Eli Creasy’s dorm room is unlike many boys’ dorms: it smells nice, it is clean, and decorations are sprinkled throughout the room. Eli’s joyful laughter and signature smile fill the room as we break the ice. Neither of us are known to be quiet people.
Creasy, sophomore graphic design major, breaks the mold of a “typical” college student. He is involved all around campus, including being a life group leader, on the improv team, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, and a studio assistant.
“I do not want to be defined by just one thing,” he says.
Creasy makes friends wherever he goes and has never met a stranger. He is the guy in the cafeteria that surrounds himself with different people each time. If anything, the one thing that defines him is his love for people and the Lord. His love for art, though, is also strong.
“I’ve always been passionate about art,” Creasy says. “My mom said since the time I was about three, I would take a coloring book, color it cover to cover, and stay pretty much in the lines.” Since then, his parents fostered that artistic talent.
Creasy excelled as a young child and continues to do so. He was at the top of his art classes in high school, absorbing all the information he could. He learned terms like “negative and positive space,” as well as color theory. His teacher made sure he started art classes freshman year and mentored him through graduation.
“One of the ways she mentored me was by pushing me to do things I wasn’t good at,” he said.
Faith is an integral part of Creasy’s life, and he strives to incorporate his faith into his art.
“God created us, but also gave us the ability to create.”
Creasy notes that God gave him the gift to create art and tries to praise and worship him both in his art and how he lives his life.
“It’s about how sincere you are and that you’re doing it 100 percent for the glory of God. If you’re giving your 100 percent best in your work and dedicating that to him, it’s going to show.”
For Creasy, it is about creating art with intentionality; he emphasizes the meaning behind the work, the way it presents, and the way he conducts himself during a presentation. He notes that people see a difference when a work is intentional.
I ask Creasy about the bond that art majors share, and his face immediately lights up and a smile spreads across his entire face.
“We all have a wonderful bond. We’re trying to have dinner once a week, and we enjoy being together and sharing our work with each other.”
Creasy says that the differences of each art emphasis and person bring together the department. The students enjoy different perspectives and advice on their projects.
Creasy eventually wants to work either as a freelance artist or for a corporation doing their graphic design work. He also has a dream of becoming an illustrator for children’s books.
