Just one, who ever said I had to pick just one? I'm going to do them all, Just watch me!

While in massage school I kept up with my art. Taking as many photos as I could mixed with making jewelry, drawing & painting as much as I could. I was not going to give up my dream, even with my new career! I still had time to make it happen, just on a very part time basis.

John Gannon SilentCorp photo by Erin Donnelly Ellis

John Gannon SilentCorp photo by Erin Donnelly Ellis

Stalemate (no longer together) photo by Erin Donnelly Ellis

Stalemate (no longer together) photo by Erin Donnelly Ellis

Dave of Seven Days of Samsara at the Fireside Chicago photo by Erin Donnelly Ellis

Lewis, Greg, Bill at the Davis-Kaage Wedding photo by Erin Donnelly Ellis

Lisa & her pup Sasha photo by Erin Donnelly Ellis


While I was in Massage School I sold my first wholesale order to a small music shop and I had my first craft fair selling jewelry. I continued to pick up some freelance photography jobs. And as always I continued spending all of my free time attending live music events, from punk shows, jazz & hip-hop to rave parties, Chicago was a music mecca I couldn't get enough! Even once I graduated I still had time to work on ALL THREE of my careers!
The great thing about working as a Massage Therapist is you don't work 40 hours a week giving hands-on massage, you can't it's too physically demanding to give that much massage. There are massage therapists who work 40 hours a week, but some of that time is office work, or teaching, those who try to give that much massage usually burn out in the first year or two. I was able to build my Massage career while still starting to live my dream to the fullest!

Shortly after graduating and starting my career as a Clinical Massage Therapist I met my husband, Thano Ellis. At the time we were both living in Chicago working as Massage Therapists. Thano was from Las Vegas, in April of 2002 he asked me to move out there with him. I decided to take the jump (even though he was my boyfriend & we had only known each other for a short time), I knew it would be the right choice, I knew one day he would be my husband. Besides what did I have to lose?
I was about to embark on the next part of my journey, one that would change my life forever! I was on a mission to fulfill my dream & now I had a partner! Life was only going to get better! This photo was taken one of our first few years together in Nevada.