Nikki Lee

ARC Artist Interview

Tell us a little about yourself:

Ever since I was little, I’ve always drawn on anything I could.. doodled on the corners of homework, binders, covered textbooks in blank paper to scribble on, etc. I’ve always loved to draw. Recently I started trying my hand at painting with acrylics and haven’t been disappointed..  other than that, I’m just a soccer mom. Everything I do is focused around my family and I won’t lie. They challenge my creativity to the extremes but I welcome those challenges because that’s also where the majority of my support and inspirations come from.

Is this your first time participating in ARC?  

Yes. And I’m very excited to be a part of it.

What kind of art do you make/do?

I sketch first, then paint. If I can sketch it,  I’ll use acrylics then paint whatever it is.

How did you get into art?

My family is a broad spectrum of creative people so its always been a part of my life.

What does your creative process look like?

Very chaotic. I’ve usually been very indecisive on what I want to draw and how to collaborate multiple ideas into one image, but once I’ve started, I won’t stop til it’s exactly how I want it to look.

What is your relationship to recovery, and how has your artistic practice influenced that?

I’m not just a child from parents that suffered with addictions, but myself also struggled with it for years. Art was my way of getting out of my head itself.. it definitely helped me push thru the negativity of things and become more productive. It helps me channel my emotions in a positive way and express myself freely without caring about judgements of others. I’ve learned to accept that people will always judge me, but it doesn’t mean that’s who I am.   

  Tell us a little about the work you’re displaying in the Digital Gallery:

My sketches are works in progress that I plan to paint in the near future. The paintings are from my first art show I did in January 2020, it’s just a little bit of everything and mainly focusing on love and growth from different aspects in my family life with just a little bit of my quirky personality.

Is there any particular place you draw your inspiration from these days?

My friends and Family are always throwing ideas at me, or showing me pictures and I like to pull a little bit of something from everything.

Any books/tv shows/movies you’re hooked on right now?

TV shows, not really even though I’m sure I could re-watch Sons of Anarchy a million times. With my daughter extracurricular activities, We don’t have much time to get engrossed in television very often.

Any last words/fun facts/jokes you’d like to share!

Being an artist doesn’t take perfection or any prior knowledge/education. Being an artist is literally is taking whatever it is that you find beautiful and unique and putting that image out there for others to enjoy too. Don’t get in your own head and think you can’t do something, because you can. We all can.

“You have a brain in your head. And feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose". -Dr. Suess

“ Your entirely Bonkers but I’ll tell you a secret, all the best people are!” – Mad Hatter of Alice in Wonderland.

Or

“It’s no use going back to yesterday. I was a different person then". Alice of Alice in Wonderland