Revelstoke Brand Photographer - Client Spotlight - Alex Ailiako

I met Alex through The Well Collaborative a little over a month before this session. She was a new member and we were both attending the same Coffee and Connection event. I learned that she’s a watercolour painter and is expecting her first child in May - potentially on my birthday! Our interaction was limited but Alex joined me at Show & Tell the following week and shared her upcoming project - an art exhibition at The Well the following month. There was something unique about her showcase, however.

Saskatchewan has the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world, and ¾ of people diagnosed in our province are women. Though research is being done to learn more about why this is, there is still no cure for the illness. Alex is one of over 2700 women in Saskatchewan living with MS. She was diagnosed at age 27 and two years later has seen that more research is needed around women’s health and MS, and more needs to be done to bring to light the often invisible symptoms that come with MS.

Her exhibition, entitled Inner Islands: The Art of Wellness, features abstract watercolour artwork from her emerging series The Archipelago of Imagination. Admission to her come and go reception on March 7th and 8th was free, and 20% of proceeds from art sales will be donated to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada to fund research for MS and support programming for the 3,700+ people living with MS in Saskatchewan.

Since being diagnosed in 2018, Alex says she is often asked about how MS affects her work.

“The answer is when living with relapsing-remitting MS, the uncertainty of the disease is always there even when it’s in a state of remission and there are no obvious symptoms.

I never know if I will wake up to a relapse where I can’t see clearly, can’t feel my fingers, can’t think or speak properly, can’t get out of bed, or can’t tell when I need to empty my bladder.

I manage the uncertainty by planning and prioritizing how I take care of my stress and energy levels, but I also actively embrace uncertainty in my life.

One way I do this is through my intuitive approach to creating art. I’m never certain how a painting will turn out, but I know it there’s a good chance it won’t be as planned – and I think there’s beauty to behold in the unexpected.”⁣

In preparation for her showcase, Alex and I got together at The Well to create photographs of her and her process. I wanted to capture Alex in her natural environment; at ease in the uncertainty of her work. While the session was a service to create photographs for promoting her exhibition, something far greater was achieved.

My sessions with creatives are more than a combination of headshots and product photos. I’m documenting people in their most precious place. Where they feel safe and secure. Where they are uninhibited and also most vulnerable. It is a true honour when individuals trust me enough to take me to this place. To allow me to capture their raw selves and share it with others. So in return, my offering is this.

“There's something about seeing yourself in the creative process that shushes the imposter syndrome all creatives wrestle with... Thank you times a million!” 

Seeing others in their state of creation is truly beautiful, but to see yourself through the eyes of another; nothing compares. The love and compassion and true wonder that I have for you and your craft, it’s available for you as well. Creatives are riddled with self-doubt (I know because I am one), but if you can see the belief that others have in you and own it for yourself, that’s when the real magic begins. You are allowed to believe in yourself. If you’re not there yet, I would love to help you make that possible. The only thing that needs to change is your perspective.

Contact Alex through her website to view or purchase her work.