Life & Work with Elyse DeMoya of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elyse DeMoya.

Hi Elyse, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember, but art became much more than a hobby for me over time. It became a way to process emotion, identity, change, and the constant tension between who I was and who I was (and still am) becoming. I believe colors can express more than words can.

For a long time, I balanced creativity alongside more “practical” paths and responsibilities. I’ve worked in deeply people-centered environments, and I think that shaped my work more than I realized at the time. Being closely connected to people’s emotions, struggles, personalities, and stories gave me a deeper sensitivity to human behavior and energy, which naturally started showing up in my art.

Over the last few years especially, I’ve gone through a major period of personal transition, to figure out what parts of me were real versus what was performative. Art became the one place where I stopped trying to package myself neatly. It’s where I feel the most honest and the most alive. When there is a paintbrush in my hand, I feel as though I can be fully seen and fully known.

A lot of my work is emotionally driven and intuitive. I’m drawn to contrast – softness and chaos, beauty and discomfort, control and freedom. I think that is where the “sweet spot” is, the gray area. I care less about perfection and more about whether something feels real. Music, movement, relationships, memory, color, and emotion all heavily influence my process.

Right now, I feel like I’m in an expansion phase creatively. I’m pushing myself to share more publicly, step into larger opportunities, and take my work more seriously instead of treating it like something I have to keep hidden or secondary. I still feel like I’m evolving both personally and artistically, but honestly, that’s probably the point.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not. I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have about creative work is that if you’re passionate about it, the path naturally feels clear or easy. For me, it’s been the opposite at times. Art has always been deeply tied to vulnerability, identity, and self-worth, so creating consistently adds pressure.

There were periods where I put creativity on the back burner while focusing on survival, stability or trying to figure out who I was outside of everyone else’s expectations. I also struggled with perfectionism for a long time – wanting things to be meaningful enough, polished enough, or “worthy” enough before sharing them publicly. That mindset can quietly keep artists (or creatives, if you will) stuck for years.

Another challenge has honestly been visibility. Creating art privately is one thing, but allowing yourself to fully be seen through your work is another. Especially when your work is emotional or personal. There’s always a risk of judgment, misunderstanding, comparison, or feeling exposed. I think a lot of artists wrestle with that tension between wanting connection and wanting to protect themselves.

At the same time, those struggles shaped my work in important ways. The uncertainty, the rebuilding seasons, the emotional highs and lows – all of it gave me more depth creatively. I don’t think I would create the same way if my life had followed a perfectly linear path. A lot of my work now comes from learning how to sit inside contradiction and still create anyway. I love contradiction, maybe a little too much – the contrast is what is currently fun for me to focus on.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work is heavily emotion-driven and intuitive. I primarily create abstract and expressive pieces that explore tension, identity, energy, femininity, movement, vulnerability, and transformation. A lot of what I create starts with a feeling before it starts with a concept. I’m less interested in making something perfectly controlled, more interested in capturing something honest and alive.

I’m drawn to contrast in almost every form – softness against chaos, restraint against freedom, light against heaviness. I think that emotional duality is probably one of the strongest recurring themes throughout my work. Some pieces feel bold and intense, others feel more atmospheric and reflective, but I want all of them to evoke something visceral rather than just exist as decoration.

I also love working on larger-scale pieces and murals because there’s something powerful about creating work people physically experience rather than just observe. I’m really interested in the relationship between art, environment, and emotion – how a space can completely shift because of color, texture, movement, and energy.

What I’m most proud of honestly is continuing to create through periods where it would’ve been easier to disconnect from that part of myself completely. There were seasons where I questioned my direction, my confidence, and whether pursuing art seriously was realistic, but creating has remained one of the most consistent and truthful parts of my life. I think there’s something meaningful about continuing to return to your craft even while you’re still evolving as a person.

As far as what sets me apart, I care much more about whether something feels real. I think people can sense when work is created from lived experience versus when it’s created purely for aesthetics or trend. My pieces are very connected to feeling, energy, and human complexity. I think that emotional undercurrent is what people tend to connect with most.

What are your plans for the future?
Right now, I’m in a phase where I’m taking both myself and my work much more seriously. For a long time, art existed alongside other responsibilities and chapters of my life, but moving forward, I want to expand it into something larger and more intentional.

A big focus for me is stepping into larger-scale opportunities – more murals, collaborations, commissioned work, and creating pieces that live beyond a private studio setting. I’m also working on becoming more visible and consistent publicly, which has honestly been one of the biggest personal growth areas for me. Sharing your work consistently can feel surprisingly vulnerable, especially when your art is deeply tied to emotion and identity.

I’m also excited about pushing myself creatively and experimenting more without overthinking whether every piece fits into one specific style or category. I think some of the best creative work happens when you stop trying to control every outcome and allow yourself to evolve naturally. Isn’t that how most things happen in life? The best things, people and opportunities fall into our laps when we stop trying to control every aspect.

Personally, I’m entering a season that feels very rebuilding-oriented in the best way. A lot of my focus is on growth – financially, creatively, professionally, emotionally and creating a life that feels more aligned instead of fragmented. I’m looking forward to building stronger community, traveling more, expanding my opportunities, and creating from a healthier and more grounded place.

I think the biggest shift is that I’m no longer treating creativity like something I need permission to pursue seriously. I’m finally allowing it to take up space in my life in a bigger way, and that’s both exciting and a little terrifying (very terrifying) which probably means it matters. I will be honest, I think the things that scare us the most (feelings, situations, opportunities, relationships) shows us something – it matters – now, the next step is how to lean into it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: elyse.nicole.artwork