An Inspired Chat with Nichole Blackburn of Los Angeles

We recently had the chance to connect with Nichole Blackburn and have shared our conversation below.

Nichole, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: When was the last time you felt true joy?
The last time I felt pure joy was just before Christmas last year in Lamu, Kenya. I was there with my cousins on behalf of my nonprofit Big Sky Countries, donating a mural to the Anidan Children’s Shelter. It was our final day painting a large community piece and we pushed to finish so we could make it to the beach in time for the children’s musical performance. The sun warmed our skin and the air smelled like the spiced coffee we sipped from a small beach-hut vendor, while the children and teens played brass instruments, singing, and dancing with everything they had. It was a locals-only moment that we were lucky to be a part of. I sat there watching my cousins laughing and dancing with the community we had grown to love, and I remember thinking, this is exactly why I do this work.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Nichole Blackburn and I am a fine artist and muralist from Redondo Beach, California. I specialize in creating large scale murals for private residences, hospitality spaces, and commercial projects. Big Sky Countries is my nonprofit and passion project that I started in 2008 with a very simple purpose which is to bring color, joy, and a sense of possibility to children’s facilities around the world through murals. Over the years I have had the privilege of painting in schools, hospitals, orphanages, special needs centers, libraries, and youth shelters in more than a dozen countries including Thailand, Ireland, the Philippines, Bolivia, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Kenya. I have also donated murals across the United States from Los Angeles to New Orleans, Sandyhook (Newtown), Atlanta, and New Jersey.

Each mural is designed specifically for the community it belongs to, and they have ranged anywhere from fifteen feet to two hundred fifty feet. What makes this work meaningful to me is the collaboration with the local kids and community and seeing how a simple wall can become a source of pride and inspiration. This nonprofit has grown slowly and naturally through word of mouth and the kindness of people who believe in creating uplifting spaces for children. I am grateful for every project and every community that has welcomed me in.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
A moment that shaped the way I see the world happened when I was fourteen during a trip to Brazil. My family and I traveled deep into the Amazon rainforest by boat along the Negro and Amazon Rivers, long before there was any tourist infrastructure. It was a completely local experience. Our guide was a former mercenary who introduced us to the raw beauty of the rainforest and the way the Indigenous communities lived. It was unlike anything I had ever known.

That summer, and the one that followed in Morocco, opened my eyes to cultures and ways of life that were completely different from my upbringing in California. I realized how big and diverse the world truly is. I remember sitting on the bow of the boat in the pouring rain in the Amazon with macaw feathers in my hair, fishing for piranhas in the same waters we had been swimming in earlier that day, and discovering a baby sloth whose nails had been cut by poachers. We cared for him as best we could until we reached the mainland where the crew brought him to a local zoo for safety.

I also remember the faces of local children along the riverbanks. We communicated through smiles and drawings, and language did not matter. These early experiences taught me to seek out real connection, to stay curious, and to approach the world with openness and humility. They planted the seed for everything I do today as an artist and as someone who believes in the power of art to bridge cultures.

When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
Art truly saved my life. As a child I went through many challenges that tested my strength and my resilience. The one place I always returned to was art. I would spend hours in my room sketching because it made me feel calm and safe. When I moved to a new school and had no friends yet, the art room became my refuge. As long as I was trying, my high school art teacher, Mr Kooper, let me stay, and that small act of kindness made me feel welcome. When I was bullied in grade school, drawing was the one space where I felt confident and seen.

Even as a freshman in college at San Diego State University, when everyone else was partying, I spent many of my Friday and Saturday nights in the painting studio on campus that stayed open all night. I loved the feeling of being alone with my paints and my ideas. Looking back, I realize that drawing and painting were my constant companions when everything else around me felt unpredictable.

I think this is why I connect so deeply with children and teens who might not feel understood or who move through the world a little differently. That was me. Not every child shines in sports or academics. Some have a creative kind of intelligence that is often overlooked. It matters to me that those kids have a place where they can feel capable and heard. Through my art and my nonprofit work, I want to give them the same sense of grounding and possibility that art gave me.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Is the public version of me the real me? Absolutely. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I do not know how to be anyone other than myself. What you see is exactly who I am.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When have you had to bet the company?
When have I had to bet the company? It happened the moment I started my nonprofit Big Sky Countries in my twenties. I felt a very real calling to use my art to give back by donating murals to children’s facilities. In that first year I made a promise to visit five countries and donate five murals around the world. I took no donations and used my own money to make it happen. I traveled to Thailand, the Philippines, Ireland, Bolivia, and then to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina because I wanted to understand why this mission felt so important to me.

I had no agenda except to follow my heart and create art within different communities. I painted the sky I saw in each country into the next mural which became my thread of connection from place to place. Friends and family were concerned at first and questioned why I would travel on my own dime, donate murals, and not get paid. At the time it sounded like a wild idea, but looking back I realize I bet everything on giving back, trusting my instincts, and letting my heart lead. It remains one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Charlotte Lea Photography (Cloud profile photo with quote)

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