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

Alright, Ellie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’ve learned everything I do through curiosity and play. Not every idea sticks, and sometimes it feels like I’ve spent time making things I don’t love or never intended to make. The process reminds me of carving a sculpture. You chip away at something that is still hidden, and you only understand what it is supposed to look like once you reach the end. Something I always say to this effect is: you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet.

My work is a little unconventional, and I have often worried that I do not fit neatly into the traditional designer category. I also don’t fit neatly into the DJ category of who gets booked, busy, and paid. Existing in that in-between space can feel like an obstacle, especially when I think about career paths. At the same time, it is the space where my ideas come alive. Trying different mediums and unique approaches shapes my messaging and world building in a way that would not happen otherwise.

If I could have sped up my learning, I would have trusted my point of view sooner and allowed it to guide me with more confidence. Your perspective is your most essential skill and your greatest asset. When you are grounded in it, you can help others clarify their own vision and communicate more clearly and effectively through your art.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The work I want to do is to push boundaries, but in a way that creates something new that people connect with. I want it to be purpose driven, whether it furthers sustainability, accessibility, or community based missions. This is a big reason I center my design work in the music world, because it helps breathe life into community driven events. Music is a huge part of my life, which is why I became a DJ, and that path led me to a place where I can use design as a tool for communication, understanding, and reaching people.


Two projects I am currently involved in, and still journeying through, are the ones I am most proud of, and both are music related. The first and longest running is Heart Beats NYC, which I started with my partner in 2023. There were moments where I struggled to find my footing with the visuals or got caught up in fine tuning, but through the frequency of the events and the reach we have had, I quickly learned what speaks to people and what speaks to the spirit of Heart Beats. I am currently working on brand guidelines, mostly as a personal document and a way to capture how we have solidified our identity and created a consistent space for people.


The second project is Good Mood Radio Lounge, which I am also involved in from the music side. I started it with my friend Shoji who has long been involved in the Vaporwave scene and a multi-genre producer himself. Together, we record and release down-tempo mixes that create a lounge atmosphere, separate from the club. It has since evolved into an outlet to explore world beats and lost histories of sounds; there are so many stems and origins that are more common around us – specifically in modern club music – than we tend to notice. As a kid, I always loved going to the library or secondhand stores to find CDs you couldn’t find on iTunes, or Napster, or Youtube, and this project shares that same spirit. I think it creates a Time Machine effect, and I hope for listeners to feel more than a sense of escape, atmosphere, and richness, but also comfort and familiarity in the esoteric.



I am continuing to work on branding for Good Mood Radio Lounge as we release mixes, which are currently on Soundcloud. It has been a fulfilling and fun experience in logo work and motion design, and I feel like I am learning a lot in both music and design and the organic way they must flow together.

While it might seem like a deterring take to want to work a bit non-linearly and with so many mediums and themes, the important thing to understand is that I have a set of passion driven focuses that I return to consistently.


Design gives me structure, visual language, and the tools to communicate ideas. DJing teaches me how to shape mood, pacing, and emotional arcs. Learning risograph printing keeps me connected to process, experimentation, and the physical pains and rewards of making. Together, these practices form a Tri-force for me. It is a constant journey to reach a fuller point of view, and even a battle at times, but one cannot exist without the others.


The passion projects I take on in each area have shaped me into someone who is adaptable, curious, and always learning. That combination is central to the work I want to keep doing.


Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to learn is to trust every experience you want to have, and to step away from your practice sometimes without guilt. You may find another outlet for expression you never expected, or you may just find fulfillment in something that has nothing to do with creating. Never forget that you owe it to everyone to step outside of your box and gain perspective. Likewise, you owe it to yourself to honor the needs of your soul and spirit. With capitalism and job uncertainty being the norm (especially in creative fields), it is easy to drown these needs. 



After starting my first job out of undergrad, I struggled a lot. I felt trapped in a corporate box. Creating for just one company pushed me to work even harder on my personal projects for some time but it wasn’t healthy. In the end, I pushed myself into burnout and my body almost rejected doing art the way I always used to. While I am grateful that I created time because it proved something to myself about my work ethic, It also led me to take a long break from my main practice of drawing.


When I came back to making things again, it felt scary. I did not trust myself, and I carried a lot of shame and guilt about stepping away. Over time, I realized that I didn’t lose skill, and design connections in my head came to me with more ease than before. I had gained other points of view I could apply naturally. I used to believe that every minute away from my desk was a waste. I couldn’t be present anywhere, and I barely had friends for some time. Looking back, I can see how much that mindset affected my mental health.

Everything shifted when I allowed myself to explore things that made me happy. DJing, aerial dancing, taking walks often, traveling, even if just visiting a different part of the city for a day. Going to see artists I love or showing up to creative events without knowing what to expect. None of these experiences are a waste of time. No enriching experience is wasted, and no difficult experience or imperfect creation is wasted either.


I try think of everything in my life as a solar system that works together to keep me grounded in my practice. It is natural to have periods where one planet is in the sun’s shadow. What matters is that they are all still part of the same system that need to keep turning to support the work I want to do.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My creative journey is driven by the goal of making work that pushes boundaries while still creating something people can connect with on a personal and emotional level. I want what I make to feel new, even magical, but above all purposeful. That purpose often shows up through themes of community centered experiences, and inspiring discourse around common interests. 


Again, music has always been at the core of this mission. It shapes my design work and keeps me focused on world-building, not only within the pieces but within bringing people together and creating excitement, awareness, and conversations that lead others to new inspirations or creative endeavors. Whatever it is I do, I am always trying to build spaces and moments that feel meaningful, imaginative, new, and honest.

I want to help people feel understood, inspired, or simply more present. That focus guides me no matter what medium I am working in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elliegrever.com
• Instagram: @ell.html, @goodmoodradiolounge, @heart.beatsnyc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliegrever/
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ellhtml and https://soundcloud.com/goodmoodradiolounge

Image Credits

All images designed and illustrated by Ellie Grever