Elam S. Stoltzfus was born into an Amish family in Pennsylvania in 1957, speaking German and Pennsylvanian Dutch at home before picking up English at a small public school. He is one of nine children, and worked with them on the family farm. When Elam began school he was immediately interested in art and, despite being pulled out of the education system at the age of 15 to work full-time on the farm, still retained a fascination with art and artists. During his later teens Elam left the Amish community, purchased a car and a camera, and joined a traveling band. He then met and married a farmer’s daughter in Blountstown, Florida and started the daunting task of completing a college degree without any high school education. Elam first attended Chipola College and then earned his B.S. in Media & Communication from Florida State University’s College of Communication and Information.