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

Eliza, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I don’t think there was one dramatic moment where I suddenly decided to pursue art professionally. It was more of a slow realization that art wasn’t something I just did but it was how I understood and related to the world. I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. As a kid, it was a way to escape and process. As I got older, it became the one place where I felt the most honest. Even when I explored other paths, art was always the constant. The turning point was probably the moment I realized I couldn’t imagine building a life where creativity wasn’t at the center.

Eliza, 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’m an artist and an art teacher, but more than anything I’ve chosen to build a life where art is at the center. Creating is how I process things, how I communicate, and how I understand myself and the world around me. My art business, “Emancip8d” grew out of that decision. It isn’t a perfectly polished brand or some finished product. It’s something evolving with me. I wanted it to feel like a space where people can exist fully, including the messy, darker, stranger, louder parts that don’t always feel acceptable. So much of life teaches us to tone those parts down. My work does the opposite. I work in many mediums such as painting, mixed media, and pyrography. The medium changes depending on what I feel like I need to express. What I’m most proud of is choosing to live creatively and inviting others into that freedom. Emancip8d is less about selling something and more about creating permission. Permission to feel. Permission to express. Permission to take up space as you are.

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?

I think what can be hard for non-creatives to understand is that this isn’t just a career choice. It’s not something I clock in and out of. Creativity is not separate from my identity. It’s how I process, how I regulate, how I communicate. So, when I’m building my art practice or investing in it, it’s not just a business move. It’s personal. From the outside, pursuing art can look unstable or indulgent. It can look like a hobby that got taken too seriously. But what people don’t always see is the discipline behind it. The constant self-reflection. The vulnerability required to put pieces of yourself into the world. The risk of rejection. The internal push to keep creating even when it’s inconvenient or uncertain. There’s also an emotional component that’s harder to explain. When you create from an honest place, you’re exposing parts of yourself that aren’t always polished or easy. That can be uncomfortable. But it’s also what makes the connection real. I think if there’s any “enlightenment” to offer, it’s that choosing a creative path isn’t about avoiding structure or responsibility. It’s about choosing alignment. It’s about deciding that living creatively is worth the uncertainty that sometimes comes with it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is the connection. When someone sees a piece and feels understood by it, that moment matters. It’s the quiet recognition of “I relate to this” or “I’ve felt that too.” That shared understanding is powerful. It’s also the permission that comes with it. When I express parts of myself openly, especially the parts that feel strange or intense or a bit unhinged, it gives other people space to acknowledge those parts in themselves. On a personal level, it’s rewarding because creating keeps me aligned. It keeps me honest. It keeps me grounded in who I am. Building a life where art is central feels right, and being able to invite others into that experience makes it even more meaningful.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emancip8d

Image Credits

Holley Morin