Life Imitating Art - Fashion Illustrator Emily Brickel Edelson

Emily Brickel Edelson. Remember this name because pretty soon it will be everywhere.

You know that whole cliche notion about "If you don't see your dream job; create it?" Well for Edelson it became reality. From a young age, Edelson knew she wanted to be a fashion designer, however, the path was muddled. Though she had an apparent love for fashion design, whenever she would begin designing, she would ultimately spend most of her time sketching. Her dad introduced her to drawing at three and she loved illustrating fashion shows. "I thought it was a means to an end, but fashion illustration turned out to be a real job," gushed Edelson.

Edelson honed her talents at The Fashion Institute of Technology while pursuing a degree in Fashion Merchandising Management. After learning the business side of fashion and working alongside names like Gucci and ELLE, Edelson realized she could make a living doing what she loved. Her first fashion line started in 2009, had a difficult time production wise since she ran the business as a one-woman show. As a then 23-year old entrepreneur, Edelson sought help from life coach Gabrielle Bernstein. "During a session, Gabrielle told me to draw the first thing that came to my mind," explained Edelson. Bernstein persuaded Edelson to go back to her roots. Fashion illustrating. An impromptu drawing Edelson made as a gift for Bernstein even ended up as the cover of one of Bernstein’s best-selling meditation albums, MediDating. Edelson's talents were highly sought after following that. Edelson urges other women to take the reins of their own journey. "I am honored to be called a female entrepreneur. Being a female entrepreneur is truly empowering because you get to create what you want to see in the world and use your voice to inspire people," the illustrator revealed. Now, Edelson has carried her business savvy mentality over to the tech world with Chic Sketch, a fashion-forward mobile illustration app. After constantly being approached by various companies and individuals to sketch for events, she decided to streamline the process. Her revolutionary creation has been called "One of Today's Most Interesting Fashion Apps!" by Vogue España.

Chic Sketch is available via Google Play and the App Store. For one flat price you can snap a photo of yourself, send it in and a team of fashion illustrators will begin crafting your one of a kind fashion sketch. If you are in a rush, pay just a bit more to receive the sketch in just a few minutes. With a tale as inspirational as hers, it would be a crime to not document the process. Want more details about Edelson's expertise on fashion illustrating? Look for her new book "Sketch and Go: 5‑Minute Fashion Illustration" available for pre-sale now at www.chicsketch.com/sketchandgo Edelson is available for bookings at special events. Everyone can leave feeling like a street style superstar. Chic Sketch will be doing live fashion illustrations to celebrate various new store openings and many more live events scheduled for fall. Check into their blog to stay updated on events open to the public!