Meet Nicole Weldy

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nicole Weldy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nicole, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My work ethic is derived from listening to others’ experiences, seeing their aspiration to have their work seen, and redirecting what I have learned to strategically benefit my career path by continuing to have an active professional career. I achieve this through thoroughly planning my personal, academic, and professional life. As an Enneagram Type 7, I embody the spirit of an adventurous enthusiast and I have a thirst to not miss out on opportunities. I develop my occupational and artistic goals on a sixth month schedule or month to month basis and go for them.

I learned at a guest artist lecture at Samford Art Gallery that becoming a successful artist and designer would require dedication, hard work, and motivation amid current and future life changes. After meeting Sarah West, a painter who obtained her MFA from Clemson, and with the advice from my sculpture professor Lauren Frances Evans, I began exploring graduate programs to advance my education. I often worked late into the night to complete assignments while my peers made different arrangements. I developed a routine of completing two projects for every classroom assignment and consistently exceeded the requirements of my classes. I wanted to have a destination after undergrad. I needed to expand upon my art history knowledge and learn how to write and talk about what I was making.

Both Sarah West and Lauren Frances Evans have graciously shared their experiences regarding the challenges they faced in their career paths due to taking time off for maternity leave to prioritize their families. As a young woman with aspirations of starting a family in the future, my aim is to actively engage with art galleries, communities, and educational institutions on an annual basis. From my sophomore year of undergrad, I have made it my full-time job for my art experience to stand out on my curriculum vitae and reflect what I have been researching in the studio. Setting SMART goals and utilizing vision boards steers me towards achieving these objectives as well as immersing myself in art events and programs. Being a designer and an artist is more than just a career to me; it is a commitment that I uphold even during times when I struggle to find the inspiration to create or write about my artwork.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am an artist & designer from Fishers, IN. My higher academic career started at Samford University where the art department was implementing their new catalyst curriculum including graphic design, architecture, music, theater appreciation, animation, and visual arts preparing students for their respective art fields and their immersive senior project. My parents always encouraged me to keep all options open. I see the arts as an umbrella for creative opportunities. During my sophomore year, I had a strong desire to express my own stories through autobiographical artwork in a variety of mediums like plaster, chicken wire, duct tape, thread, and color pencil.

My education at Samford opened my eyes to the many advantages of combining teaching with an art career. These benefits encompass having a gallery record, working in a collaborative and inspiring creative environment, and actively participating in educational opportunities, such as attending artist talks on campus. At Samford, I pursued internships and job opportunities in my field of study with the goal of turning my passion into a career. I worked for the Samford Art Gallery and assumed the role of safety director for the Blacksmithing Club. I additionally served as an Education Art Intern at the Birmingham Museum of Art and represented Samford as a Residential Life Assistant on campus for three years. These experiences provided me with valuable knowledge in art handling, effective communication, and the importance of teamwork.

I pursued my MFA at Clemson in 2021 with a concentration in sculpture. I greatly wanted to work alongside and learn from the faculty at Clemson. I also felt that Clemson’s program would allow me to keep up with my digital skills and test my sculptural knowledge with my hands in the materials lab and metal shop. At Clemson, I continued to stay connected with the University activities and art opportunities in my community. During my program, I started to realize how important it was for me to manage my time. I was a Graduate Student Government Senator, a co-leader for the Pearce Center’s Visual Information Design Program and I was active in multiple student and regional organizations such as the Tri-State Sculptors while generously giving my time to others.

During my time in graduate school, I experimented with resin, mold making, wood working, and metal casting. I still feel that I am very young as an artist. As a way of understanding realism, I break down subject matter into parts conceptually and sometimes physically. I gravitated towards materials that required careful attention to detail and were time sensitive. As a child, I acquired the skill of crocheting from my maternal grandmother building fabric from units. In grad school, I elevated my needleworking abilities by delving into the art of creating crochet lace. In an attempt to provide additional support to my fabric, I experimented with applying resin onto the lace and incorporating 3D printed lines. This process allowed me to transform my delicate lace into sturdy sculptural pieces that could support themselves and explore the complexities of material transformation in the physical world, where craftsmanship inhabits a complex place between the hand and the machine.

My dedication to my craft was crucial in creating my lace sculptures and experimenting with resin. After finishing my master’s degree and thesis research, Material World at Clemson in December 2023, I relocated to North Carolina and later to Ohio to accompany my partner as he advances his engineering career at GE-Aerospace in their aviation division. We are thrilled about the opportunities for professional growth and development that Cincinnati offers to both of us.

I am excited to announce that I will be teaching a mini master’s class this summer! As for the remainder of 2024 into 2025, I have many design and art projects in the works such as a design project for Clemson University, group showings, curatorial shows, and gallery representation. Be on the lookout for updates on my social media and website.

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?

Perspective- Gaining a broader perspective became clear to me during my academic journey. I realized that by understanding the significance of acquiring specific skills, I could open new avenues of exploration. I initially struggled with comprehending the mathematical concepts in my undergraduate courses. However, my professor enlightened me by revealing that these very principles were employed by PIXAR to animate Dash’s movements on the screen. This shift in perspective, aligning math with my passion for art, completely transformed my approach to tackling math assignments, making me more enthusiastic about learning.

Similarly, everything I learned while documenting conditions of furniture in dorm rooms in Residence Life as a Residence Life Assistant became useful when installing traveling artwork.

