November’s Featured Artist Nicholas Chamberlain
A lot of artists start in one art form and end up in another. Though in today's world switching between art forms can be scary. You might be worried that if you switch up what you are doing as an artist that you might lose followers or sales. But...isn't that the whole point of being an artist?
That you aren't put in a box? Aren't artists artists because they aren't afraid to express themselves in all ways in front of an unforgiving world? That is what I admire in this November's featured artist Nicholas. When I met Nicholas last year at an art showcase he had been painting amazing pieces on these large canvases, and had just started getting into digital prints of his work and playing around in procreate on his iPad. Now his digital paintings are out of this world and he has recently begun his own comic book called Crappy. It has been such an honor to get to know Nicholas and watch his creativity and skills grow and morph and transform over the year.
“Question Everything”
NICHOLAS’ 3 IDEAS TO WORK BY
First, expect to work harder than you ever have for very little return. So do it because it’s what you want to do and not because you want the money.
Lack of success will lead to a lot of self doubt. You will be your worst critic, especially as your skills grow. Keep people around who support you no matter what because they will help you keep pushing.
Never stop learning. Artists should be constantly growing both in skill, technique and as people. Even if someone is not as talented as you, you can still learn something from them. You can learn something from anyone so keep your eyes and ears open to new ideas.
Above you'll see snippets from Nicholas' comic book called Crappy. He has recently steered away from traditional art to chase his lifelong dream of making comics.
"It’s not your typical comic book, it’s a cartoon and it’s mostly stupid humor about getting high and hanging out with my cat. It’s been my coping mechanism throughout the pandemic.”
Nicholas' love for art started with watching cartoons as a kid. He's always wanted to make cartoons but he has also always loved anything that involved using his hands to create. Recently he's even started growing succulents so he can start making art with live plants (which I am personally VERY excited to see!) From painting, to digital art, to comics, to cartoons, writing, plants, Nicholas is just an all around creative human, and I highly encourage you to follow his creative journey. You will always be on the edge of your seat!
"Staying motivated is really tough sometimes. I've been struggling with that these last few months. I think many artists struggle with psychological trauma and that can make it difficult to stay focused but it really comes down to forcing myself to keep working even when I just want to melt into the couch blankets. If I can successfully force myself to start creating it becomes a bit like a therapy session and I usually feel better after a hard days work."
You can support Nicholas today in the Gallery!
Be sure to buy directly from Nicholas by clicking on the ‘CLICK HERE’ section of the product description!
The $2 submission for Nicholas’ Gallery artwork will be received as a donation to the Gallery! Thank you for helping us provide better resources and offerings for our artists! We hope you enjoy his work as much as we do! If you are interested in having your work featured in the Gallery please visit our Get Involved tab.
