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

Tommy, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I enjoy crystalizing moments– I’m a conceptual portrait photographer who uses radical empathy to create captivating, dreamy visual storytelling in collaboration with other creatives. I’m passionate about photography’s ability to express and connect, I use my professional background in art direction, set design, and post-production to help others capture moments of reconnection, creativity, and beauty. My work crystalizes moments of bodily empowerment and appreciation, which motivates me to create safe, affirming spaces where others can feel encouraged to be vulnerable and fully themselves.

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?

Hey there. I’m Tommy. I’m a multidisciplinary designer, photographer, art director, spicy food lover, and coffee drinker. I am passionate about brand identity, design systems, portrait photography, staying organized, and being process-driven.

Photography started as a creative outlet while I was in college, a way to get the creative juices flowing and conceptual ideas out. My studies were focused on advertising, marketing, and design with photography transformed into an artistic safe haven. I was able to escape the stress of starting a career, toxic work-life balance, and an overabundance of opinions and egos while being able to push my creativity and focus on making art. As the years went on, design principles and lessons made their way into my photography and the joy of creativity made its way into my design work for a more balanced, productive, and creative mindset.

I primarily focus on editorial, boudoir, conceptual, and personal projects and produce photos that have a hazy, ethereal mood to them and seem to be stuck in a daydream-like state. I enjoy working with other creatives who are passionate about creativity and having fun while making art.

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

Two missions driving my creative journey are to have fun and try new things when it comes to shooting and editing and to create a safe space for other creatives to be themselves, feel comfortable, and share their ideas.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is producing work that brings joy, solves a problem, or brings an idea or feeling to life exactly the way I or a creative collaborator pictures it in their mind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tommyeliason.com/photography
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tommyeliason
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommyeliason/

Image Credits

All images shot by Tommy Eliason, featured: Aleena (@_xo_leen), Mia (@miavalentinaxoxo), Julz (@that.sleepy.beauty2), Vanessa (@wecallher_vanessa), K (@beyond_dazed88), Liv (@livfreediehardr), Nadia (@nadia.gore), Paige (@_pgiani_)