The Art of Asking- I reached out to Duck Tape Company in 2020 to request sponsorship for my project, Unity Ball, which was a part of my senior undergraduate thesis exhibition called United Through the Arts. To my delight, Duck Brand generously sent me 112 rolls of duct tape to assist me in creating a dodecahedron sculpture made entirely of duct tape casts. This sculpture aimed to showcase how humanity remained connected through the arts even during the challenging times of the pandemic. This experience taught me the importance of not hesitating to seek assistance when needed, and I hope to inspire other creatives by demonstrating that anything is possible. As a recommendation, I suggest reading “The Art of Asking,” a memoir written by American musician Amanda Palmer in 2014.

In 2022, I ask the Clemson Lee Gallery coordinator if we could time lapse the installation of the piece Cultivation II from the traveling exhibition, Redefining the Multiple: 13 Japanese Printmaker Show. The time lapse of the sculpture installation went viral in Japan on Instagram and the artist, Kiyono was delighted to see how his work was incorporated into Clemson’s Lee Gallery.

Practice- Establishing a routine of consistent work, innovation, and mapping out your artistic journey requires dedication and patience. Commencing the creative process is essential to progressing towards your goals. You must start somewhere and grow from there. Likewise, you will not be able to get to where you want to go without starting and prioritizing studio time. Creating art and design is akin to preparing for a marathon, where daily practice and continuous learning are key.

Runners run through any type of weather and physical condition setting aside their responsibilities to their other values to make time for running. They cannot just set out to run 26.2 miles on race day. They also stick to a training regime with longer and shorter run days while recovering when needed. Similarly to the runner, an artist and designer seeks inspiration for their work and sets out for a large showing or body of work. The artist works diligently and walks away from their work when needed to return refreshed with clarity on the project they are working on.

As a creator, do your best to show up for work every day, prioritize your work, and seek opportunities to improve your craft and grow your research in a historical context. If you believe that there are no opportunities available for you, take the initiative to make one for yourself and invite other creative individuals to join you. I recommend being aware of what research is going on around you and know what tools are available to you but also stay true to your vision. Not everything you do the first time is going to go smoothly but it’s through learning about what went right and wrong that will make your next project just as great or even better.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

Professor Larry Thompson Associate Dean of the School of the Arts Department at Samford University paved a way for Samford Arts Students to experience new curriculum abroad in Spain and Portugal summer of 2018. Under Professor Thompson’s direction, we painted a mural at The Point dog park at Oak Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama to help fund our trip. I didn’t know then that our Spanish takeover six years ago would spark a travel interest in me past graduation, into my master’s program, and for life. I had traveled with my family prior to attending an out of state school. I had seen 46 states, Canada, and a few Caribbean Islands with my family. Studying abroad with my classmates while under the guidance of my professors was different than the previous trips I had done. We discussed the art in front of the architecture and in the art exhibitions spaces. Who made it, why they made it, what time period it was made in and the value these pieces still have today. I am so thankful I went on the SOA Spanish takeover trip because it opened my eyes to the value of my professor’s time, getting their insight in person, and seeing artwork for myself.

Since Spain and Portugal, I traveled with Professor Stephen Watson Assistant Professor of Art at Samford to London and went on a mission’s trip to the Mully Children’s Family in Kenya with Samford Arts friends. Then, with the assistance of Graduate Travel Grants from Clemson’s Graduate Student Government and the Art Department at Clemson, I have been to Italy for the 2022 Venice Biennale and New York on two separate occasions. When I moved to Clemson, I found University Lutheran Church (UniLu) my home church away from home. We went to Germany on Martin Luther’s journey to writing the 95 theses for the door at Wittenberg’s Castle Church. I also greatly enjoyed running into one of the three Bauhaus Museums! Most recently I have traveled to Japan to take part in fake food modeling, observing Yayoi Kusama’s Museum, and experiencing a portion of Japanese historic and modern culture and art.

I love that no matter where you go in the world the world will show you how it is so much larger than you know. No travel meal has ever beaten Spain’s paya dinner extravaganza at LA PEPICA overlooking the Mediterranean Sea where I saw some of my classmates witness the ocean’s beauty for the first time. Even though Professor Waston’s wife’s lasagna breaking in the new Samford Daniel house kitchen in London came close! And it’s hard to compete with making pasta with the professionals in Italy! I have a growing magnet collection of all the art pieces I have seen in person. Not long ago, I had the pleasure of adding the Great Wave and Mount Fuji to the list. No matter what I see, big or small, traveling has taught me to be present in the moment in that space and with the people I share these adventures.

I highly recommend traveling whenever you can. In high school, I started sharing with my friends during senior year that I wanted to be a doer not a talker. I wanted to not wish for things but make them happen. If you can’t travel, then go through the grocery store backwards or go window shopping. Gain perspective in approaching things differently. All my professors through my academic endeavors gave me this insight.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nicoleanneweldy.com
• Instagram: nicole_anne_weldy_art
• Facebook: Nicole Weldy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-weldy-546aa2290
• Youtube: @nicoleweldy6826
• Other: Tik Tok @nicole.weldy

Image Credits

Rebekah Bruff – Watercolor & Duct Tape related Photography

Jessica Wortkoetter Swank – Lace related Photography