In this episode, OG Instagram artist and creator Elise Swopes (on the app since 2011) takes us from her scrappy start—buying an iPhone 4 off Craigslist to her work today as a Senior Adobe Express Evangelist and full-time creative. Elise helped pioneer mobile photography when people still doubted it was “real art,” then turned early momentum into global brand work (yes, including a 2019 Instagram takeover for Jada Pinkett Smith in the Maldives), community initiatives like Sunrise Art Club and Night On The Yard, and a career focused on creativity, impact, and mental wellness.
We dig into:
- Start vs. now: how a college dropout with no gear built a sustainable creative business, learned to say no, and defined success beyond algorithms.
- Signature style: surreal cityscapes, nature mash-ups, and the beloved giraffe motif—and how audience feedback shaped her visual language.
- Adobe in her workflow: growing up on Illustrator and Photoshop, animating with After Effects, podcasting with Audition, cutting with Premiere Pro, everyday color + catalog in Lightroom Mobile, and why Photoshop on iPhone (free!) and Adobe Express (brand kits, quick actions, Clip Maker for auto-highlights) are now staples. She also shares how Firefly’s commercially safe generative AI lets her test surreal concepts before building them.
- Creator longevity: diversify revenue, treat yourself like a business, protect your boundaries, and build community—the constant through every platform shift.
- Mindset & wellbeing: meditation streaks, new running goals, and stepping away to live life so the ideas return stronger.
If you need a push to start with what you have—or permission to double down on what’s working—this conversation is exactly what you need.
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