About
For over 20 years, Alex Leviton’s wide-ranging career has centered around one single concept:
Creativity changes the world.
Working Artist
Alex has worked as a journalist, guidebook author, one-time standup comic, poetry mentor in a juvenile psychiatric hospital, board game co-creator, editorial director, start-up co-founder, et al. Alex is a graduate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and has been a Lonely Planet author since 2002. She is the author of Explore Every Day and co-author of over two dozen Lonely Planet guidebooks (and one with the co-founding editor of The Onion). She’s been a Creativity at Work columnist for the Seattle Times; a creative side hustle series editor at The Guardian; and she’s covered culture, creativity and travel for the Independent Weekly, BBC Travel, USA Today, etc.
Business and Leadership
Alex is the rare writer/artist who also thrives in business and leadership roles; she was Editorial Director of Gogobot.com (Trip.com) in Silicon Valley, Author Liaison Manager for Lonely Planet, Senior Editor of Solimar magazine, and Executive Editorial Director and Co-Founder of Firef.ly in London. High-level problem-solving is kind of her jam, and she thrives working with creative professionals, business leaders and policymakers on coming up with out-of-the-box, innovative solutions to complex issues.
Creativity Whisperer
Alex is fascinated by the creative process itself. After struggles with her own Inner Critic and mentoring hundreds of creatives, she developed a talent for helping her employees, interns and students build their foundations, establish creative safety, and elicit their own creative bravery and flow. She now has over 120 exercises she layers to help create a safe space for creativity to connect and grow, whether that’s individually or in a group setting.
Success Rate
Alex was so intrigued by how well this process was working, she even hired a research assistant from the University of Washington’s psychology department to help triangulate all the various elements. (Ask her about applied improvisation, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, trauma-informed care, humor studies, quantified self and statistics, et al.) According to her feedback forms, Alex currently has a 100% success rate in ‘Did this help your creative process?’
The Third Layer
Alex now works with individuals, organizations and companies to help them find, express and celebrate each person’s unique voice. She works mostly with folks in science, policy, media and education, but hey, surprise her with a new field.
Whether they’re writers or dancers, economists or policymakers, or students or just plain human beings, those who work with Alex learn to blend their sharp critical-thinking skills with the hidden corners of their magical creative genius brain so they can change their worlds.
What you need to know about me:
I listen more deeply than any other human you’ve met. I can hear what is unsaid.
My personal mission in life is to advocate for more playful creativity and curious creative thinking so that others are inspired to show up as their most authentic, creative, messy selves.
“I have worked with Alex over several years and introduced her to friends in the corporate world, with lots of success. Alex has brought into my life and work a perspective that I could not have gained in my roles in corporate world or in government.
My first encounter with Alex’s workshops was a feeling of frustration and confusion since she took me to areas where I was not used to experiencing, it was uncomfortable. In that dimension and going deep (third layer) there was a realm of ideas and creativity. Thank you Alex.”
