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

Eliza, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I have been fortunate enough to make a full time living as an Illustrator, drawing and doing what I love. It is a gift I don’t take for granted, even though it’s taken a lot of work, grit, and belief in myself to realize this dream.

Growing up I was surrounded by ambitious people with straight forward paths…many of my friends and family have become doctors, lawyers, and engineers and I admire them wholeheartedly for all their hard work, dedication and focus. But building a career as a creative is much less clear cut, and I had to face a ton of unknowns to make it a reality.

It all started with a passion for drawing and making things. Even in elementary school I knew I wanted to be a professional artist. In high school I dreaded math and science classes…homework was a struggle and I would pull all nighters just to push through and complete my assignments. I longed to be in art school and with many hours of drawing, sculpting, and painting I got into Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)! The journey didn’t stop there…it was only the beginning.

After graduating from RISD with a BFA in Illustration, I stepped into the workforce with a lot of fear but also a lot of hope. I have always been a heart led, starry eyed dreamer. My goal was to be a character designer for Pixar or Disney and I thought, I won’t be a success until I make it to one of those studios. They were placed on a very high pedestal, and I was fixated on reaching them. I applied to Pixar’s internship program when I graduated and with high hopes, I got rejected. It hurt tremendously…I felt like I had failed and I wasn’t good enough. I carried a cloud of shame around without letting others know I felt this way. The truth is, I wasn’t ready, and I had a long way to go. So I took classes with the greatest Character Designers in the industry, working for Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks.

Meanwhile, I applied to other creative jobs and I’ll never forget landing my first one! It was adjacent to what I wanted to do…making publishing products for Disney and Pixar. I learned a ton! Getting to know the style guides for established brands and franchises, it was a great foundation for understanding kids products. After a few years, I started to feel stifled by all the rules and lack of creative exploration.

So I took a leap of faith and started working on my first self published children’s book “Mother What is the Moon?”. I Kickstarted it with the author David Griswold and we raised enough money to publish our book! It was a great success and introduced me to the children’s book space. From there I made more books, while still studying animation and character design. Along the way, I met Abby Van Muijen, a creative entrepreneur who wanted to start a small creative agency focused on making animated videos. We teamed up, and started RogueMark Studios in Berkeley, CA. There we had clients from UCSF, to Stanford, Google and Meta. It was an amazing place to push myself. I learned a ton about animation, art directing, and telling stories.

After 5 valuable years of working at RogueMark as the Creative Director, I was ready for a change. And with a global pandemic, change was inevitable! I wanted to draw things for kids and I was fortunate enough to land a job as a brand illustrator for Messenger Kids at Meta. It was a huge transition, but working remotely allowed for me to stay flexible and make time for my own projects and my full-time job. Our team was delightfully quirky and creative, and we got to make a lot of playful and whimsical projects. My favorite part of my job was creating sticker series for the app. It was a fun place to explore and create a variety of illustrations in my style while still fitting into the brand mission of Messenger Kids. I worked a solid 2 years in that role and when my contract came to an end I was curious to start freelancing and focusing on building my own roster of clients.

Which brings me to today! I’ve had the pleasure of illustrating for various clients in edtech, mental health and publishing. My favorite jobs involve designing characters for brands like Instacart, NoRedInk, and The Reading Bug. My path led me to find my creative super powers, where my heart lies. As my career unfolds, I am grateful to find jobs that pay the bills and fill my creative cup.

This year has been especially momentous, while freelancing I authored my first children’s book proposal and landed an agent at Bookmark Literary! My agent is now pitching my book to multiple publishers, so fingers crossed it finds a good home! Writing my own stories is a wonderful new challenge, that allows me to draw what I love and have a lot of creative autonomy.

Reflecting on my career so far, I have a lot more comfort in the unknown than I used to. I also feel that I am more trusting of the journey. Sometimes we have an idea of what success looks like, when really it’s about finding work that suits us and allows for balance and creative exploration.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a brand and picture book illustrator (represented by BookMark Literary) based in the SF Bay Area. My whimsical illustrations explore our connection to nature and understanding emotions. I have a deep love for storytelling through books, animation, and product design, especially centered on education and emotional wellbeing for kids.

After graduating from The Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration, I’ve experienced many different creative roles. I co-founded RogueMark Studios, where we produced unique hand drawn animated videos for clients including Google, Stanford, UCSF, MIT and more. More recently, I developed the elementary school brand for NoRedInk, and designed characters that guide students through writing lessons. I’ve also worked at Meta on Messenger Kids, leading the sticker program and brand illustration. I’ve had an array of clients over the years including Disney, ABC, eBay, and Epic Kids. I have four published books, including my most recent, My Zoo – A Book of Feelings with Magination Press, an imprint of the American Psychological Association.

Currently I work as a freelance illustrator for Two Chairs, a mental health care company that matches clients with the best therapists, as well as multiple other clients.

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

Whenever I create, whether it’s painting, drawing, sculpting or storytelling, my goal is to connect with others about the awe of being alive. We all have different take aways, but what I love about being an artist, is being able to translate my experience into illustration for others to relate to. My hope is that I am making the world a little bit more playful, beautiful, and connected…I want to create the feeling of slowing down and noticing how beautiful our planet is, and how special it is to be alive. If I were to describe the feeling I am trying to capture in most everything I make, it would be “wonderment”; the way it felt to see snow for the first time, or to hold a tiny chick in the palm of your hands as a small child.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Artists are special creatures. We love spending hours alone making stuff at the kitchen table, in our studios, bedrooms, or wherever inspiration strikes. We need this kind of space, literally and figuratively speaking, to harness our super powers and create. But we are NOT solitary beings. We need community! We need creative peers, mentors, and appreciators to truly thrive as artists. We need to feel seen, valued, and uplifted not only by our networks, but also by society at large.

It’s crucial to have access and support so that we don’t get lost in this capitalistic system. If I could ask for anything it would be for our government and those with more wealth, power, and privilege, to uplift the arts and value it for what it’s truly worth. We need more access to community spaces, more art in schools, programs, and extended learning opportunities for all.

Art is not frivolous. It is essential to culture, connection, and the beating heart of community. Without artists, our world would be dim and lifeless.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elizareisfeldart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizareisfeldart/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizareisfeldart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliza-reisfeld-5772292a/

Image Credits

I certify that all pictures are taken by myself.