Alisyn Palla
Hi!!! My name is Alisyn Palla, and I am an artist and owner of Meraki Metal Works, located in Bakersfield, California.
I have been welding on and off since late 2012, when my neighbor gave me his old welder. I had no idea how to weld or cut metal, but I was determined to learn. After watching lots of YouTube tutorials and reading as much as I could about welding processes and fabrication, I started making random stuff for around the house. Then, I started making stuff for friends and family.
February 1, 2013, was the first time I ever put any of my creations out there for the general public. I had hand-cut (oxy-acetylene torch) a series of broken hearts from sheet metal, and then mended them back together with leather, barbed wire, and other unlikely “thread.” I think I had maybe 5 mended hearts on display, and every single one sold that first night!
I was excited to create, but back then, I was a full-time litigation attorney, struggling to create late at night or on weekends. My time creating was incredibly limited. Often years would pass without me making anything, or even welding just to practice.
In 2019, I left full time litigation to work as general counsel, which afforded me a bit more flexibility. In 2022, I designed, freehand sketched, and hand-cut a beautiful custom gate for my parents’ patio. My passion to create reignited and I realized how much I had stifled my creativity over the years.
I still practice law, but I no longer do it full time, which affords 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!
For me, creating is a trust fall. A leap of faith. It’s digging deep, opening up, and listening. It’s being vulnerable. Creating with passion and purpose, from my heart and soul (“meraki”) means 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 work with you is an honor, and if following my journey inspires just one of you to create, try something scary, or take a leap of faith, then it’s all totally worth it!
Don’t be afraid to jump in! All you have to lose is time…
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