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

Marcy , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

This year I will be celebrating 4 years as a full time artist. It has been an amazingly liberating and wild ride! I’ve been really motivated to sell my art and crafty things since I was a kid. I went to Art School and double majored in Art Education and Studio Art at the University of Arizona. Shortly after graduating in 2013, I got a job as an elementary art teacher. I loved teaching-I still do! But it took a lot out of me, emotionally and physically. On the weekends, I would spend all day in my little bedroom studio in my house just making art. Creating for me then was an outlet. I would submit to art shows, participate in art markets and slowly started to get my art into shops wholesale-all while teaching 29 classes a week, I had about 600 students. It was beautiful and it was a lot! After about 7 years, I left teaching to pursue my art full time.

I was very persistent and I wanted to reach as many people as I could so I took every opportunity to show and sell my art that came to me. I had an Etsy shop for a few years, so I really leaned into that-back then it was easy to grow on platforms like Instagram and Etsy. I started to make prints and stickers of my designs. I would reach out to shops I followed on Instagram to see if they would be interested in carrying my work wholesale. Sort of like cold-calling! Slowly, as my art was making its rounds in a few shops and online, I began getting requests to design tattoos. I really just threw my whole life into making, showing and selling my art without any real business plan. Looking back, I’m so thankful I was so fearless. I truly believe that my persistency and figuring out a way to share more art with more people is what helped me be where I am today!
These days, I work out of a much larger studio away from my house. I’ve really grown my wholesale business and shops carry my work all across the country. I spent a couple years strictly creating tattoo designs and collaborating with tattoo artists. I have also been making more speciality pieces, like ceramics and apparel. This year I’m taking some time to intentionally and strategically plan my business. I’m a lot more selective with clients and collaborations. And I definitely take more breaks than I used to!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My art is inspired by the natural world, flora and the feminine form. I grew up on a plant nursery in rural New Mexico. My earliest memories are connected to nature, spending time with my sister and drawing what was in front of me: plants. I’ve always had a pen in my hand-or my hair-always drawing or thinking of what to draw. In Art School, I was enamored with printmaking, specifically intaglio printmaking. It was then that I discovered my linework. I was able to say more in delicate lines than ever before. I was introduced to watercolor, ink and fell in love with how the two can coexist on paper.

I have always had a deep connection to nature. In college, I began exploring the relationship between nature and the human experience. Personally, I was experiencing an incredibly difficult time and needed to find a way to reclaim my body and my spirit. Naturally, through art I was able to find peace and answers to tough questions. I started drawing figures rooted in nature, becoming nature. Every figure I drew was a type of self-portrait-something not only me, but many other women found comfort and resonated with.

Currently, I am exploring body painting and have been working on a very special, collaborative series called The Empowerment Project. This project gives me an opportunity to connect with women in my community who have experienced physical traumas, cancers and other life-altering experiences. By painting their body, I am able to help bring new life to old scars.

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

We need each other! We need connection. We need to feel empowered. We need the earth around us. We need each other!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I am grateful every single day to live this art filled life. I feel with my entire being, my purpose in this life is to bring light and brightness. Through my art, I am able to help others heal, and in return, heal myself. There are so many incredible, rewarding aspects of being an artist. For me, it’s those moments of connection and togetherness my art can bring. Whether it’s someone wanting to tattoo of a design that I created because it reminds them of resilience and their power. Or, when someone gifts prints to share with their loved ones because they have been through hard experiences. Or, When someone chooses to wear something I made because it makes them feel beautiful– every moment is the most rewarding experience for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marcyellis.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcyellis/

Image Credits
Fletcher & Co, Heart and Seoul Photography, MoonValley Creative, Julius Schlosburg