Meet Nikki Neri

We recently connected with Nikki Neri and have shared our conversation below.

Nikki, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

This is such a loaded question for me, because part of me feels like I’ve found it, and part of me feels like I’m still searching for it. I guess the best way to answer this is in two parts. Half of me has always known, since I could pick up a crayon, that I was meant to create. Anytime someone would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would always reply, “an artist”. I still know to this day that I’m meant to create, but below the surface, I feel that I’m also meant to use my talents and my voice for something bigger. Within the last few years, I’ve felt a deeper calling and urge to make an impact on people, and to make some sort of difference in the world, whether that’s big or small. I think as long as I know that I’m moving towards helping people in some way, I’m on the right path. I’ve been struggling for a while now on exactly what this deeper calling is, who I’m supposed to be helping, and more infuriatingly, HOW. I have more inner work to do with finding my “dharma”, but I think if I can somehow marry my artistic talents with my urge to use my voice to help and empower, I will then be able to confidently say that I’ve “found my purpose”. Something I’ve learned though, is that your passion and your purpose can be two separate things, so maybe my purpose actually isn’t art related at all. These are the thoughts that keep me awake at night!!!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ve realized that I am an ever-evolving artist. For a long time my main concentration was strictly graphic design, focusing mainly on digital art. I realized though, that one of my favorite parts of the journey of creating that digital art, was once it became a finished product; Whether that was a hat or a piece of apparel that I designed, or holding an illustration in my hands and seeing the colors come to life in front of my eyes. That’s sort of how I evolved into a wedding stationary designer. I first started off with creating pet portraits, and the feeling of bringing joy to people through my art with something so personal to them was the ultimate high. I took that feeling and my love for creating something tangible and eventually expanded into wedding stationary. Knowing I’m helping in a small way to bring joy to one of the most exciting days in someone’s life is a really awesome feeling. With creating wedding invitations, I really love the process of designing something on my screen, sending it off to print, and finishing the final design with my own two hands. It is so much more rewarding to hold your art in your hands, and to also see the impact, gratitude, and admiration for your art with someone else holding it in theirs.

Within the last two years or so, I’ve become more interested in watercolor art and how to sharpen my skills in that realm. One of the really cool things about the digital art world and the tangible art world is the process of bringing them together. For a number of wedding invitation suites, I’ve transformed my paintings into digital artwork to use in my wedding designs. It’s really cool to see traditional artwork marry new age artwork and how versatile the process can be.

Most recently, I’ve become really involved in teaching myself detailed black and white sketching. I’ve been doing all of the hand sketching digitally with a tablet that connects to my laptop. The combination of art and technology will never cease to amaze me! I plan to offer more custom illustration options as I continue to learn and improve my skills, so that’s been something really exciting for me dive into. I’m realizing how much more I’m capable of, and how I’m never done learning as an artist.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

For me personally, tenacity, an eagerness to learn, and a sheer need for independence are the three descriptors that instantly come to mind when I reflect back on how I powered through a lot of ups and downs. I remember the fire I had when I first started designing, and that really drove me down the path that I’m currently on. I was so determined to work for myself and to create my own art after feeling so suffocated and micromanaged. At both of my previous full-time jobs, I’d carve out time during my work day to create and complete projects, work on my portfolio, and create my website. I would then go home and continue to work into the evening. Looking back, I wish I had a better balance and understanding of how that could, and how that DID contribute to burn out. Without that drive and determination though, I wouldn’t have accomplished or learned nearly as much.

My advice to anyone who is passionate about their work, or working towards a big goal, is to keep that fire alive, but to tame that fire as well. It’s so very important to rest your mind and do nothing. I really didn’t know how important that was until I was years in, feeling the effects of never taking a break. It can be really hard to pull yourself out of burnout and exhaustion and to find that motivation again if you’re not careful. You don’t want to end up resenting what you love.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

One of the most impactful books I’ve ever read, and have re-read three times throughout different stages of my life, is The Alchemist. It’s about a boy named Santiago who is on a mission to find hidden treasure, but finds so much more along the way. Throughout his journey, he realizes that the path to true happiness and fulfillment lies through an understanding of one’s personal mission, and that all of the peaks and valleys are apart of a complex plan to help us find our soul’s purpose, or as Paulo Coelho writes, our “Personal Legend”.

I remember the first time I read The Alchemist and how it began to shift my way of thinking. It also changed my perspective on life. Pantheism is a strong, core theme of the book, and connecting to that helped ignite my spiritual growth and the beginning of my spiritual journey. Everything in life is connected, and there is no such thing as a coincidence. Every stepping stone or experience in your life thus far has served a purpose and has some sort of meaning; whether that was meant to impact you directly or indirectly.

The Alchemist opened my eyes to look beneath the surface and get introspective. What was my personal legend? What path, as an artist, am I supposed to be on? How can I use my spirituality to guide me in the right direction? As I previously stated, I’m still trying to answer some of those questions. Maybe I need to read The Alchemist again for a fourth time!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://evandflo.com
• Instagram: evxflodesigns
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/nicoleneri

Image Credits

website: kerentrevino.com
Instagram: @terenkrevino