By Pamela – Studio Coordinator at MyRetroposter
You may already know me. I’m the one who answers your questions and solves hiccups by email or WhatsApp. My name is Pamela – Pam for everyone – and I’ve been working alongside Alecse and Cha for quite a few years now.
Every day, I get to witness everything that happens behind the scenes: in the studio, at the gallery, and behind the screen. And recently, while updating the website, I took the time to reread all the reviews we’ve received over the years. And something hit me.
Not because I was discovering them – I remember almost every single one – but because reading them together, seeing the full picture, revealed something bigger than the sum of its parts.
Creating a commissioned poster isn’t just about crafting a pretty image. It’s about listening, understanding, visually translating a memory, a feeling, a family story, a cherished place. And over the years, through your words, we’ve come to realize just how much this work means.
Today, MyRetroposter has collected almost 1,200 reviews in 7 years – and around 50 of them are about commissioned posters.
That may not seem like a lot. But they carry a different weight.
At first, reviews came in slowly – one by one, like little sparks of joy. Not a flood, but a steady rhythm. And now, looking back, we’re no longer self-conscious about the number. Instead, we’re proud.
Especially of those few dozen dedicated to Alecse’s custom creations. They’re often longer. More emotional. Richer. They tell stories.
“Got my wife a personalised travel poster as part of her 40th birthday… she described it as her favourite gift of all.” – Neil
“He recreated my childhood house down to the very last detail. [...] Truly a great gift, to yourself or someone else!” – Anonymous
“This gift I was giving my family turned out to be a huge success.” – Geraldine
“A deeply personal poster, capturing the exact view from our window.” – Charlie D.
These reviews paint the picture of something real. Something human.
This article is also the first in a new series we’re calling Inside the Studio. And it started as an inside joke: I’ve been pushing Alecse for years to film videos of his creative process. But he always declines. He thinks that it wouldn't be impressive enough.
He doesn’t start with a blank page. He starts with a photo. A brief. A request. Then comes the back-and-forth, the doubt, the backlighting, the layering, the retouching. He’ll spend hours. Sometimes days. And he gets nervous before sending that first draft. Every time.
He often says: “What if I got it wrong?”
And yet, he keeps doing it. Not for the money – he’s the first to admit he used to make more in one hour of consulting than he earns on a commissioned poster.
His process isn’t flashy. You won’t see time-lapse videos of him sketching from memory or throwing paint on canvas. His art lives in the layering — in blending, retouching, rebalancing, and going back and forth with clients until that magical click happens.
He does it for the challenge. The fear. The tension. The thrill of building something with someone.
Especially because today, between managing a website that runs 24/7, handling orders shipped to over 40 countries a year, opening a new gallery in Barcelona, and preserving his family life – which has always been a priority – Alecse only takes on one custom poster a month.
But he does it with heart.
Alecse is also a deep introvert. Many don’t realize it. Some mistake it for distance. But public speaking and even casual conversations weren’t always easy for him. Over time, he’s learned to manage it. But he’s still more comfortable with a sincere one-on-one than a crowd.
And maybe that’s why his posters connect. They come from that quiet space. From those long WhatsApp voice notes with a client. From those shared stories. From that moment when someone trusts him enough to say, "This place means the world to me. Can you help me hold onto it?"
And he does.
“It’s the most meaningful gift I’ve ever given.”
“I was afraid Alecse wouldn’t capture the spirit, but he nailed it.”
“It looks like us. It feels like us.”
“It’s already a family totem.”
These aren’t just reviews. They’re proof that commissioned posters have become a world of their own at MyRetroposter.
They’re not just for decoration. They’re for remembering. Honoring. Celebrating.
One thing I love is how incredibly diverse our commissioned poster clients are. They live in New York, Dubai, California, Brittany, Pelham, Madrid, Monaco, and even remote villages in the Alps. Some are newlyweds, some retired, some grieving, some celebrating. All of them want one thing: to keep a place, a moment, a memory alive.
Whether it’s a childhood home recreated from memory, a favorite view seen during a honeymoon, or a group poster with dozens of faces for a once-in-a-lifetime anniversary — Alecse listens. He worries. He doubts. He delivers.
And that’s what I wanted to share today — not as a marketer, but as someone who has been here all along.
Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for writing to us. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your stories.
See you soon for the next episode of Inside the Studio ✨
