Daily Inspiration: Meet Elenora Verstraete

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elenora Verstraete

Hi Elenora, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I never considered myself an artist but when quarantine hit that changed. Like everyone else, I was bored out of my mind so I began an artful journey. I started with pour paintings and quickly learned how to make flower crowns. Shortly after beginning my art journey I was commissioned to create a succulent headband for an instagram friend. After that project I had so many faux succulent leftover that I decided to throw some of them onto a wood slice with moss and crystals. I loved making little gardenscapes so much that I made too many to keep myself. That’s when my little art hobby became more of a business. I started with online sales and eventually in 2021 I started vending at local Kansas City events! In present day I am still working on building a successful art business by marketing my art online as well as vending at in person events!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an artist as a career path is definitely not the easiest route to go. Ideally I would love to be a full time artist with art being my only focus for income. I spent the entire year of 2024 solely working on my art career and I learned so much. I learned that networking with local artists, businesses, and people is a key component to being successful in the art industry. I also learned that for the year of 2025 I need to have a part time job to sustain financial needs until I can curate enough revenue for Elenora’s Hollow.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in what I call “Miniature Gardenscapes”. I utilize moss, faux succulents, genuine crystals, miniature figurines, and Vintage Troll Dolls to create the majority of my art. I am mostly known for giving Vintage Troll Dolls a new look! I describe my art style as “Cottagecore” and “Fairycore”. I am the most proud of my creative style because I genuinely never see anything like the art that I create. All of my artwork is 100% unique and one-of-a-kind! Something that sets me apart from other artists is that I never create the same Gardenscape or Troll twice!

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something that may be surprising about me is that i genuinely never considered myself an artist until quarantine. Even when I started my art journey I didn’t call myself an artist. I liked to create art when I was growing up, but it wasn’t something I thought I was good at or could do as a career path. I was always so stuck in comparing my art abilities to the artsy people around me. I never felt worthy of the term “Artist” until people on social media started asking if they could buy my art! I had never even considered selling my art but when the opportunity came I jumped on it!

Pricing:

• My prices on my art start at $10 for Tiny Trolls and ranges to $200.
• My average prices for Gardenscapes and Trolls are $30-$70

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elenorashollow?igsh=bGFtNDdlcHhzNGox&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BpFwf6z3p/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1FkwFQZDFM/?mibextid=wwXIfr