Today we’d like to introduce you to Nia Alexander Campbell

Hi Nia Alexander, 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 come from a very creative and intellectual family—my mom studied visual art and art therapy, my dad studied music and psychology, and my grandparents are involved in teaching, crafts, fashion design, and architecture. This environment very comfortably supported my early interest in visual art and my pursuit of academia.

Art was always my favorite subject in school, and in high school, I was accepted into my county’s Center for the Arts. It was a serious commitment as a teenager because art was no longer an optional elective; it was a necessary part of earning my diploma. I had at least two hours of art every day for four years, alongside being in AP classes, being Art Club president, being in the National Arts Honors Society, and just navigating that major transitional period where everything is changing that defines being a teenager.

A major turning point for me was during my sophomore year when we had our first portrait painting project. The portrait I created was the first time I looked at my own work and thought, “Wait, this is good.” That moment was when I first saw the potential in my technical skills, and it motivated me to keep improving.

Initially, I focused on drawing technical portraits with expressive color, then I transitioned to more painting and mixed media collage work by the time I graduated from undergrad. I earned a BFA in Painting & Printmaking with a minor in Art History from VCU in Richmond, and later, I got an MFA in Design from VCUarts Qatar. My MFA experience was the most transformative creative and professional period I’ve had so far, even though most of it took place during the pandemic. The skills I learned, the people I met, and the personal growth I experienced during this time inspired me to pursue a PhD in Media & Design and introduced me to the creative skills I now use in my business Stories x Stardust.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

I am fortunate to have not experienced any severe pitfalls, but there have definitely been stressful times. For example, every time I applied to a university, I didn’t have the money to afford it, and it’s nerve-wracking to apply to programs you know you can’t afford. Every time I got accepted into a university, my immediate thought was, “Okay, I got in, now what? How am I going to pay the deposit? How am I going to afford housing? How am I going to pay for tuition, supplies, groceries?” It is stressful being in a state of uncertainty like that. To be honest, it’s a little depressing to recognize that hard work doesn’t always guarantee the immense amount of money needed to attend university in the U.S. Then there’s the fact that all this is coupled with my existence as a Black woman; the intersections of race, gender, and economic barriers, mixed with trying to achieve a higher education… it’s a lot. It’s heavy.

Another stressful moment was when I was in my university program as an undergrad and wound up in an unexpected major. In my art program at the time, we didn’t choose our specific major until the second year, and it was all reliant on an internal application process where some majors were naturally more competitive than others. To make a long story short, my academic advisor gave me the wrong instructions for my application, and I ended up in a major I had no interest in pursuing. I was absolutely distraught because this was “not the plan,” and at the time, I still held a very rigid view of what my professional path was supposed to look like, even though at 19 I did not have a clear understanding of what my professional path even was. I only knew that I enjoyed drawing, I was good at it, and the major that made the most sense for me was Communication Arts — where I could do illustration — not Fashion Design, which was the major I had been placed into as a last resort. So, within a week of being placed in my undesired major, I approached one of the teachers in the Communication Arts department whom I had previously taken a class with. He acknowledged the quality of my portfolio and said I would be a great fit for the major, but there were no available spots, and they couldn’t accommodate me.

So then, I decided to approach the Painting & Printmaking department and ask if they would let me into the major. Painting & Printmaking had not been among my choices because I didn’t see myself as a painter and definitely not as a printmaker. I saw the department as very abstract, conceptual, fine arts and gallery-oriented, while I was more interested in technical drawing and illustration at the time. But, when the head of the department looked over my portfolio, they approved my transfer to the major on the same day, and this unexpected turn became the best situation for me. I was introduced to techniques I had never encountered before, and this experience allowed me to explore a wider range of creative ideas and possibilities than I likely would have in my original choice of major. This was particularly beneficial for someone like me, who hadn’t yet fully defined what they wanted to do with their passion for and skill in art.

