Artist Highlight: Wild Peach Studio
With bright colors and bold designs, Wild Peach Studio is illustrating joy for her fans.
Photos courtesy of Wild Peach Studio
Wild Peach Studio went from a passion project to a quickly growing hub of inspirational illustrations, thanks to a thriving online presence that drew fans in with beautiful colors, bold designs, and positive affirmations. Self love is a huge part of founder Morgan Elliott’s message: read on to learn more about her work, how she got started, and where her creative spark will lead her next.
When did you launch Wild Peach Studio?
I launched the Wild Peach Studio in early 2020 as a passion project and a way to express my creativity outside of my full-time design job at Hallmark. I have always dreamed of being an illustrator, but I didn’t know where to start to get there. It turned out, Instagram was the perfect place to get going: I had no idea my page would grow so much, and in doing that, it became a huge part of who I am and helped me find my voice as a creative.
Where do you get inspirations for your designs?
Mostly all of my inspirations come from me and what I am feeling. I struggle a lot with self confidence and believing in myself– but when I create art that is vibrant and wholly inspired by me, I feel like I’m somehow helping to heal my self confidence.
Positive affirmations and self love is a huge part of my page, and my inspirations for that come from everywhere– but a lot of it was my career beginning at Hallmark, where it's all about creating an intention behind your work. I started thinking a lot and letting my imagination wander while I was sitting in my beige cubicle all day. I often imagined a world where I could create every space and design with colorful vibes and positive intentions. How can I start showing the world what I can do when I’m just one small voice?
It all really started on these 3x5 note cards that Hallmark gave out for us to take notes and do small sketches on. I started writing and doodling all my thoughts and feelings on them everyday at work, until one day I realized that I felt empowered by my own words. As a creative, it’s so hard not to look around on social media and see all these amazing artists doing what you wish you were doing. Sometimes people become too inspired by their work and try to emulate them, thus they aren’t being true to their own creative mind. I find inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram, but it’s always just a color palette or a general vibe. I try to always let my own creative spark lead the way.
You work with a lot of bright, bold color- how did you hone your aesthetic?
How I honed my aesthetic…. When I got an iPad for Christmas my first year at Hallmark in 2018, I got Procreate, and I tried so hard to make things with it– but it just wasn't happening. Everything I was making wasn’t good, so I gave up. Then in 2020 I took an iPad class with local lettering artist Meredith Tan, and its like the path to where I wanted to go started from there. I had the tools to start on the iPad finally, and the motivation and fire to show people what I was made of. When I started Wild Peach, I was just learning how to illustrate on my iPad. I didn't know anything, so I was a blank canvas. I felt small on Instagram and I thought no one would ever notice me.
Then I started doing the doodle a day challenge by @Elloovely for a couple months, and along the way people started to follow my page to see more. The doodle a day challenges (or any daily drawing challenge) is a really great place to start trying to find your style. For example, one day was crocodile– so I looked at only images of crocodiles and tried to interpret them in my own way using whatever color and style I was feeling. I found these challenges all showed me that my style is bold colors, plants, and playful– and from there it grew on its own as I did. Now that I really know myself and the way I create, I try not to put myself in a box by trying to do things in the same style; rather, I change my style around my using different brushes and techniques etc.– but one thing that always stays the same in my love for bold color. Even when I’m trying to create something more simple, the color is what drives the vibe and that in turn is me and my aesthetic and why it all somehow holds together even as my style grows.
Any advice for aspiring illustrators on ways to develop their skills?
My main advice to aspiring illustrators is to find your voice and not be too influenced by other artists. We are all on our own journey, so you can't compare yourself to where other Illustrators out there are– because they were once where you are! It's a climb everyday. Own your power and what makes you stand out, and find a way to show that through your illustrations.
What have been the highlights of your past year of creating?
My highlights from this past year…. Well, I grew a lot this past year! I completed my own personal brand and website, which was something I had been working on for a long time. I created a brand I love for the Freestate Yoga Festival. I illustrated for many different Hallmark Boxed cards that will be coming out Christmas 2023. I left Hallmark to start freelancing full-time. Mostly, the biggest highlight is my growth as an artist and taking the leap to leave a great full-time job to chase my dreams.
And the biggest challenges?
The biggest challenges for me are having a steady paycheck. I have different clients and a couple constant projects, but its not the same as a salary. I have to work a lot harder, but at the same time I know this will lead me where I want to go.
What excites you most about the creative community in KC?
What excites me the most about the KC creative community is the possibility to make an impact on our city with my art, to bring color and positivity to KC. Since KC has a relatively small creative community, I feel like I can stand out here and start working with more local businesses on future projects such as murals, branding, custom illustrations etc.
You can follow Morgan’s work on Instagram at @thewildpeachstudio.
