I’m very excited for the first person in this photo series to be this magical human.
Alex Wisner is a writer, musician, film composer, creator of Treehouse LA, and front-woman of her band.
What do ya do? First and foremost, I am a writer. I’ve been writing music, poems, stories, plays, scripts and books since I was twelve. I’m a musician and it’s what I do professionally.
I also run Treehouse. Growing up in Los Angeles, surrounded by fellow artists, it felt like everyone was trying to build their own artistic empires and had little time to pay attention to anyone else. I decided to reach out to friends and see if they wanted to showcase their art with others. The first Treehouse happened in my living room and there were around 15 artists who performed. Some were friends and some were people I had never met before. It was magic watching the audience watch the artist. They were so attentive and so there, listening, taking it in. The people who performed were so talented. I felt like I had just tapped into some alternate dimension where everyone, even the not so seeming, had something magical to offer. I decided to do it monthly. As the months went on, and through word of mouth, it became too crowded, too many strangers to have in my own house. So, I decided to make Treehouse a pop-up event. Treehouse is completely free. We do not get charged for the spaces we use, we do not charge for admission or to perform. We have been doing this for awhile now, and it’s done nothing but expand every month. We all collaborate to try to build the best experience possible. When did you know you wanted to pursue what you are doing? I always used to say at the age of twelve. I guess that’s because that’s when I wrote my first set of short stories and also the year I started my own band. Looking back at my earlier years, I reconsider. I remember having a sleepover when I was 5 years old and forcing my friends to put on a showcase for my parents. I’d ask what their best talent was and then had them practice for half an hour. I’d turn off the lights in my bedroom, use the bed as a stage and I would sit on the side, queuing a boom box and directing a flashlight as a spotlight while they were performing. Fast forward, I find myself still doing this every month.
What might you be doing if you hadn’t pursued this? I’d probably be a teacher. I have this fear of future generations that I’m convinced will only be solved through art and education.
Have you ever almost given up on your passions? If so, what kept you going? I’m a bit delusional when it comes to failure. I’m convinced that I have never failed at anything. I’ve sucked at a lot of things, but it makes me laugh when I think about it. I love creating things so much that it’s part of me- like eating or sleeping. Even if I’ve gone through a lull of making money with my art or not succeeding as much as I’d hoped, I just make more. Persistence as a concept is what’s kept me going.
Best advice you’ve received? One time my dad said “Don’t ever let someone plug into you like you’re a three pronged outlet.”
I think it’s the best advice I’ve ever received. I keep it in mind and I don’t let people into my life who feed off of my energy or suck it all up. No vampires. No parasites.
When do you feel the most inspired / creative? At the most inconvenient times! I’ll be at a birthday party and run to the bathroom to hide away and write something on my phone.
My other favorite time is in the early morning. Around 6 am. I like to walk into my studio and wake myself up with it all.
What is something most people don’t know about you? I was born with a tail and didn’t know about it until I was 20 years old and it grew very slowly. I had to get it surgically removed. I was reading the Dragon Ball Z manga at the time. It was all very coincidental. Also, my first language was Spanish. Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert? I’ve never quite figured this out. An exintrovert?
What's the strangest first date you've ever been on? We broke into the Observatory late at night while it was raining and then sat on a hill drinking cans of Tecate he had in his jacket until sunrise.
If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead who would it be and why? Whoever wrote the first edition of the Bible. I have so many questions about their intentions.
Book(s) everyone should read: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July The Story of Civilization by Will Durant
