Rising Stars: Meet Elizabeth Anspach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Anspach.

Hi Elizabeth, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My adoration for drawing began when I was just two years old. I found myself dazzled by the world of film and animation. It flooded me with a sense of pure magic when I discovered I could create an entire galaxy of imagination and breathe life into it just with a pencil on paper or the push of a red button on a camera. When I was not out riding my bike through the neighborhood, I was creating home movies with my baby sister. I was in charge of costume design, writing, directing, and even coming in as a supporting actor! It was the perfect opportunity to sprinkle all of the visions I had into a living story. It was an outlet that both my sister and I needed and they are some of our fondest memories to this day!

With the drive to pursue my passion, I joined my high school’s Media Arts club to fine-tune my knowledge of film production. As I grew, I continued to nurture the thing that was always destined to be a part of me. I moved on to graduate Magna Cum Laude at ASU after studying Digital Culture. I was even accepted into the Golden Key International Honours Society! From there, I began working for ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination as their Videographer and Events Coordinator. This gave me extended experience in working with video editing, writing pieces for Slate and Future Tense, editing podcasts, and so much more. I was hungry to learn and perfect everything that I could. I worked hard and invested so much love and time into familiarizing myself with every part of this beautiful industry.

In 2014, despite my lack of broadcasting experience, my heart for storytelling and my eye for design brought me to join Arizona’s Family CBS 5! With this team, I was able to create animations and graphics for TV, web, print, and more on a daily basis. This is also where I met my future husband and fellow artist, Ryan. What a beautiful masterpiece of fate!

In 2017, I was nominated for two Emmy’s and I had the thrill and gratitude of winning one. I was nominated for another Emmy in 2021 and won my most recent Emmy in 2022. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would have an Emmy of my own!

I followed each beat of my heart to the next goal. I pushed myself to outdo every version of myself and here in 2022, I have received a promotion to Art Director. I am blissfully overwhelmed that I can now encourage other young artists to chase their dreams and help them grow and learn!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would like to think that when you have a true fire for something, it is never smooth sailing. Part of the ignition is pushing and persevering. This is what makes the accomplishments so much sweeter. One bump in the journey was battling with my depression and anxiety. Some days were very hard to find inspiration in even the simplest things. In correlation, I often found myself being quite codependent and allowing others to walk on me and make me feel small.

I sought out the help that I needed to find my balance again and I am so much better and stronger for it. I am as big and brilliant as the booming thunder in the sky and I can finally see that now! I think it is healthy to speak about mental health because it is so common, but when you finally find yourself in a peaceful mental state, it makes you want to bring the same sense of safety and security to others. Sometimes the rockiest roads bring you to the most magnificent destinations!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Currently, I am the Art Director for Arizona’s Family 3TV CBS 5. I build graphics for broadcast as well as digital and print. My specialty is in 2D animation. This ranges from character animations to kinetic typography, and more! Due to my reputation for humor and whimsical storytelling, the producers often ask me for caricatures of the talent doing silly things for segments. These are not only fun for me to create, but they also help lighten some of the heaviness that the news can bring. The animations range from the talent dressed as cowboys to golfers to baseball players, and whatever they call for! I enjoy livening up the news with little pops of fun, so I am beyond delighted that my work gives me the opportunity to do that!

I make 2D hand-drawn cartoon promos, including one that demonstrates the most annoying situations in the parent pickup line for “Back To School”. I had the privilege to entertain our viewers by making coloring pages of the anchors that could help them occupy their time while everyone was stuck at home during quarantine. Our brand also encourages me to create fun, custom GIFS to use on our Instagram. I get to express myself while being pushed to succeed and there is always something new to learn!

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
One of the most enjoyable summers of my life was when my best friend was staying with us at our grandmother’s house for the majority of our summer vacation.

We would stay up all night playing video games and drive my little sister crazy by singing all the way through Queen albums on a loop. She pushed me to draw an outrageous amount of comics that could paint out her vision for her.

That was probably the most drawing I have ever done in one short time! It was a little much at the time but, honestly, we had such a blast and it truly challenged my creativity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.evayart.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvayArt/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethanspach/
• Other: https://vimeo.com/elizabethanspach

Image Credits
Leland Gebhardt Photography