Ellie Pippas is from Columbus, Georgia and has an incredibly creative spirit. She now lives in Boston and attends Harvard University, where she is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Psychology. In what little spare time she has between studying, she explores the city to gather inspiration for her doodles and drawings. 

What’s your creative specialty?

Pen drawings.

How did you start? 

I was always a doodler. My notebooks for class were filled with random doodles growing up; however I would have to say that I started drawing with my current style in high school. I used to doodle Disney characters during class when I finished assignments early. I started getting the likeness of the characters down, and with repetition, I only got quicker and more confident in my abilities. So I signed up for AP art my senior year, and I’ve been drawing ever since!

How do you gain/gather inspiration? What do you do to get recharged? 

My inspiration comes in waves and its source is pretty random. If I see or hear something interesting or unique I tend to mull it over it for a while, and usually during that process I become inspired to create something of my own. Drawing is what I do to recharge from school and work. But in terms of recharging my creative inspiration, I do find it beneficial to go on long drives or walks and listen to music while observing the city.

What’s your favorite thing about creating? 

The flow. I love starting a drawing and getting lost in it for hours. It’s akin to meditation for me. I also find it cathartic to transform my imagination into something real and tangible. The transition from fantasy to reality in the form of art is a beautifully frustrating yet rewarding  process. 

What advice would you give your younger creative self? 

If you don’t like it, turn the page and start over. I used to waste hours trying to fix mistakes but more often than not I ended up tossing the drawing anyways. If I had just turned the page and started fresh I would have spared myself a lot of frustration.

Ellie draws out of a love of art and shares her pieces on her Instagram profile for friends and family to see! Most of her drawings are just for fun! 

We hope y'all are enjoying our artist spotlight series! Who will be next?!