We recently connected with Ellie Reis and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ellie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Regardless of where you go, college is both a necessity and a privilege for anyone. At 17, I knew I wanted to be doing something creative as a career, but wasn’t quite sure what. I had just learned photoshop, was regularly painting, and still working with children, and all of them felt like promising options in some shape or form, but I didn’t have a specific career goal yet. After talking with people in the industry, I was strongly advised to attend an art college to better focus my craft, but while touring I felt massively out of place. It wasn’t impostor syndrome, but more of an excess of potential. There were so many fields I could see myself pursuing, and even back then I was considered a Mixed Media artist. All the creative programs offered at these schools required a full commitment to the track, and I was incredibly overwhelmed by the requirement to focus on one aspect only. It felt a lot like choosing one piece of myself and just hoping I’d find my way back to the rest. To add to the anxiety, all my portfolio reviews confused me more – the Design program said I was an illustrator, the Illustration program said I should pursue commercial art, the Product Design program recommended graphics. Frankly, I agreed with all of them. I had no clue what to do with myself, much less which art school would be the best place to foster someone like me. I ended up at University of Oregon because we had non-refundable plane tickets to visit and my mom wanted a weekend vacation. I remember the exact moment I got out of the car. The air just hit me right. That’s the only way I can possibly describe it, just an exhale into home. I can admit now that I was secretly terrified. Pursuing a creative field is volatile enough already, but choosing to spend my formative years at a state school almost 900 miles away from where the action is seemed like an even more daunting task. But ultimately, I strongly believe I made the best decision. I had enough resources and actively working faculty to build a portfolio I am passionate about but is still competitive, and I got such a lovely place to grow and enjoy for 4 years. I like to call it my Nature Retreat Period. And now I’m back in LA, still working at the exact dream I had when I started. I may not be there yet, but I’m confident I’m on the right track. What initially felt like a risk turned out to be the most giving and nurturing experiences, and I’m proud to tell young artists that you don’t have to go to an art school to be a working artist.

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

I’m a Mixed Media Illustrator with Maximalist tendencies. I believe Mess is Lore, and strive to embody the complexity and beauty around the places and things we find in our everyday lives. Love is in the line work, blank space is the enemy, and I just can’t help but want just a little bit more.

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?

Creativity is a skill, not a talent – it requires consistent work and maintenance! For me as an illustrator, I imagine my work as a battling average, like a baseball player. They’re never “all good,” they’re hitting their mark a certain percentage of the time. Your goal as an artist, musician, writer, sculptor, or anything is to get your batting average up.
Assume everyone starts at 10% – meaning 10% of the time you’ll be producing something you’d consider “good.” Of course there’s going to be the occasional home run or barely missed hits, but 1 out of 10 times you’re making a drawing that is good enough that you’d consider showing a friend or two.
For every instance you put pen to paper and come out with something, thats 0.05% up on your average – meaning for every day you practice that skill you’re 0.05% more likely to make something worthy of putting on the fridge. This is progress! However – for every day you miss you’re loosing 0.1%. It needs to be consistent. A leaky bucket is much easier to empty than fill, right?
And for context – I’d estimate casual artists are drawing with a 30% success rate. An intermediate such as myself is probably around 50-60%. A true pro is 70-80%. Few are over 90, but no one’s at 100%. Keep up the good work!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

KISS Method – Keep It Simple, Stupid! Fortunately AND unfortunately, social media is now a necessity to establish yourself in a larger creative space. It feels infinitely competitive while results are turbulent and never guaranteed. I myself was stuck for a very long time at 3K after a full year’s worth of work and then shot to 17K in less than a month. Algorithms are finicky and consistently updated, which is why I stick with the KISS method. If you’re spending more than 15 minutes on a post or video – that’s too much time. If you’re not enjoying making your content – then try something new! If you’re overwhelmed by the creation process then try using Instagram reel templates or CapCut. You don’t have to be completely original and cutthroat to succeed – in fact, you’re a lot more likely to get your big break by feeding into the algorithm.
Ultimately – there’s only as much pressure as you put on yourself. Take it easy and enjoy yourself, and be confident knowing the people who will support you will be attracted to that enjoyment too.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elliereis.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reis.psd/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-reisman-72a069171/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/reis_psd