Creative expression presents itself in many forms. For Elena Marshall, a Desert Vista senior, dressmaking has become an important creative outlet. With an abundance of time during quarantine, Elena discovered dress-making. 

Entirely self-taught, she was able to make 2 ball gowns among 23-25 other projects. Marshall enjoys finding unique fabrics at thrift stores and repurposing them into breathtaking ball gowns, one of which she wore to school portraits in September. The fabric of the dress was an old bedspread with a rip down the middle scaring off any other buyers. Marshall bravely took the bedspread and without any pattern, hand-sewed it into an elegant ball gown.

Family is an important catalyst for a developing creative mind. Marshall praises the support of her family as she discovers a new passion for fashion, “I come from a whole family of creatives. My mom is an artist who also teaches art to children. They owned an art studio for 4 years until covid hit and they were forced to go mobile. They have always been a huge support for my projects.”  Inspiration is an important part of the creative process. Marshall draws her inspiration from artwork she admires. Some of her recent projects have been inspired by the artwork of teapots or even her homework, “I am inspired by a lot of artwork. I actually made a dress out of all my homework from the past year,” Marshall shares. There are no bounds or rules to creative expression and Marshall uses that to produce unique artwork. With a new motivation for dressmaking, Marshall plans to further her interests and hopes to turn it into a career. Currently, she is working on building her portfolio and making a name for herself and her dresses.

Marshall ends with a piece of encouraging advice for fellow creatives, “if you’re passionate about something, go for it. Because in the end, it’s ultimately what will make you happy”.