Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elisa Serrano. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

There were a lot of things my parents got wrong – but supporting my origins as a creative wasn’t one of them. I remember my mom taking me to the salon in elementary school when I decided I wanted pink hair – since I was raised in a conservative religious household, as an adult I appreciate the ways my parents supported my creative side even more.

My various assortment of school art projects and paintings were always framed and hung around the house, and my talents were always celebrated, even if I felt like what I did was nothing special.

The largest impact my parents had in my life as a creative was their support in my decision to pursue a degree in apparel design at my local university – despite being dead set on becoming a Marine Biologist until the 12th hour. It wasn’t until I took the last art class in high school (fashion illustration) that I found what I wanted to do.

I was extremely nervous to tell my parents, as I’m sure many artists and creatives are when they opt out of a more “traditional” career track. I’m still surprised to this day that they were incredibly supportive of my choice to pursue a degree in a creative field, but they did. If it wasn’t for their support I honestly don’t know where I would find myself today.

Elisa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Elisa Serrano, and I am a creative through and through. Although not every season in my past has been focused on building a career as a creative – I strongly believe that every experience in my life & the opportunities I’ve lived through influence the way I see the world, and therefore, how & what I create. My current role is Chief Creative Officer at Don’t Lose Hope Screen Print, my husband’s screen printing shop.

Before my time at DLH, I gained a lot of skills in other roles that I use every single day. My first role after university was working in hospitality, at a local hotel, where I learned the skill of “damage control” without the guests knowing the moving parts behind the scenes, and then delivering them the result with a smile.

My next role was a very influential one – working as a M.A.C. makeup artist inside our local Nordstrom. This role taught me the importance of a strong brand, and how strong brands worked, and what it feels like to be proud of where you work. My role as a makeup artist taught me how to “play it cool” even better than my hospitality job did, and on top of that – Nordstrom taught me how to sell. I never had the highest sales numbers, but I learned how it felt to win sales ethically, authentically, and honestly.

After that role, I started back at square one – learning a BRAND new skill & becoming self employed for the first time, as an eyelash extension technician. On top of that, my girlfriends and I also decided to open and operate our own salon – and that’s where my love-hate relationship with running a business began.

After the pandemic, and with 5 years of salon management under my belt, my husband’s screen printing business was beginning to grow and I could tell he was going to need help…so I said goodbye to my career as an eyelash tech & began to execute the knowledge I had learned about marketing, branding, and other business scaling skills to his company.

After spending time in the garment decoration industry & getting to dive deeper into the world of manufacturing, the next step in my career is going to bring me back to where it all began – clothing.

I’m a bit nervous to start over again, but I’m ready to put all that I’ve learned to the test – and build a community of like minded people with the hope it will open doors to do some good things in this world. I want to give back to others the way so many did for me along my journey, and to serve as a form of representation for young creatives who might feel discouraged about what their future looks like. I want to show them that you CAN make a wonderful life for yourself as a creative.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

As mentioned prior, one of my goals is to be an example to young creatives who might not know what a career as a creative looks like. If you want to get specific, being able to inspire creative teens (especially in the BIPOC community) is something I would love to help with. I would have really liked having a real world example growing up of someone who looked like me, doing things I would want to do.

Being a woman who is fairly tattooed as well, I think it’s important to show that it’s VERY possible to be a successful entrepreneur and creative who runs a business even with an “alternative” appearance.

Lastly, a large part of my founder story includes suddenly losing my late husband, Alex, in 2017. Being widowed at 25 years old taught me a very important lesson that I think most folks do all they can to forget – life is short. And you never know how much time you’ve got left. You also never know the positive impact you have on others.

This experience was truly the catalyst for so many decisions I’ve made for my personal life, and career. I want to improve other people’s lives with positivity the way Alex did, through my art. I want to inspire others to take the leap and pursue something that lights them up – because you don’t know how long you’ll have the chance.

I want to create a life that I love and enjoy, and inspire others to do the same. All in Alex’s name.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Something I’ve realized throughout my creative journey is that although I may be *good* at something, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s something I should pursue as a career, or even spend time doing at all. It’s not enough for me to be good at something, I must enjoy it as well, and it must intrinsically fulfill me. I’d venture to guess that many other creatives are the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elisaserrano.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/elisaserrano_
• Youtube: @@elisa.serrano
• Other: Newsletter sign up: https://elisa-serrano.ck.page/0a58d26aa5

Image Credits

Michael Raines