Meet Elise Miguel

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elise Miguel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elise , so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Well, it definitely did not happen over night. My imposter syndrome reached a boiling point that tipped me over the edge – a much needed push. I had a long overdue realization that everything I have accomplished, and will continue to accomplish, is because of my own hard work and determination. There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself credit where credit is due, but it’s a lot easier said than done when talking about yourself. I overcame imposter syndrome by being kinder to myself.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I lead a sort of “double life”. In my heart and at my core, I am an artist. But, I’m also a doctor – I’ll elaborate on this in a little bit.

I received my BFA in Illustration in 2019 and have made a career of being a freelance illustrator and designer even prior to graduation. I took a year off and worked as a designer in NYC, then COVID hit and I decided to go to grad school for something entirely different. I received my doctorate of audiology in 2024 and am less than a year into my audiology career, which I absolutely love. Initially, I was concerned as to how I would balance my two careers and interests, but I am happy to report that when you are doing what you love it all comes easy.

Although I work a full time non-art-related job, I like to keep myself quite active artistically. I still take on freelance work, design and produce my own merch, and vend at local independent art fairs in the NJ/NYC area, such as MoCCA and JAB. My art is where I feel most myself and I can’t imagine that a day would ever go by where I don’t create something. The aspect of my art that I enjoy the most is creating wearable items such as hats, socks, and scarves to name a few things that I have produced over the past few years. It is incredibly rewarding to see people walking around wearing your designs.

A large portion of my artistic career has been focused on editorial work as well. I worked with Latina magazine during their relaunch in 2021 and was fortunate enough to have illustrated several pieces to accompany a variety of articles for the website. They even gave me a spotlight feature which I was very honored by. 🙂

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Funnily enough, I think my stubbornness was quite impactful (and still is) in my journey. I will admit, being headstrong does come with it’s downsides, but it can also be transformed into determination. I’ve always been stubborn, and determined, and usually learn the hard way. But those are my terms, and I’m sticking to ’em. It’s worked out well thus far.

My best advice would be: if there’s something you want to achieve, don’t let anything or anyone stand in your way from achieving it. The hardest part will be making sure YOU don’t stand in your own way.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal client is someone who has a clear vision of the end goal and can communicate their needs/wants effectively. I have been very fortunate to work with so many different clients over the years, but so many of them absolutely do not know what they want and are very poor in communicating, or even acknowledging this. I absolutely will lend a guiding hand of varying degrees when necessary. Each client and each project is different, I will never treat any two as if they were alike. But entering a project with a vision and being able to communicate that between artist/client is key.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elisemiguel.com/
• Instagram: @elisemghell

Image Credits

Jonathan Koch
Collin Yarde