Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikolai Given
Hi Nikolai, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started from a broken home, taken by child protective services along with my older siblings when I was three. I was born intersex, none of my family knew other than my biological mother and my maternal aunt. From there I was adopted by maternal aunt. I suffered at the hands of her for the next eight years. During which time she had me on hormone blockers and estrogen. I finally got the chance to escape and haven’t been back since. I had never known what unconditional love was, I had never known what healthy was in terms of familial dynamics. I’ve been in therapy for 8 years now, and I’ve finally found someone who loves me for me. My oldest child is in an open adoption with a lovely gay couple in New York. My youngest is with me and my soon to be husband. We took parenting classes and everything. Breaking generational curses is difficult especially when you’ve never known anything different. We have days where we struggle, but making the conscious choice to be better than you were the day before is keeping us on a steady path for success.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, this journey has been the complete opposite of smooth, there’s definitely been many people, events, & circumstances that have made it super difficult. Most of which has been family members, some of which have been old friends, and few of which have been just pure bad luck. However we will forever take the appropriate steps and precautions to prevent what’s happened from happening again to ourselves or anyone we care about.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I do not have a specific business/career outlet. It’s a mix of educational and artsy things. I educate individuals/groups & businesses about lgbtqia+ & intersex & parenting topics, I also have a clothing line where I make custom clothing & a crafts type store through Facebook where I sell custom made artworks. I also do make a small amount on the side from simple reels/video uploads normally following current trends.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The most important lessons I have learned during the COVID-19 crisis is that just because someone isn’t as bad as someone from your past doesn’t mean you have to deal with the abuse. I also learned that sometimes the most important people are the ones you find slightly irritating because they make you do things that are healthy & helpful for you. The last one is that just because you have some bad days doesn’t mean you should give up on everything, sometimes those bad days are important to your success.
Pricing:
- Crafts start at $10
- Drawings start at $12
- Paintings start at $15
- Clothing starts at $20
- Advice starts at $5
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nredfox2002?igsh=MXRkdnF6ZnRwZTBkdg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikolai.given?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@nikolaigiven4952?si=SFV6oqYdrOSOIBI0
Image Credits
Nikolai Given