We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nese Michelle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nese below.
Nese, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I keep creativity alive with everyday life. So much of what we see came from the imagination of someone else. The structures, streets, murals, and even clothing… all come from someone else’s creativity.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Nese, and I am a painter and photographer. Currently, my focus has shifted more toward painting. I feel like as an artist, I get torn between my two artistic loves. For a good while there, photography was my thing. I would plan, scout out locations, do makeup or ask my sister to do makeup (she’s a million times better than me with it), shoot and edit. Then my niece was my second shooter for a while. I painted on the side for my own amusement and stress relief. Painting eventually became how I dealt with a lot of things in my late 20’s and early 30’s. So there is a bit of an emotional attachment that goes into each piece. Now the two have switched positions in my life. I paint way more than I shoot these days. And I’m currently enjoying the evolution of my own style. As of late, the need to buckle down has been pretty present. I want to love what I do without it feeling like a job. In a way though, it is. I eventually would love to be a full time artist!!! That would be the dream. That IS the dream! Social media plays a lot into that and so does consistency. I have also recently started a small YouTube channel with art videos and vlogs. I hope to get my footing with it and be able to teach
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Being consistent was the best piece of knowledge I’ve gained. But with that, also making sure that I’m not burning myself out. I like making sure that everything is done and in place. However, I’ve learned to accept that everything will get done in time and not all at once. It teaches me patience with myself. It teaches me to be gentle with myself and not to beat myself up when I don’t feel as if I’ve been productive.
Advice for folks early in their journey? I think that limiting the amount of social media for beginner artists is very important. You don’t need to be where everyone else is at that moment in time. Social media is very misleading. And that can be discouraging for new artists. Nothing is instant. Take your time and enjoy yourself while on your journey
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I take a break from whatever it is that is the main contributor to my stress. Sometimes stepping back from everything (even if it’s for a couple of moments) and taking a deep breath. I’ve stepped away from projects for a week at a time just to come back to it with a clear head. You can’t be the best you if you’re frazzled.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Nese_the_arteest
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@nesethearteest
