Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emma Nilsson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Emma , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

These recent paintings I’ve been working on have been the most meaningful pieces. Before these, I was very burnt out and didn’t want to make anything at all. When I came back, I didn’t have a goal of what I wanted them to look like, but when I thought about abstract expressionist work, it was so free; that’s the feeling I wanted to achieve. I started spray painting these simple motifs of smiley faces and mixing media. They incorporate spray paint, acrylic paints, and markers; some are resin-covered. Each piece has its own story, such as in my most recent piece, which incorporates violets. Violets became a symbol of lesbian love in the 20s and caused an uproar. Although I’m bisexual, I think it’s essential to include that symbology in my work as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

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

I began my journey as an artist very young but focused on photography. I was very lucky to have French photographer Dominick Guillemot as a mentor. He brought me on sets and allowed me to intern for him, where I learned lighting, set design, production, and many practical aspects of photography. I studied fine arts at USC, where I dabbled in other mediums but stayed focused on photography and created installation art. Those works are some that I am most proud of, but they exacerbated my perfectionism. I always wanted to paint, but I felt like I wasn’t good enough. I was convinced that painters were born with an innate talent and that I didn’t have that. Finally, I realized how ridiculous that idea was and started painting. I had always dabbled but didn’t take it very far, so for the last few years, I have been focusing on making a body of work that feels authentic and expressive to myself. I had a lot of inner demons to battle with, and overcoming those was a big part of being able to make these works. These pieces are a physical representation of coming out and owning who I am as a bisexual female artist. The art world is such a boys’ club at the end of the day, so my works violently express femininity (as a fem person) and masculinity in reclaiming spray paint, resin, and large-scale artworks.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

One of my goals as an artist and a person is to inspire people to live every day to the fullest and as their true selves. We have one life to live, and your life is worth living. I want to inspire people to do whatever sparks joy for them. By doing that myself, whether with these paintings, working on my podcast Demon Babie with my partner, or just going out with friends, I hope by living life authentically, I can inspire other people to do the same.

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

A lesson that I had to unlearn is that there is no such thing as an overnight success. Becoming successful in any field takes years and years of work, which is why they say it takes ten years, or 10,000 hours of work, to master something. I’ve learned I am far from a master at anything, but I have a lifetime to become one! I love to make my pieces and will continue to make them as long as I can, so hopefully, by the time I’m 80, we can look back and see if I ever mastered anything. Staying focused and consistent is the key to success, so I remind myself to keep going; even on those days, it all feels pointless.

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