meet the ladies
you’ve seen our work, you’ve likely scrolled our instagram, but here, through the encsider, you will get to know the humans behind enc. the ones creating and innovating, dreaming and scheming. all while laughing through the edits and learning along the way, together.
the inside scoop w/ ellyse
so i’ve been told, from the moment i was able to dress myself, i never looked back. one of my first ever businesses launched when i was 6 years old, with one employee - my mom. but she wasn’t exactly on payroll. the company was called sisters store. we would spend hours sitting on the floor designing spaces, dressing ‘people’ and ultimately spending countless sessions ‘on the phone with customers.’ i suppose you can say it was all foreshadowing something.
when i look back at the past 10 years, early moments that began in la saying yes to any job and often ones that consisted of coffee runs and sitting in traffic to deliver shoes. to assisting stylists on major production sets, to then moving myself to new york city at age 23. every step (and misstep) has allowed me to fine tune who it is i am. in hopes to sound as non-cliche as humanly possible, i do believe that to my deepest core, its the experiences in life that mold and shape us into the human beings that we are destined to be (i said not cliche!)
today as i write our very first blog article and give light to the amazing women that i get to call friends, family, and members of my team, i am humbled by what is possible in the world of creativity. a space that was once taboo and often a long, drawn out explanation, is now a bustling, thriving industry with so much essence and magic.
so to the creatives - both the ones that i have met, and the ones i have yet to cross paths with, this one is for you. to serve as a reminder to give yourself permission to bend and flow and grow and expand in any and all ways that your inner creative is speaking to you!
and to 2023 - to a new physical space that will welcome and foster so much greatness, i am forever grateful and will continue to push the boundaries of the creative norm.
the inside scoop w/ syd
I've always been a 'creative' since I was little. In my elementary school art class, the teacher called me "The Color Queen" because I was obsessed with using every crayon in the coloring box. Since then, my personal style is a bit more refined, but I love to let my inner-exploration come out when working with other brands. After high school, I was inspired by a family member to move to San Diego, dip my toes in some creative internships and step out of my comfort zone. While there, I earned my Associates degree and worked for a handful of successful accessory brands based in Encinitas. Then, I transferred back home to ASU. I was so proud of myself for being accepted into their selective Graphic Design program. During my Senior year, I was assigned to find a summer internship. That's when I waltzed my way into Ellyse's wonderful world of design! I found her in a cold dm through Instagram, began working with her a few weeks later, and the rest is history. When I was offered to be the first designer of ENC Agency, I was honored to say the least. To be able to put my hands on everything from logos to merch tees - it was something I never thought was possible for a designer straight out of school. My opinion was not only heard but respected as an intro level designer in the real world - WHAT A DREAM. Today, I'm the Design Director :star2: and I get to evolve my skills in all facets + also develop my role into something that meets my personal career goals for years to come.
Most are shocked to know that I live on an acre in Gilbert and have chickens, goats, and alpacas! My free time includes doing house projects with my fiancé Matt, baking, wedding planning, playing with my English Cream, Indy "Cheeks", and nights-in with my girlfriends.
In 2023, I'm most excited for new clients, new team members, a new office space, allll the new goodness! With ENC there's always something fun and fresh around the corner. I'm so proud of our team for constantly riding the wave to bigger and better things - the sky is the limit with us.
the inside scoop w/ marly
For as long as I can even remember, art was my favorite subject growing up - and one that came naturally to me. While most of my classmates dreaded going to art class, I was secretly so excited to let my creative side run wild. This love of art, drawing, painting, calligraphy, etc. remained all throughout my high school years and eventually developed into a passion for the creative world outside of what’s taught in school. Interior Design was my chosen career path - I remember all the times my sister and I used to go to hardware stores with my parents and take any paint, laminate, wood, or any samples we could like we would if we were redesigning our room. On the way home, we would scheme up our designs as though it was happening in real life. In college at Iowa State, I was drawn to commercial and hospitality design which ultimately lead me to an internship in Arizona in the world of hotel design. During my internship and the year after, I not only fell in love with design, but the problems I could solve when thinking creatively, the collaboration and idea-bouncing off team members, and the difference I can make in someone’s everyday through the environments I created.
what led me to enc? Sometimes you have to experience the bad, or uncomfortable, to understand what it is that you want. I finally understood that what I wanted in a career was not strictly PTO, good benefits, a big office environment but rather freedom and flexibility, to wear many hats and be involved in numerous projects, to leave work feeling accomplished and fulfilled. Enc is all of that and way more, and it shows in their work - which is what lead me to change my entire career path!
I love creating stories through copy and verbiage, photoshoot campaigns from conception to final shot, and merch projects!// What do you do on the daily with enc? I keep in touch with retainer clients through weekly emails, manage all merch projects, organize and develop projects from the start for my team to jump in design out, schedule social assets and add in all copy, schedule monthly client meetings, and am the ultimate note-taker/checklist creator during meetings!
fun facts - I really love to try new recipes in the kitchen - weather it be dinner, cocktails, appetizers, or new snack combinations! Another one of my favorite things to do is shop and peruse through local thrift stores and other boutique shops because I love finding unique and one-of-a-kind decor and household items!
2023 excitement! first and foremost, A space for my team to call ours - where we come and collaborate, share new mems, host client meetings, and continue to grow and develop as an agency! I’m so very excited for it all!!
the inside scoop w/ lanya
My uncle, who was an artist, taught me how to draw when I was really young. The first thing he taught me to draw was a landscape of a mountain range with a lake and some houses, representative of my home country, Kurdistan. Although I don’t draw landscapes anymore, I have kept with creating art for as long as I can remember (no seriously, my dad has a collection in his desk dedicated to everything I’ve made). Since being an artist wasn’t a “traditional” career path, I decided to go to school at ASU to become a museum curator as a way to stay close to the art world. Right after graduating, as I was waiting to go to graduate school abroad, I ended up working at a local boutique where I was in charge of managing their social accounts and creating graphics. Through this job I found my love for design and decided to change career paths. Through internships I applied for as well as lots and lots of YouTube videos, I taught myself the basics of graphic design and grew my skills overtime.
Many jobs and internships later, I took the big step and ended up working for myself and freelancing. I had been following enc for quite some time and when I saw they were hiring I took the chance in applying and got the position as their designer. Its safe to say its the best decision i’ve made! I’ve always enjoyed working with smaller businesses, the tight knit family aspect, the constant room for growth, the ability to really connect with clients on a personal level have always drawn me back to working in an environment like this. This is what attracted me to enc, especially as someone who doesn’t have a degree in design or the most experience in the design world, I knew they’d appreciate me more for my work and creativity. And since I’ve started working at enc, I’ve had so many amazing opportunities to work on a lot of special projects like designing tees, logo design, and so much more!
When im not designing, I spend a lot of my free time painting, reading, checking out new restaurants around the valley, cooking and looking for new recipes to create, spending time with friends and family, and shopping or thrifting for goodies. On the daily at enc, I get to create social graphics for all our clients, work on merch designs, print goods, think of any and all ideas for our clients and create doodles daily!
in 2023 im most excited for all the new clients and opportunities that will come our way! From working in our new office, to growing our team and client list, 2023 is going to be full of a lot of enc magic!