New Job, New City, New Life

Las Vegas! A place I never ever thought of moving to... yet it was my home for over 6 years!
In 2002 I moved to Las Vegas with my Husband (then boyfriend) Thano. It was his hometown & my first time living away from Chicago.

While living in Vegas I was able to take many steps toward my dream! I was able to further my photography career as a regular contributing photographer in City Life from 2002-2004, while also building a private Clinical Massage business. This was only the beginning of my life's dream starting to come true!

Here are some of my favorite photos published during that time.

Mancini, Al "Undercooked The truth about the Raw Truth" City Life June, 19 2003: 59 Photo: Erin Donnelly

Archer, Aaron "Get ripped with a reptile" City Life June 26, 2003: 47 Photo: Erin Donnelly

Mylchreest, Ian "It's not your grandfather's funeral" Las Vegas Business Press June 30, 2003: 1 photo: Erin Donnelly

Esparza, Hektor "Inside the Globe of Death" City Life August 22, 2002: 43 photo: Erin Donnelly

Keene, Jarret "Life after LaserVida" City Life January 2, 2003: 49 photo: Erin Donnelly

Archer, Aaron "No dry humping" City Life July 10, 2003: 51 photo: Erin Donnelly

Keene, Jarret "Revolution" June 26, 2003:19-20 photo: Erin Donnelly

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.

From Photo Major to Clinical Massage Therapist...

I continued to study art & photography at Columbia College in Chicago until 1999. I LOVED every minute of it! I was learning & creating everyday! My teachers were incredible, the knowledge they had was amazing! I was so fortunate to go to such a passionate art school! So why did I stop? I often ask myself the same question. But the sad reality is, it was fear, fear of my disorder interfering with my dream! A visual artist with PXE is at risk of vision issues. "A person with PXE rarely, if ever, becomes totally blind, however they may lose central vision to the extent that they become legally blind, and able to see only through peripheral vision." pxe.org.

This image is from my first set of Self-portraits at age 19.

At the time there was no treatment for eye issues associated with PXE (now there is treatment available, but I hope to never need it). I let fear get in the way of finishing my degree, so I dropped out to get an education in a field I could work in "just in case" I became legally blind.

I decided to become a Clinical Massage Therapist! I knew I could pursue my photography & jewelry careers part-time, while working full time in my "just in case" job. I wanted to really help people, so I decided on a Clinical Massage program at The Soma Institute.
I graduated on the president's honor roll in 2001. I quickly became very passionate & devoted to my new profession!

This photo was taken at one of my first massage jobs.

So then what?

I submerged myself in art!!!! It was 1996, I was already attending Columbia College in Chicago, so I just completely surrounded myself with everything creative I could find! All I cared about was music & art! Going to shows, followed by dancing all night (sober this time around), and spending hours making art & taking photos! I decided to concentrate on photography at school while still taking as many drawing & painting classes as I could! At Columbia I really learned how making art can be very healing! I guess I had never put the two together, but every time I started to create, I could feel a sense of peace, the same peace I find in Reiki!

This is a photo from the very first live show I ever shot! This is Adeet lead singer of Firstborn, a hardcore band from Chicago. I took this weeks after deciding to focus on photography! I found a new passion, one that would change my life forever! I knew my appreciation for my vision would help me convey a unique point of view in this world! I just needed my eyes to cooperate! I knew if PXE was going to affect my sight photography was not the best choice, but I was addicted!