Daily Inspiration: Meet Emily Burrowes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Burrowes.

Hi Emily, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When I first moved to Denver, there were two things I did not have: any knowledge about how to get around the city and no artwork to hang on my walls. So, to create a solution for both problems, I painted a large canvas map, where I visually learned about the streets and connectivity throughout Mile High. I posted the map painting on my social media, which my friends loved and started inquiring about if they could get one of their city. From there, Big Ass Maps was born. It was not a huge business, as the maps took a while to create and my clients were my friends and family, but I loved the idea of making my hobby into a side business. Then COVID happened and during that time, I turned to art as an outlet. I fell in love with drawing again, particularly drawing buildings. During October 2020, I wanted to challenge myself, so I participated in Inktober. Inktober is a national drawing month, where artists given a word and they can make a drawing based on their interpretation of the word. While I did not participate in that form of Inktober, I created my own and drew a building around Denver every day that month. I posted these drawings on my social media, and they started getting reposted by organizations, business, etc. It was the first time the public eye was engaging in my work!! People and businesses started reaching out after, asking about custom work and my business grew. Today, while I do still create maps, my focus is building drawings. I make custom drawings for clients, along with creating my own series every other month to feature different local businesses around Denver.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Overall, it has been a smooth road. The biggest challenge is time management with my full-time job outside of drawing while also having a balanced lifestyle. But becoming more involved in the city and arts community here has been amazing and I have met so many impressive small business owners and artists along the way!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
For my art, while I am called Big Ass Maps, I now specialize in building drawings. Drawing local spots, whether it is a restaurant, ice cream shop or dive bar, really hits home for a lot of people here. Locals love Denver and have a lot of pride for this city, so I love how I can capture that for them. My favorite types of customs are places where special moments have occurred for my clients, whether it be a first date spot, proposal, etc. I love being part of something monumental they can cherish. How my work has expanded to work with local businesses and organizations is something I am probably most proud of; I feel part of this city. I am currently partnered with Denver Life Magazine, creating illustrative maps in each month’s issue to feature a different part of the Denver Metro area.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Best: Access to the outdoors and the music scene. After school, I was deciding whether to move to NYC or Denver and I am extremely glad I chose Mile High! While I know Denver is not in the mountains, I love being so close while also getting the city life. Working full-time as an urban planner (outside of my art) and loving the outdoors, I feel like I get the best of both worlds! I also love the music scene in Denver. I am a fan of all kinds of music, and with venues like Red Rocks, musicians strive to perform here, so there is always something going on.

Worst: I think everyone would agree with me that traffic is terrible in Denver. Denver’s infrastructure needs some major work to keep accommodating its rapid growth, but that takes a lot of time, money, policy, and work. Working with challenges like these is a big reason why I went into urban planning, so I hope I can be part of the solution!

Pricing:

• Prints: Starts at $18 for 5×7 inches
• Framed prints: Starts at $25 for 5×7 inches
• Custom drawings: Starts at $100 for 5×7 inches

Contact Info:

• Website: www.etsy.com/shop/BigAssMapsbyEmily
• Instagram: @bigassmaps