June is my birth month. And I finally decided to tell you where I started.

This is the origin story I never told in Season 1. Self-taught at 12. A career that moved through graphic design, coding, beauty, and fashion... not in a straight line, never in a straight line... and somehow landed exactly where it was always supposed to.

I talk about the manager who made me blurt out "I want to do coding" in a one on one. Another manager who showed me what real leadership actually looks like... and what representation in real time can do for a person. The recruiter who told me I would never get a job in fashion. The internship I took anyway, well beyond intern age, because that was my strategy. The corporate office with the all-black dress code that had everyone filing out at lunch looking like a funeral procession. And the moment I stood on a side street and realized the building I now worked in was the same building I'd done a pickup at years earlier, garment bag in hand, just trying to get through a rough internship.

I was already her. Not metaphorically. Literally. I was already in the room.

This episode also gets into where I am now, why this birthday looks different from the ones before it, and something I said to some friends recently that I had to go home and sit with.

Life and creativity are NOT linear. And I am proof of that.

🎙 Host: Alissa
Follow the journey: @originallyremixed ✨
Visit the site: originallyremixed.com

If this resonated, pass it to someone who needs to hear it.

Season 2 is here. And I'm not easing into it.

This episode is about what happens when life has such a tight grip on you that your natural instincts can't breathe. The choke chain is real. And for a long time, mine looked like autopilot, a committee of critics I never voted for, and a closet full of creative ideas that never made it out of my head.

The thing that cracked it open? Sewing. Going back to it after 10-15 years, a New Year's trip to Sedona, a wish ritual, a stranger in a convenience store who told me I had style, and a pants class that brought me face-to-face with younger Alissa.

She didn't fail. She just wasn't ready.

This episode also features Hollywood, my spicy little dachshund, who has strong opinions about who deserves her attention and even stronger opinions about prime sunshine hours.

Seven episodes. Monthly. All personal. No formulas. No preaching.

Stick with me.

🎙 Host: Alissa

Follow the journey: @originallyremixed ✨

Visit the site: originallyremixed.com

If this resonated, pass it to someone who needs to hear it.

In this solo finale episode, I reflect on what it means to be multi-passionate — starting everything, finishing some things, and giving yourself permission to hold projects lightly.

From photo walks and collage-making to cooking experiments, workshops, and art hangs, this summer reminded me that not every idea needs to become a business or a long-term commitment. Some projects are here to spark joy, teach a skill, or simply move through us. And that’s enough.

We talk about:• why starter energy is just as valuable as finisher energy• the importance of having an anchor project or home base• using seasonal creativity to structure your many passions• how community keeps creative energy alive• the "chaos bag" — a way to honor and repurpose half-baked projects• why finishing is sometimes overrated, and starting is a gift in itself

This is also the last episode of Season 1. Five felt like the right number — a complete cycle to get the idea out of my system, reflect on the process, and imagine what’s next. The show isn’t finished, though. Dope x Design will continue to live inside the Originally Remixed container, possibly in a new monthly format.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for not finishing everything you start, or overwhelmed by too many passions, I hope this episode gives you permission to see your creative chaos as brilliance.

🎙 Host: Alissa (the Artist)

Follow the journey: ⁠⁠@alissatheartist⁠⁠ + ⁠⁠@originallyremixed⁠⁠

✨ Visit the site: ⁠⁠originallyremixed.com⁠⁠

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If this resonates, share it with a friend, rate and review the show, or drop me a note. I’d love to hear what’s in your chaos bag right now — or what creative season you’re in.