Meet Elissa Weaver | Fulltime Graphic Designer and Freelance Illustrator

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

Hi Elissa, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I had always been a creative kid, but did not really consider making a career out of it until late in high school. My undergrad focused on film animation, which wasn’t quite the right fit, so I switched to illustration, which is closer to my traditional art roots, as my major in grad school. For me, the process of creating something beautiful from nothing is truly special. The world would be a pretty boring place if not for artists. Nothing you see or interact with hasn’t been touched by an artist or designer in some way. And having my focus be making my tiny piece of the world just a fraction more beautiful, felt like the way to have an enjoyable and fulfilling career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’d say the best word to describe my art is “varied”, for better or worse. I’ve never stuck to any one style or medium, but I personally like too many things to settle into one set style forever. Some may see that as a detriment, but I’ve enjoyed all of my different pursuits for different reasons, and hope to never stop growing, and learning along the way. After graduating, I’ve worked full time in both the educational and legal industries, which just so happened to utilize a multi-styled way of working well. No two projects or clients are alike, and I’ve ended up creating some wacky and interesting things. But nothing is ever easy, and each industry has its own unique challenges. With illustration being a commercial job, vs fine-art being totally self-directed, learning to be adaptable and accommodating to clients has been important, while still sticking to your guns about your visual expertise. It can be a fine line. I’m still early on in my journey, but the dream would be to eventually transition to freelancing full-time. From working on children’s books, board games, greetings cards, album covers, and so many more. I want to keep striving to try new projects and ways of working.

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?
Being an artist, I would have to say the Dallas Museum of Art, and Nasher Sculpture garden would easily take up a full day. I also really enjoyed the Kimbell, Modern, and Amon Carter Art Museums in Fort Worth for another full day of art! As for good places to eat, there are just too many. I lived near the Asian plaza part of Carrolton which was full of really awesome places from the grocery stores, to Korean BBQ, to my favorite little desert place called “T-Swirl Crepe”. Another fun thing to do is to hunt for the best gourmet popcorn store, with a local favorite being “Nikki’s Popcorn Company”. I’m also a fan of live music, and will just say, I’ve always enjoyed my experiences in DFW area venues, whether large or small.


Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think what pushed me to choosing art as a career stems from my high school art experience, in two parts. First, my teacher, Connie Middleton. She had always supported and encouraged me from the beginning, and I don’t think I would’ve jumped onto the art career train without her belief in me. The second is, I owe a lot of my push into art due to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo which is a huge supporter of art and education. My success during the art auction competitions, western art camp experience, and scholarship money, that helped immensely for college, helped me see that art had opened many doors for me, and that I hoped would continue to do so as a career.

Website: https://www.elissaweaver.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elissa.weaver/