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

Hi eli, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I first began to explore the process of starting my own business, I didn’t necessarily come at it from the perspective of, “I am now going to start a business.”

I knew that I wanted to pursue my art as a full time focus, but it took a while for the merging of freelance artist and business to actually occur. Instead,

My journey really started from the perspective of “what brings me the most joy?” I wanted to have the freedom to express myself and I wanted to be able to do that in a multitude of ways, and I’m very fortunate to say that I can and do express myself in both my visual art, but also in music, in writing, in my efforts in the artistic community, etc.

Ultimately, “eli s art and design” was created because I wanted to be able to share that expression.

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.
My brand very much reflects my personality: chaotic and ever changing.

In every business, community board, volunteer group, get together, etc., that I’ve ever been a part of, I tend to be a floater. I shift and flow with the energy in order to let it lead me to where I can best serve the situation, and I have found that my art tends to mirror that behavior.

I do flit from series to series, trying out what feels good, what doesn’t, exploring larger series that maybe only make sense to me, to quick spurts of mini series because they’re helping me get out of an artistic rut.

Currently, I am working on my soundwave series, which I think is probably the series that best embodies my voice and my approach in life. Every single piece is created from a questionnaire where I learn about my client’s likes and dislikes, favorites colors, memories, dates, name, etc, and then I pair it with visual soundwaves that I take from recordings. These recordings can range from their children speaking, to random strangers, to songs, to the sound of a busy highway. The idea is to create a piece that is a true reflection of a person’s inner self. I’ll oftentimes make sure the piece comes with a sampling of my client’s favorite scent as well, and everyone gets a remixed version of the recordings which have been layered with their favorite style of music. This way, my client receives not only a visual piece, but it’s a multi-sensory piece that includes scent and hearing as well.

When I’m not working on the soundwave series I’m exploring fun side projects. For example I am going to be working with a client who wants high quality photoshopped pictures of her cats, which are her nearest and dearest treasures. She wants them in sunglasses, with glasses of wine, in prom dress, you name it, she wants it all, and it brings me so much joy to be able to take on these fun, slightly silly projects in addition to the bigger, fine art focused pieces.

My artistic voice and expression is and always will be a journey, and I think that’s part of the beauty of it. My brand is not, nor ever will be static, much like our lives. Everything changes, and while I’m sure as I continue to mature as an artist, there will be times where my change might look a bit like like a still pond in the mountains, you can bet there will be just as many times where it shifts into a roaring river that ends in a waterfall. There’s such a beauty in being able to let your life go where it naturally wants to go.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a born and raised Coloradan that’s spent most of her life in the northern part of the state, so for me, I definitely can’t just pick one city. And it would certainly need to be a multi day visit in order to visit everything.

I would start out by taking them to my childhoods haunts – my brother and I used to swing and blues dance in Fort Collins at Avogadro’s Number just by the University, and then we would walk across the street to the Alley Cat, or maybe hit the hookah bar just underneath. Then, we would absolutely have to visit The Social, which is one of my family’s forever favorite bars. We might also stop by Elliot’s for a martini.

No tour of Colorado is complete without a trip to Denver, so the following morning we would absolutely have to hit Meow Wolf, and for those wondering, yes, the Omega Access card is worth it, especially if you have a decent amount of time to devote to the space.

After the exhibit, we would head downtown, have dinner at Stoic & Genuine (highly recommend their full fried fish paired with spicy ponzu sauce), and since we’re already in Denver, there’s absolutely no way we’re passing up the opportunity to catch a show. (My partner and I just saw Die Tote Stadt at Ellie Caulkins and we have plans for Les Miserables and Turandot in May.) After the show, we’re going to cram into a too small pedicab and risk our lives as our driver takes on late night traffic to get us to the Union Lodge No. 1 where the mixologists will hand you the best Old Fashioned you will ever have.

While I do love the nightlife that my state has to offer, one just absolutely must visit the mountains as well. While Estes is an easy go-to, and I do love driving through the mountains and walking the shops, my favorite destination has always been Idaho Springs. It is much more quaint, but there’s something wonderfully homey about the location, and there’s this little rock shop at the end of main street that’s run by a very sweet older lady who knows absolutely everything about her rocks and I try to make a point to buy something from her every time I’m in town.

At the end the trip, and on a different day, we would head down to Manitou Springs. The very first thing we would have to do is drive up to The Cave of the Winds, and while the cave exploration is fun, there’s no better way to start than by riding the TerrorDactyl, which is a thrill ride that drops you 200 feet into Williams Canyon. After you’ve conquered your fears, you get to reward yourself with a lovely riverside lunch and glass of wine at the Wines of Colorado, which is just up the canyon road. After lunch, we head into Manitou downtown where we can taste the spring waters, window shop, and best of all, play air hockey in the arcade that’s settled in the middle of town.

There is so much more I would want to share with someone visiting, but this is a good start!

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?
I would not and could not be where I am in this journey were it not for my wondrous partner, soulmate, and best friend, Nicholas.

Nick has been the number one supporter of my dreams. He has been there in my darkest times and in the brightest times and has been an ever-present source of love, kindness, and encouragement. Nick has believed in me from the moment I began my journey, and has continued to support me without question.

I would also like to thank my family who have all always been my cheerleaders in my artistic pursuits, regardless of what they were. They are my number one fans.

Website: elisartanddesign.com

Instagram: instagram.com/elisartanddesign

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elispugh/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/booksanbooze

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisartanddesign

Other: I am in the process of revamping my entire POS, which means not everything is listed as available for sale in my online shop, HOWEVER, everything is available for purchase and I highly encourage individuals to reach out to me for additional information if they’re not seeing what they’re looking for.

Image Credits
eli s art and design

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