We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicki Puckett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nicki, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

YES, yes I am…with emphasis! I’ve always been an artist, ever since I was little. It’s a big part of my essence.

However, being able to utilize these creative/artistic abilities to not only share them with the world but make a living with them on your own terms is a different story. It requires faith in the unknown and confidence in your ability to learn & do hard things, which can grow over time the more you practice them. Indeed, I’ve grown in ways I never thought was possible after my deep dive into creative self-employment.

This specific question: Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? – is backwards for me, because I actually had a ‘regular job’ as a public school art teacher for 13 years before making the scary jump to homeschool my son (the catalyst for this change) and start my own creative business, which changed our lives in a wonderfully positive way! It was actually a complete overhaul in my mind’s perception. I had many limiting belief systems which, over time, became eroded as I threw voluntarily threw myself into the deep end of freelancing, and just went for it-for better or for worse. In my mind, I was all in because of my desire to homeschool and I knew it would be incredibly difficult with a traditional job.

Was it scary? Yes. Were there hard times? Yes. Were there times when I didn’t know what the shiz I was doing? A thousand yes’s, I still experience that. But, I kept going and didn’t give up. I’m still continually hustling, learning new skills, and upping my game, and I’ll keep going until the universe tells me it’s time to move on. Taking action consistently towards your goals, even if it’s baby steps, is the path to freedom. It was all worth it and I’d do it all again.

Nicki, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I learned how to draw caricatures when I was a late teen at Dorney Park, a local amusement park in Pennsylvania. Since then, 20 years have passed and I’ve had many artistic experiences throughout my life: drawing a great deal of faces and pets, creating art in various mediums, and teaching art to a variety of diverse students, which all adds to the essence of my creative business. In addition to my caricatures and pet portraits, I am also a self-taught freelancer of digital services, which includes: Graphics and logo design, social media content creation, business branding, and more. Offering mural designs to businesses and individuals professionally is also on my to-do bucket list. In a nutshell, creativity feels like home to me, and I love learning new ways of being creative and sharing it with others.

My happy place is making my customers happy via my caricatures and pet portraits. The light-hearted, fun and happy vibes a good caricature artist can bring to an event is what makes me continue to do what I do, it’s such fun and fulfilling work!

I love connecting with other local businesses, so please feel free to reach out if you have any creative digital needs or are looking for that ‘special something’ at your next corporate business event, birthday party, wedding, etc. I also take online orders via my website if you’re looking for a perfect custom-drawn Christmas gift!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

It would be awesome if society could get into habit of viewing and compensating artists and creatives like professionals, because many of us are just that!

It reminds me of a great story I once heard:

Picasso is sketching at a park. A woman walks by, recognizes him, and begs for her portrait. Somehow, he agrees. A few minutes later, he hands her the sketch. She is elated, excited about how wonderfully it captures the very essence of her character, what beautiful work it is, and asks how much she owes him. “5000 francs, madam,” says Picasso. The woman is incredulous, outraged, and asks how that’s even possible given it only took him 5 minutes. Picasso looks up and, without missing a beat, says: “No, madam, it took me my whole life.”

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect is being able to experience and share God’s gift he’s given me with the world. I feel like I’m living my best life, and impacting other’s lives and works in a positive and meaningful way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nickipuckettcreative.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicki_puckett_creative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickipuckettvaservices/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Image Credits

Nicki Puckett