What’s more, being in the department opened unexpected doors regarding travel, which changed the entire trajectory of my professional goals and ways of thinking. I remember seeing a poster for a 10-day study abroad program in Morocco that was only open to students in design majors, like Fashion, Graphic, and Interior design, and students in Painting & Printmaking. This trip was coincidentally a combined trip where we met up with students and faculty from VCUarts Qatar, and it was they who encouraged me to apply to a semester studying abroad in Qatar. Before this trip, I did not feel ready to spend a semester studying abroad anywhere, but this experience changed that. So, I went to Qatar for a semester and was able to visit two more countries while I was there. It was also when I saw the final thesis projects of their MFA in Design students, and I was absolutely blown away. I had no intention of applying to the MFA program because I did not see myself as a designer, but seeing the actual projects that the MFA students produced changed my understanding of what design was and what I would be able to do in the program. And now, as I mentioned earlier, my experience in the MFA completely redefined my creative and professional path.

So, yeah, considering the nature of my winding path, I believe moments of stress, anxiety, and unpredictability were unavoidable, especially since I was pursuing a creative career without a typical roadmap to success. What’s been important during times like this is to stay flexible and be both patient and kind to myself, which are skills I had to learn over time.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I am an interdisciplinary artist, designer, and writer, and I am diving into new creative projects after taking a break for a few months. My creative practice revolves around storytelling and gentle protest, with a focus on themes of race, history, gender, and identity, particularly highlighting the experiences of Black American women. In my writing, I specialize in decolonized academic prose, blending accessible language with scholarly discourse to authentically represent the voices of Black women. One notable example of this is the research book for my project “Threadtales,” which is free to read on my website. I’m also proud of my MFA thesis project, “Reclamancipation,” a board game exploring the experiences of Black women and girls that I plan to update next year for broader accessibility.

In my upcoming research project, I’ll delve into the intersections of Horror/Joy and Blackness/Womanhood, possibly representing the research using dolls as a visual medium. I lean into community-oriented research methods that involve open chats on social media, playing board games, and watching relevant movies with the communities I study. If anyone out there is interested, I encourage you to follow me on social media to stay updated on when my community research will go live. Another community-oriented endeavor I’m proud of is “Black Girls Abroad,” a travel blog meant to share the unique experiences of Black women travelers, a demographic often underrepresented in mainstream travel content. The blog will feature major updates later this year and in 2025, so stay connected on social media if you’re interested, especially if you’re a Black woman traveler who might want to be interviewed in 2025.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?

That is a great question. Most people don’t know that before I focused on academic writing, I spent a lot of time writing poetry and fiction, especially fan fiction. Recently, I revisited one of these stories and I’m adapting it into something more thoughtful. This project excites me because it allows me to merge my adult skills in writing and visual art with my childhood creativity; it gives me a chance to refine the story and bring it to life in a way I think my younger self would love.

I think I feel comfortable sharing this publicly for the first time because I recently visited my old high school for an alumni event and spent a lot of time talking to a student who created characters for various fandoms, many of which I was interested in at that age and still appreciate today. I thought to myself, wow, if I had a professional artist tell me at 14 that my obsession with fandoms had potential beyond just a random private hobby, I would have been over the moon with excitement.

Even though the writing and character designing I did as a young teenager weren’t “good” compared to what I can do now as a trained professional, revisiting these old ideas and repurposing them into something shareable has been great. It will be years until I am ready to publicly post any details about the story, but acknowledging it here feels like a positive step. I am happy to say that working on this project feels like I am giving my younger self a hug.

Pricing:

• My small business sells magnets, ornaments, earrings, and necklaces made from upcycled handmade paper. Everything is priced between $5 to $10, including custom options. I also take on large custom orders for events like wedding parties, class reunions, birthday parties, and other special occasions. Information about the business, including its new name, will be posted on Instagram soon, and an online ordering system will be ready later this month, June 2024!
• Earrings: $5-$6 USD
• Magnets & Custom Magnets: $5-$5.50 USD
• Ornaments: $10 USD
• Necklaces: $5 USD

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.niaalexanderart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niaalexanderart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/niaalexanderart
• Other: https://www.blkgirlsabroad.com/

Image Credits

Nia Alexander Campbell (self)