We were lucky to catch up with Lauren Nitka recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
As a lifelong artist, and now professional artist, I’ve struggled through many creative blocks. This desire to make art, unfulfilled by an invisible mental wall that I couldn’t seem to get past. However, I’ve found procrastinating making art only deepens the creative block. I instead focused on exploration. I explored quite a bit of architecture, floral abstracts, and worship paintings.
I knew my creative blocks were from that feeling of not finding my voice in my work, but I couldn’t let that hold me back from creating. Because I had a variety of artworks in my portfolio, I secured quite a few commissions. Commissions come from clients who approach an artist with an idea, needing that artist’s talent to bring the vision to life. These requests ranged from portraits of people and pets, to buildings and homes, as drawings or paintings. I found some of my best pieces were things that clients had commissioned, because they pushed me beyond my comfort zone.
With my diverse portfolio, and a lot of networking from pop up art shows I curated and organized, I applied for a mentorship with the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network. I needed an outside perspective from an established creative to help me through the creative block I could no longer ignore. Frank Juarez, a man of many creative titles and accomplishments – publisher of Artdose Magazine, award winning high school art teacher, artist and photographer, former gallery owner – is my mentor through this year long mentorship program. With Frank’s insight into my portfolio, we were able to identify that my portraits (mostly commissioned pieces) were my most refined work.
Portraits are what I like to describe as my first love in art. In middle school I started practicing portraits over and over, drawing eyes in the margins of my notebooks, even creating independent studies on portraiture. I also fell in love with oil painting in undergrad. But when I graduated college, I didn’t know who to paint. So I painted things instead of people, thinking it would make me more “marketable.”
But now, my current body of work is focusing on painting people in my life whose lives have been changed by Jesus. I’m video recording their testimonies of faith, then photographing them with a lace covering. In the oil painting, you’ll see the individual with lace cast shadow, just as we may not see God directly, but He still covers us every day. These oil paintings aren’t complete yet, but they are the work I am most proud of to date.
I still take time though to create for fun. I’m also an elementary art teacher, which requires me to introduce a variety of materials and subjects to my students, everything from drawing and painting to weaving and ceramics. I had to learn new ways of artmaking that I otherwise would not have explored. While I am mainly a painter, I’ve discovered a love for weaving from teaching it to my students. Exploring something completely new to me, opposite of painting, has helped keep creativity flowing through me. I don’t have this pressure I’ve put on myself with painting to create something realistic, ultra creative, or “on brand” for my portfolio. Instead, I allow myself to find a rhythm in the process, enjoy the colors and textures of the yarn, and just create for fun!
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 am an artist, curator, and art educator from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. My studio practice mostly focuses on oil painting with an emphasis on portraiture, but I also create in watercolors, inks, and 2D mixed media. In addition to creating work, I’ve curated and organized various pop up art shows with local artists at small businesses. I’m a licensed K-12 art educator in Wisconsin, currently as an public elementary art teacher.
Christ is at the heart of my calling as an artist and educator. My upcoming portrait series documenting stories of coming to Jesus will begin to launch in April 2024 at the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network’s mentorship exhibition. You can find previews of the paintings on my social medias, @laurenmarienitka.
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?
One, I have humility in asking for guidance through prayer and mentorship. Two, I am intrinsically motivated to create. And three, I am willing to create outside my comfort zone.
My best advice for pushing through a creative block is to explore a variety of ideas and materials, but to then take the time to reflect on your best work. Get an outside perspective from someone with experience, someone you admire for their accomplishments in your field. You’ll start to see patterns emerge and you’ll be able to identify what you are most proud of. Then, pursue that relentlessly.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
One of the best pieces of advice I had ever received was to consider where you go for advice. I’ve learned from personal experience to seek out advice from people who have experience in that particular area and who are in a place in life that I would like to be. If I am feeling overwhelmed, my first step is pray for guidance. My next step is to seek out those experienced individuals and really listen to their stories and lessons learned.
Participating in this mentorship with the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network is an example of this. I was feeling overwhelmed with my creative block in my artwork, not sure of where I wanted to go with my art career. I prayed for guidance and knew I needed mentorship from an experienced individual. My role now is to stay organized, coachable, and held accountable for the work I produce.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.laurenmarienitka.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmarienitka
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenmarienitka
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenmarienitka
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurenMNitka
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurenmarienitka
Image Credits
Photo of Lauren: Adedamola Adeniyi Artwork photos: Lauren Marie Nitka
