If you have ever been to High Grounds in Glassboro, New Jersey as of late, then you have probably seen some art pieces on the wall. Alex Majer is the creator of the art that you see being displayed at High Grounds. 

The Burlington Township-based artist is a sophomore at Rowan University majoring in Graphic Design. He fell in love with art when he was a kid doing finger painting and was surrounded by artistic family members. 

“I fell in love with it really ever since I was a kid,” said Majer. “I did a lot of like finger painting. I was always super artistic. My aunt, my great aunt is actually does like costume design and my dad does like it’s, it’s not like traditional art, but he does a kitchen design. So my family was always very artistic.”

People in his childhood always encouraged him to do art from his mother and second-grade teacher. When Majer started high school, he took every single art class as he started to find his true passion in life. 

“I know my mom always really encouraged me to do art and in second grade,” said Majer. “I think it’s when I really started getting into drawing, because my teacher would always give us like little warm up activities and a lot of them were like art focus. And I always, that’s when I really started, I guess becoming serious about it and then I realized that I liked it and in high school I took like every single art class that I could”. 

Majer mentioned that it is surreal to see the piece of art that he created being displayed in places for people to observe. 

“It’s a really cool feeling,” said Majer. “I went in there the other day, and just to see it there and see people, sitting around it, I mean, I told my friends about it”. 

Not only does art help Majer professionally, but it also helps him socially with making friends and having common interests with other people who enjoy doing art like him. 

“I made a lot of friends through art, definitely,” said Majer. It’s helped me, obviously express a lot of I guess who I am, what I like sort of thing. It’s just helped me a lot socially, get to know different people”. 

While Majer understands the skill that he possessed as an artist, his message to others who aren’t good artists is there are many different types of art to do: taking a picture with friends, even doodling. 

“You don’t have to be good at art, to do art, honestly,” said Majer. Art can just be anything that you want, even just like taking like, taking a picture with your friends, that’s photography, that’s art, even just doing like a little doodle, like there’s so many different kinds of art”. 

One thing that his art wants to convey is happiness and making people smile. 

“I like to make art that makes people smile and makes people happy,” said Majer. I mean, I make more serious pieces too, but a lot of my art is just to express happiness and make other people say wow, that’s really cool”. 

For comments/questions about this story DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email  arts@thewhitonline.com.