We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elaine Stephenson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elaine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I believe in not looking back at the past and wishing I had done things differently. Hindsight is always 20/20 and for me I don’t think I would be in the same place if I had tried to start my creative career any earlier. Each job, project, or situation prepared me for the next step I took and if I had tried to skip any of those, I wouldn’t have ended up in the same place. I started painting murals four years ago and before that I didn’t know that being a muralist was a viable career path. It would have been nice if I knew that sooner to have more years practicing painting murals, but I don’t think that would have made a huge difference in my path. It also took me a few years of practicing painting murals on the side of my full-time job to build up the confidence to leave it and pursue being a full-time artist.

Elaine, 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?

I grew up wanting to be an artist from an early age, but it always seemed like an impossible dream. So I used my artistic interests to major in graphic design to become a designer. I enjoyed design as a career path, but after 10 years in the field, there was something always missing from my roles. In the last few years I dipped back into art again and got my first taste of public art which reignited a passion for creating art on my own terms. Since 2018 I have been creating art non-stop and became a full-time artist during the middle of the pandemic, so I could finally start living my dream. I create murals and art for businesses, neighborhoods, and individuals. The best projects are a collaboration between the client’s vision and my unique style. My art style is very graphic and bold, using black outlines and bright colors. My work is often feminine leaning, and I create art that is positive and uplifting or at least enjoyable. Flowers and lettering are signature elements I use in a lot of my work. I enjoy the letterforms of typography and use words in my work as design elements, and to convey a certain message. My use of florals in a lot of my work is embracing my feminine nature as a woman, and letting my work be a reflection of that. I am proud of the large projects I have been able to produce on my own in the short time since becoming a full-time artist.

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

My creative journey is driven my a strong inner desire to make the world a better place through my art. I believe art is powerful and has the ability to bring joy and happiness to others, as well as beautify our world. I have always been an artist since an early age, so I feel like it is an innate gift I have to create, and when I do I feel a sense of purpose and fulfillment. So the goal of my art is to satisfy my inner desire to create and be a positive influence on the world.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

To support artists it’s important that society recognize art as work – not just as a hobby. Artists deserve to be paid a living wage for their talents and gifts, which many people admire but not all are willing to pay for. But the arts drive so much of our economy and entertainment that the world would be a much more boring place without them. If we want to continue to live in a creative world, the artists who create need to be supported and not asked to work for free. By supporting your local artists you can also support your local economy, rather than buying items from Amazon or big department stores. You will end up both supporting an independent artist and owning an individual hand-crafted item that has more unique value than most mass-produced objects and belongings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elainestephenson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artsy_elaine
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElaineStephensonArt

Image Credits
Grant Sadowski Elaine Stephenson Mark Alberhasky Christian Garcia