The Creative Edition Podcast
The Creative Edition Podcast empowers creatives to discover, grow, and own their brand. The Creative Edition (formerly known as the Content Creatives Podcast) is hosted by Seattle content creator Emma Cortes Ellendt (@emmasedition). She shares influencer tips and lessons she's learned navigating the influencer world. Emma dives into the tools and strategies to execute content creation for social media channels and to build your online community. She also invites guests, both in and outside the influencer industry to discuss their perspectives on the creator economy. Emma also talks about recognizing and asking for your value as a content creator. Emma also shares what it's like being casted for influencer marketing campaigns as well as sales, business, and marketing best practices for creators.
The Creative Edition Podcast
Meet Elise Swopes, OG Instagram Influencer & Sr. Evangelist and Community Advocate at Adobe
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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