Meet Nicole Bernard

We recently connected with Nicole Bernard and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Thank you so much for the chance to share my story. Truthfully, I’m not sure anyone overcomes imposter syndrome, but there is an experience that comes to mind that helped me face it and cope with it differently.
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Imagine this: Two years after launching your ceramics business, you decide the attend the national clay convention for the first time. It’s actually The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA)’s Annual Conference, and it’s basically a rite of passage for serious ceramics artists. For years, friends and mentors have been encouraging you to go. You finally listen. You’re here. And right after registration – you head straight to the expo hall.

You’re inundated with the sights and sounds of your online pottery timeline in real life. Every tool, every demonstration, every art school, and – most overwhelmingly – every maker you admire, all at once. Thousands of people, and right in front of you are some of the big names. Podcasters. Influencers. Educators. “Real” business owners.

Suddenly, you’re reminded that you never went to school to do this. That your clay-practice-turned-pandemic project is just part of what you do for a living. Outside of clay, you have a fulfilling career in communications, and you moonlight as an entrepreneur.

Sometimes people ask you if you run your business full time. When you say no, you watch their enthusiasm slip from interest, to surprise, to disappointment. You enjoy the balance of your two work worlds, but now you’re terrified about your cover being blown by getting that question here at the convention.

You’ve never felt so and out of place as you do now, and it’s just day one.

If that story makes your heart beat a little faster, image what it felt like to live it. This experience is mine from March of 2023. I know we’ll dive deeper into how I face imposter syndrome now, but I’m proud to say I’ve learned so much from and since then about how to push past self-doubt by interrogating the real source of that insecurity, then turning that fear it into opportunity.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a lifelong artist, professional communicator, art supporter, and chief maker of NB Makes: the Dallas-based ceramic jewelry, tableware and art culture brand that believes a good life is worth making.

My clay practice centers around creating colored porcelain patterns called tapestries, which are created by hand and inspired by scenes from my everyday life, travels and architecture. Colored clay is unique because the patterns created are throughout the clay instead of just a surface decoration. Its meaning is uniquely embedded deep within the heart of each piece, serving as a reminder that beauty is always within reach.

My customers can purchase my jewelry and ceramic pieces in person at markets, in Dallas-area retailers, online, and starting this summer, select collectors’ galleries. I also love to teach clay and jewelry making classes, and have begun expanding my business to offer public and private courses.

Outside of NB Makes, I’m also a passionate people and process-oriented communications leader. Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate enough to manage global media relations, crisis and public policy communications, executive communications, employee communication, web platform and social media teams within the technology and retail industries.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The story I shared earlier wasn’t my first brush with “imposter syndrome.” As a Black woman who’s worked in corporate America for more than a decade, I’m no stranger to it. In fact, what I most enjoy about my ceramics business is that I see that the world is full of yeses for people with vision, drive and persistence. In that moment, when I was in one place with peers that shared that vision with me, comparison quickly snuck in.

Now when I feel that happening, there are three things I cultivate instead:

AUDACITY: As people, we thrive on stories. Whether you realize it or not, most people admire people because of – not despite – what makes us different. What’s more, someone will eventually be known for owning that brand of different. Why not let it be you?

This year, I made the bold decision to stop running from the fact that I balance two roles in my life and embrace the fact that I don’t have to choose.

My road to owning an art business has been anything but linear. Despite being a lifelong artist, I was encouraged to pursue financial stability, which pivoted my major from graphic design in the school of fine arts to advertising and led to my work in communications and public relations. The decisions that lead me here happened so naturally and gradually that I can still see the connections to creativity in my everyday work, but it is a departure from the fine arts career I originally envisioned. But for me, being a creator is both unavoidable and inevitable, so I’ve found a way back to art by starting NB Makes, in concert with my communications career.

I’m also grateful for my path because working in communications has also taught me something that I may never have grasped from studying art alone: people fall are drawn to stories. While they may like what you sell, they fall in love with you. Spending years cultivating stories for brands has taught me invaluable lessons as I grow my own and myself as a leader in the arts community.

This year, I had the honor of co-founding a R.I.S.E. Mentorship Academy, in partnership with Katy Sensenig Schilthuis of Mosaic Makers Collective. Mosaic Maker’s collective is comprised of creators from so many backgrounds, and like me, many of us got our start after school and in our own time. We created this mentorship program to pair ALAANA artists in high school with arts business owners and provide them with an opportunity we wished we had to start our art careers with experience and confidence.

Our first cohort of mentees just celebrated a successful program with a public art show in Bishop Arts this month. The vision for this program could only come from boldly owning our own stories.

CURIOSITY: When you admire someone, instead of letting their accomplishments make you feel small, take a mindful moment to think about what about them you find so important. Don’t stop at the outcomes of their work, like wealth or followers online. Dig deeper and name specific things about their work or their character.

Once you’ve done that, honestly ask yourself: What’s keeping you from developing in that way? Or maybe even more provocatively: What am I already doing that they are too?

When I feel most like an imposter, I’m comparing my first day to someone else’ 5th year on the job. Instead, I’m now practicing turning that anxiety into wonder by asking: What will I do when I’m as consistent as they are?

COMMUNITY: When you’re not sure why you’re in some room that feels too big to fill alone, filling it with other people brings purpose.

That day in the conference hall, no matter how lost I felt in the sea of people, I knew the reason I was there was to take part in a pop-up show that Amy Henson and Allie Ethridge, fellow Dallas artists, started years prior. The pop-up culture around the convention sprung up as an answer to the exclusivity of the gallery scene in and around the conference. I was honored and grateful that they invited me to be a part of their group.

Funny enough, our show was called the Imposters Pop Up as our crew tried to break into it this scene. I’m forever grateful to Allie and Amy for cultivating an amazing group of artists from around the country. The show was such a success that this year, we dropped doubt from our name in favor of Pot Stars. If our show in March was any indication, we’re all living up to it.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

Starting this summer, I’m expanding my business into new bodies of work, including more classes, fine art pieces and tableware for collectors and galleries. As I move into these new spaces, I’m challenged even more to keep doubt at bay.
No matter what, I stay focused on being bold, staying curious and building community. That’s how both my business and I grow.

Contact Info:

• Email: contact@nbmakes.com
• Website: nbmakes.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/nb.makes

Image Credits

All photos taken by Nicole Bernard.