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

Nneka, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Yes, I am happy being an artist. Art is not just a career but a lifestyle and a way of life. My life has always been inclined toward art from my mother being an artist to my constant impulsiveness to draw, create 3-dimensional structures, write poetry, or take pictures from a very young age. My mind has always been a module of ideas which is never at rest. I am always writing, reading, creating, or conversing with like-minded peers on ways to improve myself or my craft.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a printmaker who started printmaking in 2019. My artwork tells stories derived from everyday occurrences, dreams, premonitions, past events, and even potential future events. I draw inspiration from the unexpressed thoughts, feelings, and expressions of people. Linocut printmaking may be a tasking technique but the results are really remarkable. I am mostly proud of how far I have come and truly excited about what is next to come.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn is that we may all be humans but we were created differently. We each have a purpose to fulfill on this earth. I just didn’t want to do what others were doing, I wanted to create my path. How did I start doing linocut? I honestly don’t know. I tried other techniques, but I wasn’t interested in them. As I continued my practice in linocut Printmaking, other more technical techniques piqued my interest which I will be practicing soon.

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

When people see my work it resonates with them. We may all be different but we also have had similar experiences.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: rockstarnex
• Linkedin: Nneka Chima
• Twitter: rockstarnex