We’re looking forward to introducing you to Elissa Marie. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Elissa, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Time blindness comes standard with an overly vivid imagination, so there are many situations that sweep me off to fairy time. Most notably, though, any creative project where I’m fully locked into the process transports me to a state of gnosis where reality bends, time vanishes, and my mind runs free. This includes painting, drawing, crafting, sewing, crocheting, and any form of making things with my hands. In true self-saboteur fashion, I often procrastinate starting fun creative projects because I know how easily I get lost in them (or maybe those are times I truly find myself?). What usually breaks me out of the trance is when my treacherous body betrays me with its meatsack maintenance needs, like hunger… or really needing to pee.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Elissa! I’m an artist, primarily focused on illustration, and sole biz runner of Elissa Marie Creative, where I sell my art and designs as fine art prints, stickers, blankets, socks, totes, and a slew of other thoughtful products. I like to create things that will add a bit of whimsy to your home, and maybe even open up your imagination to the magick of the everyday. Much of my art stems from my own self-healing efforts, which I’ve discovered speaks to many others as well. Most recently, I’ve been working on coloring books that include origin stories, myths, and meaning behind the art, as a self-care tool and creative outlet for those seeking more interactive whimsy. I’ve also got an oracle deck project on the horizon that I’m collaborating on with a dear friend and fellow Austin small biz, Tara of Heart Seed Healing.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
One of the first times I remember feeling powerful was standing up for my older brother, in an albeit misguided way, when we were in elementary school. We often rode our bikes together to school, picking up other neighborhood kids on the way, forming a snapshot of quintessential ‘90s suburbia. As if straight out of a movie, we would occasionally encounter a bully or two on our way. One day, a few mean older kids zoomed past us on their bikes, knocking my brother over, and then stopped to block the sidewalk so we couldn’t get away. With adrenaline-fueled bravery, I rode as fast and as hard as I could into one of them, breaking their barricade, and ramming one of their legs with my front wheel. I knew it was stupid. I knew it wouldn’t help the situation. And I knew my tiny self on my tiny bike didn’t cause any real damage. But the choice was all mine, and I still have no regrets.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self that she’s more powerful than she gives herself credit for. I would tell her she’s allowed to break through the facade the world has built around what girls and women are “supposed” to be like, and to believe in the power of her dreams and her imagination.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
I believe all humans deserve to exist and thrive exactly however they want to, so long as they aren’t causing harm to others. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by so many who share this view, so I rarely feel the need to express it directly, and it simply feels like a basic truth of our human existence. Yet far too many folks are choosing harm and power over compassion and appreciation of diversity. To address this in much of my art, I strive to illustrate beauty and magick in as many different humanoid forms as possible in an effort to challenge society’s norms that have been born out of fear and hate.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
When I’m gone, I hope people tell stories of ways I impacted their lives. I hope they are stories of feeling seen and heard by me, about feeling loved and making them laugh. I hope they are about something they learned from me – or something I learned from them – and how I contributed to the world more than I took from it. I hope the stories are funny, lighthearted, and bursting at the seams with whimsy. That’s really all I wish to leave behind. Sparkles.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elissamariecreative.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elissamariecreative/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@elissamariecreative
