Alisyn Palla

My name is Alisyn Palla, I am a metal artist and the owner of Meraki Metal Works, located in Bakersfield, California.

I have always been fascinated with art, which is probably why I did not fall in love with welding until I started using it creatively in 2013.

I started welding in 2012, when my neighbor gave me his used, Harbor Freight welder. I knew nothing about welding so there was (still is) a lot of trial and error, but that is the best part. One of my favorite quotes about art is one from Scott Adams: “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

In 2012, I was a full-time litigation attorney, so it is not surprising that my time spent creating was incredibly limited, and often years would pass without the opportunity to create, let alone practice welding.

I sold my first art piece on February 1, 2013 – a series of hand-cut broken hearts made from mild steel sheet metal, mended back together with leather, barbed wire, and other unlikely “thread.” Just like my “Mended Hearts” series, creating continues to heal me in ways I never imagined or knew I needed mending.

In February 2023, I took a weeklong workshop for welding processes (MIG, TIG, and Stick), along with a metal sculpting class. I returned home with pure fire in my soul, and I knew that no matter what, I needed to create! So, I jumped in, with zero expectations, a ton of excitement, motivation, and of course, nerves!

In just 18 months, I have been blessed with so many opportunities to create, including among others multiple local public art installations, commissions ranging from small, intimate projects to large restaurant sculptures, invitations to participate as an artist at museums and galleries, along with speaking engagements and demonstrations that will hopefully inspire women and our youth to not just consider the trades as a career opportunity, but to also explore trades as a platform for artistic endeavors!

I still practice law, but I no longer do it full time, affording me more flexibility and energy to create. I’ve never felt so free, so full of life, and so authentically me. There’s no turning back now!

Metal is my favorite medium, although I love experimenting with and challenging other construction materials and obscure mediums. I have spent the past 18 months pushing my own creative boundaries in ways I never imagined, and I feel like I am just getting started!! Most impactfully, I have learned there really is no such thing as failure – only opportunities to learn and grow, not just as an artist, but also as a human.

For me, creating is a trust fall. A leap of faith. It is digging deep, opening up, and listening. It is being vulnerable. When I create from a place of passion and purpose (“Meraki”), there are no boundaries or limits to what I can do. It’s one of the scariest but most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

Sharing my art with the rest of the world is an honor. If my art or my journey inspires just one other human to jump in, take a leap of faith, or try something new or scary, then it has all been worth it!