Meet Ellie Ediger | Artist & Interior Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ellie Ediger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ellie, why did you pursue a creative career?
Art and being creative is something that I have always enjoyed from a young age. I remember as a kid, picking up interior design magazines and then drawing spaces from the magazine that I would find interesting. When I was in high school, I worked at a local coffee shop and the owner was a former interior designer. I remember thinking she was so interesting and had such great style, and that made me decide to choose interior design as my degree. When I was an interior design student at Oklahoma State, I had to take several drawing classes, and that really pushed my interest in drawing and creating art. After college, I started working as a full time interior designer but I would create art pieces for my friends as wedding gifts, and that eventually blossomed into my side hustle which is an Etsy shop where I sell custom house drawings and prints of houses and interiors from movies!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started Ellie Dawn Designs back in 2013 by creating collage style drawings as gifts for friends who were getting married. I started getting orders through their referrals and eventually started an Etsy shop. I initially offered custom wedding drawings, pet drawings and house drawings. Then, during COVID I was watching a lot of Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephron movies to comfort myself (haha) and it occurred to me that there are many beautiful homes and spaces in their movies. Movies such as You’ve Got Mail, The Holiday, Father of the Bride, It’s Complicated, and When Harry Met Sally, were so inspiring to me. I’ve always loved movies and pop culture so it was really fun and exciting for me to draw these special locations. Once I put them up for sale in my shop, I realized that a lot of other people felt the same way because I started getting a lot of orders! I also continued to offer custom house drawings, which have become really popular as well. It is such a gift to be able to express my creativity and hone my skills as an artist while creating pieces that are so personal and special to my clients.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Tulsa, OK is truly a hidden gem and I love showing visitors around! Last year I got to create an illustrated map of Tulsa for The Scout Guide, which is a local directory featuring small businesses. It was so fun to reflect on some of the amazing places in Tulsa. Some favorite restaurants we would stop at would definitely be Blue Moon on Brookside for breakfast, Queenie’s in Utica Square for lunch, and La Tertulia downtown for dinner. We would definitely hit up some of my favorite shops such as Jenkins and Co on Route 66 or Shoppe Sasha on Brookside. Then at night we would grab a drink at Vintage Wine Bar and head to Cain’s Ballroom for some live music!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My career path has always been paved by strong, inspiring women. Starting with my mom, who always encouraged me that I could and should do anything I wanted. My first boss ever, Alex, who owned the local coffee shop, Davinci’s, in Enid, OK was a former interior designer and inspired me to pursue that as a career. At my first job out of college, I worked as an interior designer for a textile company called Fabricut in Tulsa, OK, and my boss Amber taught me so much about hard work and creativity. My current boss, Bailey, of Bailey Austin Design, has taught me about what it means to be a good leader and how to run a creative business. She has always encouraged my side hustle, Ellie Dawn Designs, and I’m always so grateful for her advice. I’ve also received encouragement throughout the years from so many other amazing women such as friends and dear coworkers. I truly would not have been able to build this business without them.

Website: www.elliedawndesigns.com

Instagram: @elliedawndesigns

Image Credits
Kacey Gilpin