Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ellen Surrey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ellen, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?
I think I’ve always had self-discipline when it comes to my work. I’ve wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember and always took that goal seriously. So I knew that I would have to have a lot of discipline if I wanted to make that goal a reality. Now that I am a working artist, I use that self discipline to stay organized and create self motivated projects.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hi! I’m Ellen Surrey, an illustrator and designer out of sunny Los Angeles, CA. I grew up in LA and it’s always been a source on inspiration for me. I’m also a big fan of Mid-Century design, old films and color and do my best to include as many of these inspirations to my artwork.
These days I primarily illustrate children’s books, like Dolly!: The Story of Dolly Parton and Her Big Dream, but I also work on a variety of other projects. For example, this past August I had a USPS postage stamp come out! The stamp is called ‘Thinking Of You’ and its a celebration of sending physical mail to those you care about. I also work on projects with fellow illustrators Loris Lora and Patrick Hruby. Together we are Clover Scout, a collective with a goal of making bright and happy products with a timeless feel.
Overall, I don’t like to put myself into just one box. I like to try as many things as I can and I’ve been lucky enough to do just that.
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?
The three things that come to mind are business, confidence and keeping an open mind.
Business is something I wish I knew more about from the start. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much guidance in school and had to learn a lot on my own. My advice for those starting out would be to take a business class as early as you can and start applying what you learn to your everyday life. You will be glad you did.
Confidence is something I still struggle with from time to time. I’ve always been confident in my work, however, putting it out into the world hasn’t always been easy. I especially struggle with having the confidence to reach out to people for work. It’s a fear of rejection, but if you want to be a working artist this is something you will deal with often. In order to get over this fear, my solution was to move out on my own. It made me less comfortable financially, which forced me to send out more promotional material and cold emails to potential clients. For me, putting restrictions or deadlines on things has helped with my lack of confidence in this area. You have to believe in what you’re doing and be persistent.
Keeping an open mind is important as a freelancer. You never know what could come your way and the less you box yourself in the better. While I do think having a style is helpful, I don’t think you need to limit yourself in the kinds of projects you take on. I’ve always liked having a variety of projects to work on as they force me to flex different muscles. Variety is the spice of life!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
There are so many on my list of potential collaborators! First off, I’d love to collaborate on a toy or game for kids. I’m especially fond of CandyLab Toys. Like them, I strive to make my work both modern and timeless for people of all ages. I would jump at an opportunity to work with them.
I would also love to work with the Los Angeles Conservancy on a project. I have a passion for Los Angles and the preservation of the city’s history. I created a series of postcards featuring many iconic spots in LA and would love create something for LAC that celebrates the city.
I work on a lot of book projects, but there are a few subjects that haven’t come my way just yet. One is a book about film and/or film history. I love watching old films and even have an ongoing project of painting stills from movies. I’d love to be able to apply my knowledge and fondness of this subject to a future book project. Maybe the Academy Museum?
In addition to a book about film, I would love to illustrate a cookbook. My mother was a pastry chef and cooking and baking were a big part of my childhood. So many modern cookbooks have photographs, but illustrations could make it stand out and feel more fun.
For any potential collaborators out there, they’re welcome to contact me via email at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ellensurrey.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yesurrey
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-surrey-6860ba4a/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/yesurrey
Image Credits
Jessica Watkins – Portrait
