
I had to REALLY decide that I was going to not pursue therapy and tap into my power.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dreamlikestatestudio.com
- Instagram: dreamlikestatestudio_
- Facebook: Dream like state studio
- Other: substack: time keeps moving
