Meet Elayna Speight: Graphic Designer & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elayna Speight and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elayna, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I first started my business on paper, meaning I registered my name and etc with the state of MD it was 2011 and I was in-between jobs. I had graduated from college the year prior and my first internship/first job just ended. I was already doing a lot of graphic design jobs on the side; wedding programs, logos, church flyers and etc and I guess I figured I needed to legitimize myself. Now that I think about it, my mother was also registering her business at the time and she probably convinced me to do the same. I am not sure I had the thought at the time that I would ever work for myself solely. It was a nice side hustle while I worked on my next internship and my fallback if I couldn’t get hired full-time. It wasn’t until 2014 that I decided to take that leap and leave my job. I was frustrated and I felt I was overworked and under appreciated and I thought it would be so much better to work for myself. I can set my own hours, choose what projects I worked on, all from the comfort of my own home. I could stay in my pjs all day if I wanted to. That sounded like heaven to me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My intention with my art is to show us Black women as beautiful in a society that often show us otherwise. My focus is to show positive images of Black women, featuring various skin tones and natural hair styles, to instill confidence and self love and the assurance that you are beautiful no matter what mainstream media says that the standard of beauty is. So I create watercolor paintings, digital art, pins, stickers, and other merchandise with that goal in mind.

I believe I started my Etsy store first in 2014 (I think) and started doing vending events in my area selling my artwork. And I have been doing those until the pandemic hit. They were a great way to get sales. Etsy was a lot slower in terms of sales. Sales would only trickle in there. But my first commissions came from Etsy. The challenge still is to get my stuff out there in front of people. They tell you have to be consistent on social media and etc but that is hard for me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First of all, I am an introvert and a homebody so I hope that my friend knows this and would understand that at least one day would be a movie night at home or something. But some must see places to see/eat at would be:

Bangkok Joe’s: It is a Thai fusion restaurant in Georgetown. One my favorite restaurants.

Dat Jerk Caribbean Chargrill: Black owned restaurant in MD. Their Island Dub Shrimp by the pound is my must-have.

Po-Boy Jim’s: Black Owned restaurant in NE DC.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Have to see the Obamas portraits at the National Portrait Gallery

Martin Luther King Memorial

See a show at one of the many theatres: Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Strathmore, etc.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents definitely deserve a shoutout. They are my biggest supporters. My mother is my no-nonsense encourager. She pushes me to go for things and go outside of my comfort zone. She is my sounding board and unofficial HR director. And my father is my biggest fan.

Website: thinkinkeddesigns.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thinkinkedart

Other: Pinterest.com/inkeddesigns