Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Neri.

Hi Nikki, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

As soon as I could pick up a crayon, all I did was draw, color, paint, you name it. Art was a massive part of my childhood, up until high school. Once I entered high school, I was way more focused on sports, and being that I was a 3 sport athlete, that took up most of my free time. I really didn’t draw or create much in high school, and it makes me a little sad to think that I lost touch with my love of art for those 4 years. I am putting partial blame on whoever made the high school schedules though, because every year I would put art class as my first choice for my elective, and it was only added to my schedule one time! It still blows my mind that I only ever took one art class during my entire high school experience haha!

When it came time to apply for college though, the only interest I still had, deep down, was art! I really had no other idea of what I wanted to do with my life, so after expressing to my guidance counselor that I’ve always had an interest in art, he suggested that I major in graphic design. I didn’t even know what graphic design was at the time, but I took his suggestion, and the rest is history! I fell in love with art and design once I entered college. It was a completely new world of art that I had never known or been exposed to before. I can still vividly remember the feeling in my body of how inspired I was after a 3 hour design class driving home at night. Learning about so many different artists, experimenting with the Adobe programs, and creating projects that I never knew I was capable of creating before was a really awesome, eye opening experience. I am forever indebted to my guidance counselor for his suggestion to major in graphic design!

After college, I had 2 different nine to five jobs that really helped me grow as a designer, and I will always be grateful for those experiences because I learned quite a bit, but at the time, I wasn’t truly happy. I would constantly carve out time during the day to create and complete projects, work on my portfolio, and create my website. I hated feeling micromanaged, and a strong desire for independence took over. That’s what really drove me to where I am today. I was so determined to work for myself and to create my own art without having to answer to anyone. That’s how ev+flo was born! I named my business after my grandmothers, Evelyn and Florence, who were two extremely strong, no nonsense women. Their strength and their spirit always inspired me, and I hope to emulate even just a little bit of the type of women that they were.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

My immediate reaction to this question is to laugh, because this has been the rockiest journey in my LIFE thus far!! What really shoved me out of my comfort zone was getting furloughed in 2020, due to the pandemic. At that point, there was no better time to completely dive into my own work and try out the whole small business thing. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that much uncertainty and anxiety in my entire life! I was absolutely terrified at the thought of not finding another nine to five job, but I knew if I didn’t at least try starting my own business and focusing on my own artwork, I would regret it.

I’d say my biggest struggles were mental struggles. I was constantly worried that I was making a mistake, and worried that nobody would like or buy my art, or that I’d have no luck in finding clients. Slowly but surely, those negative thoughts proved to be untrue. I think there will always be those mental struggles along the way, but I’ve done a lot of self-work to quiet those thoughts. I thrive so much more when I’m the most confident version of myself and believe in my gifts. We can either be our own biggest cheerleaders, or our own worst enemies. Why torture ourselves and choose the latter?

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I’ve mentioned this before, but I like to describe myself as an ever-evolving artist. When I first started designing, my main concentration was strictly graphic design, focusing mainly on digital art. I realized though, that one of my favorite parts of creating digital art was the moment it became a finished, tangible product. I really love being able to hold my art in my hands. Once I realized that, it gave my art a different meaning and it breathed a new kind of life into it. This realization, along with being super inspired by another designer, Brittany Paige, eventually led me to designing and selling greeting cards. I loved that I could use my art for a purpose to make someone happy. After realizing this, and wanting to expand my skills and provide something new for my clients, I then started creating pet portraits. That feeling of creating happiness with something so personal to them expanded tenfold.

Eventually, I had a few clients ask me to create their wedding stationary, and at that point, it was something I had never done before, but I figured, why not give it a try? After getting some good feedback, I decided to run with it, and once again, my eyes were opened to a whole new realm of art. I was fulfilling my joy of creating digital art and tangible art in an entirely different way. This is mainly what I focus on now, but I still offer custom illustrations. Within the last year or so, I have expanded into house and venue illustrations, along with a new style of pet portraits: detailed black and white sketches. I really enjoy the process of creating a custom illustration because its pushed me to a new level of artistry that I never thought I’d level up to. When I want to learn a new skill or expand my abilities in some way, I will do whatever it takes to achieve that, and that is what sets me apart. I have tenacity and a strong desire to perfect my work. I am, to a fault at times, extremely detail oriented, and I won’t feel satisfied until I’ve exhausted every avenue to achieve a design or illustration.

I’ve realized I find the most fulfillment in creating custom/personalized art because it has a deeper meaning attached to it for my clients. Tugging on their heart strings and nailing a custom portrait or design is an incredible feeling. This gives me the purpose to create and do what I do, and I think that is what makes me the most proud; knowing my work has value.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?

This is a tough one! There are so many great memories from my childhood, but I think I’d have to say spending every single day outside playing with my childhood friends and my siblings. I am not exaggerating when I say we spent everyday outside! We would run through each other’s backyards playing hide and seek, ride our bikes all over the neighborhood, play football, soccer, wiffle ball, basketball, wall ball, build snow forts, build forts out of random things we found, jump on the trampoline posted up in my backyard, ride our bikes down town to JC Food Stop (RIP) to get candy and slurpies, ahhh the list goes on!! If I could go back to any time in my life, without hesitation, it would be to those years spent outside filled with pure fun.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://evandflo.com
• Instagram: @evandflodesigns

Image Credits

Keren Trevino
website: kerentrevino.com
Instagram: @terenkrevino