We recently connected with Elena D and have shared our conversation below.

Elena, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

There are so many times where I take a step back and wonder if I’m really doing what I should be, that it would be impossible to count. Every time, I take a deep breath and eventually come back around to the conclusion that I won’t see exactly what I want out there in the world unless I make it happen myself. It’s true that “everything has already been done” – but everyone has their own unique flair they can add to something and make it “theirs,” which no one can take from them. That is what keeps me going down this career path, even during the most draining – financially, physically, and emotionally – periods of business.

Elena, 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 am a chronically ill and disabled artist. I am (un)fortunately incapable of holding a salaried work position, being my own employer was the only way I’d be able to pave my way through any kind of career path, though this is of course very chaotic with many ups and downs. My most debilitating conditions I would consider to be my Fibromyalgia, Endometriosis, Interstitial Cystitis, and chronic migraines.

As of around 2019 I primarily design apparel and jewelry, though there are a lot of accessories I’ve created the designs for as well (such as enamel/lapel pins, keychains, and phone charms). Currently, my chronic conditions have affected my physical abilities enough to the point that I very rarely hand-craft any merchandise I sell, but despite outsourcing production, I still only sell entirely original concepts and designs. When it comes to apparel, this mostly means for me that I have created a design from the ground up – entirely unique-to-me pattern, fit, and style – rather than having existing base designs printed on. This is not something that is very common in my art style niche to have done and as a result, personally, I find it difficult to market for – but way more rewarding to see, feel, and wear.

I also have been a writer for most of my life, and while of course that doesn’t mean I’ve been doing so professionally, I realized in the early waves of the pandemic that I needed to finally make that leap sooner rather than later if I wanted to have a true chance at ever having a published work. The result was reworking a story I’d had outlined since I was in high school, and adapting it for use in a video game format instead – a “visual novel,” a form of Interactive Fiction. This is currently in development, and thanks to that, for the first time, I am now also the “boss” to others as well – my small team of art, music composition, and voice acting staff, and soon, even programmers.

While there have been many hurdles faced in working on this game due to my health, and juggling it with the rest of my creative pursuits (especially just being 1 person as far as my small business goes), this has been something that keeps my passion for my creative pursuits renewed. Most of the characters in the game will also be wearing original apparel designs I have created, which has been another push to inspire me to bring them to life physically.

Another huge part of why I feel motivated to continue my business even in really rough times where profit is low is so that I can continue putting a disabled voice out there in a niche that people wouldn’t necessarily expect one. I like to include themes of mental health in a lot of my designs, most specifically my jewelry.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I’ve got a pretty simple response to this, as well as an elaborated one.

The simple response is that this is entirely unregulated and a form of gambling, so I am not in favor of them.

The longer response is that I’ve looked into the environmental impact NFTs have, as well as seen art by artists I admired who have passed away being sold (obviously) without their posthumous permission, and I could never support that. There is so much inherent value in art that doesn’t have gimmicks attached to it, and that don’t rely on computer servers that create massive energy pollution just to host them.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I would normally not see myself as “resilient,” but I am going to take the inferred compliment in this prompt and cite my chronic illnesses as a reason I think I’m actually pretty strong, contrary to what my mental health would like me to believe.

When you go to the doctor, or are admitted into a hospital setting, they often present you with a chart, numbered 1 through 10. Sometimes, it is accompanied by increasingly-upset smiley faces that correspond with each number. The person presenting the chart to you will say “‘1′ is no pain at all, and ’10’ is the worst pain you can imagine.” This is a common type of pain chart, and they’re highly inaccurate to the multifaceted way pain can actually be felt, but if it would be helpful to illustrate my general condition, I live daily life somewhere between a “7” and an “8,” depending on how I felt when I woke up. When I was younger and didn’t have the same accumulated tolerance I have now, I was able to consider my current average physical condition to be a 10.

Despite spending the vast majority of my waking hours in bed, I still get a lot done. To say I am doing 40 hour work weeks would be a gross underestimation if I were to include all of the work I do on my phone and computer, which I would have to, as that’s where the design work takes place. This is my reality, and I’ve gotten used to it. But, when people point out to me how much more “productive” I am in terms of a continuous work stream of concept design, order fulfillment, writing for my game, and negotiating production for product…I realize I would have been really proud of my current self, back when I was crippled by my “10s”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.midnightsprings.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midnight_springs
• Other: https://studiomidnightsprings.crd.co

Image Credits
All photos were taken either by me or my fiance, so I have full rights to them. I did want to add context behind the photo of myself I included – I do all of my in-person sales at “conventions” and that is a photo of myself behind the table, so I am in work mode there.