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

Nick, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

If I could go back in time, I wish I would have had the interest and motivation to continue and stick with my creative career. I had gone to Indiana State University starting in 1999 – and majored in Graphic Design and Art History. At that time, I had been told by so many non-artists as well as professionals in the art space that graphic design WAS the future and that I shouldn’t waste my time on fine art or traditional art. But rather focus heavily on digital. Being an incredibly naive individual I took most adults at their word and thought that they MUST know what they are talking about because they had had more experiences than I did which MUST be proof that they knew what they were talking about. I graduated. Got a graphic design job. Lost a graphic design job. Repeated that again – multiple times. And then…finally gave it all up out of frustration and unable to be respected in those roles.

Cut to – 15 years later. Looking back I can’t say for sure that I was in the most mature stage in my life. I only know that my interest and motivation to create artwork that I love now is very important to me. I love to share the imagination that I have with others that might also take interest in it. So it’s always tough, for anyone, to ever really know if changing past moments would actually be better for you. Though I can say with almost 100% certainty that I tend to take life’s hardest roads possible. That would be my only advice to those reading this. Life can get busier and harder. So take advantage of the freedom/time that you currently have now. Your future self will thank you.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’m a 42 year old professional illustrator and painter. Both through traditional artwork and digital. My time is split between my 9-5, my 2.5 twins/wife, and my side business – Pop Americana.

I decided that during the initial part of the pandemic that I had time to fill and that I’d always wanted to get back into my creative passions. So partly I have the pandemic to “thank”. And honestly, I’m the most proud about maintaining my motivation and dedication to my art. It’s not easy when you’re juggling life. And so easy to fizzle and say “I’ll work on it tomorrow”. I’m at a point in my life that I’ve decided that I’m going to be a great artist. Whether I’m great for myself or the world is to be seen. I just know that that is one thing that sets me apart from artists that want to great and are great.

Most of the services I provide filter into one of the categories – Custom artwork(digital or traditional), prints of my artwork, and merch/clothing. And with the internet always updating opportunities for artists like myself – the ever evolving ways to share our passions continues to grow.

My artwork leans heavily towards a more western theme. I’ve adopted the ‘Acid Western’ style from what was once a popular film genre in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Taking this style into my own, I try to bring back those unique and sometimes “mad” illustrations for viewers to enjoy and hopefully connect with.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

The most rewarding aspect is simply that I get to create a piece of artwork with my own mind and hands. Nothing beats that passionate feeling of creating a piece of artwork from scratch. I’ve felt that way from my leather-working days to my traditional painting days to my digital artwork days. It always give me a sense of purpose and soul fulfillment that I can’t find elsewhere.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Firstly, I don’t believe that any human is a non-creative. I think that creativity doesn’t always mean painting a picture, drafting plans to build a structure, or writing poems or stories. Creatives can pop up anywhere.

Though I think people that ‘choose’ not to be actively creative – whether it be their profession or hobby – don’t understand why it’s important for those of us that are choosing to share our creations and passions. It’s like a two sided coin and there are two ways to explain. One of the best ways that I can explain this is in sports. I was an athlete like so many. Think of a sport that you played at any point in your life. If you truly do enjoy that sport, you’re likely competitive in some fashion. So think of that sport and how you really wanted to get better and beat your previous personal best. I don’t think of it any differently for art. I’m always trying to be push myself farther and to see how much better I can get

The other way is that it simply makes me happy to be creative. And being able to share my happiness with others ‘can’ breed more happiness. I believe that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.popamericanaart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popamericana/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/popamericanaART/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/POPxAMERICANA