We were lucky to catch up with Nieko McDaniel recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nieko thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
My answer to this question is dependent on what the reader views as valuable. If you are an artist/creative person wanting to know if I earn a full-time living from just selling artwork then my answer is “no.” But if you are an artist/creative and an educator/teacher and view teaching as part of creative work or feed into it then my answer is “yes.” I went to California State University Stanislaus to earn my degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art. In my first two years, I did not have an idea of what I wanted to do for a career. I just knew I wanted to make art and hopefully make it big and live off the sales and exhibition of my art. It’s the dream that many artists desire but only a few really get to live out. Between my sophomore and junior year, multiple professors had mentioned to me how they thought I would be a good teacher/professor because I liked to talk and was actually helpful to my classmates in their courses. At first, I resented the idea because I didn’t want to be responsible for others regarding their artistic abilities and what they could accomplish. But the idea began to grow on me as I liked the idea that people appreciated my input and valued my help and what I had to say. To have that acknowledged by my professors was quite flattering. Ironically, within my first two years at the university, there was a duo of artists who did an exhibition at the university gallery. One of the questions they were asked is if they were interested in being educators and teaching. They both answered “no” for similar reasons I gave earlier. They would return to the university a year later, and lo and behold, they laughed at how they both became educators within a year.
As the idea of becoming an educator grew on me, I started to ask my professors what I would need to do to become a professor, as I knew I did not want to teach K-12. The answer was to get a Master of Fine Arts degree as it would give me the credential, I would need to teach at the college level. So, in the final year of my undergraduate degree, I started applying to graduate programs. I got accepted to a few programs and decided to attend American University in Washington, DC beginning in 2018. I thought going to graduate school was a wonderful decision because I could improve my art practice and if I didn’t have the ability to be a big hit right after graduate school, I could still begin teaching. Ultimately, I knew that I wanted to do both, and I still desire to be a well-known artist and efficient educator. To show my interest in teaching, I even joined a two-year seminar at American University that was focused on getting MFA and Ph.D. students more prepared to teach at the college level. I was adamant about getting myself a teaching position right out of graduate school so I made sure to prepare myself however and as much as I could. My professors told me that my artwork and exhibiting is what ultimately would get me teaching positions. Continuing to work on improving my art practice not only would enhance my skills and exhibit more often, but I would also make me a strong candidate for a teaching position. So, I did that. I graduated during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in May of 2020. Unfortunately, I did not get to walk for graduation, but I did get picked up for my teaching position at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in North Carolina, and Palo Verde College in California.
At first, I was planning to teach in person in North Carolina but the pandemic caused the institution to be fully remote, which allowed me to work for both of the colleges mentioned even though they were in different states. I was an adjunct for those two community colleges for two years. During that time, I was adamant about continuing to make art during the pandemic, because I was striving for notoriety in my art practice and wanted more of a stable and prestigious teaching position. Towards the end of the second year of my teaching, a full-time position opened up at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College where I already was working part-time. I applied, and I was offered and took the position for the upcoming academic year. Getting the full-time position has offered me better pay and stability, but it was a combination of my teaching experience and my continued art practice and exhibiting that really made me seem like a strong candidate for the position.
Being an educator is pleasing and rough at the same time. As many know, educators are not compensated enough. The majority of us are not paid for the work do outside of the classroom but are expected to be prepared for when in the classroom. Being an adjunct does not offer a living wage unless you teach at multiple institutions an absurd number of classes. I am lucky to have had a 3 x 3 and 4 x 4 teaching load during my two years as an adjunct but even with those classes, I was getting a third of what I am paid now which is still not much compared to other institutions and other states. On average, a freelance graphic designer in the state of North Carolina makes more money than an instructor at the Community College level who teaches Graphic Design. Though I knew the difficulties of being an adjunct I made sure to apply to many colleges, make artwork, and exhibit so I had a better chance of getting a full-time position. Now as an educator, I can confidently tell you that teaching feeds into one’s art practice. You have to be on your toes and know what you are talking about to your students, so the way you prepare for that is by doing it all in your own art practice. Even if that means re-teaching yourself. I like to say, practice what preach, and practice what you teach. So, I feel it comes full circle. I do not live off the sales of my artwork, but my artwork creates an opportunity for me to earn income through a different avenue still related to art. Many people say that once you become an educator it is hard to keep up your art practice, or that “teachers don’t do.” I will say it is hard to keep up your practice while teaching full-time, but it is not impossible. I would further like to say that it is absolutely a lie that “teachers don’t do” because many of us have “to do” to earn the positions we have and retain them. Creating art and teaching art go hand in hand.
I had to teach myself a lot of things such as how to apply to college, and graduate school, and to be a professor. I personally would not say I could have sped up the process if I knew what I know now in the past. I was lucky enough that I got into college around the same time as my classmates did when I graduated high school, I graduated college in the year I was expected to, I attended graduate school immediately after finishing my undergraduate program, and I became a professor as soon as I earned my Master’s degree. Not everyone is as fortunate to have this path. I am not behind at all, though I admit I do feel that way sometimes. I still learn a lot on the job, but I also made sure I do my best not to waste my own time and be where I want to be and feel like I am supposed to be.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have an unconventional way of earning an interest in art and joining the art world. I was never particularly interested or gifted in art. When I was fourteen years old as a freshman in high school I was expelled from the school I was attending. Having to legally still attend some form of school, I was put into an alternative program where other expelled students from grades 7th through 12th attended. On my first day there, a student approached me and asked “Do you write?” I responded with “What?” and he repeated himself. I remember thinking in my head “Of course, I know how to write,” and that I was not illiterate. He clarified himself by showing me him writing on a piece of paper and a pencil. He meant did I write graffiti and tag? I responded with no I did not, but I remember not feeling impressed with his tag so I wanted to show him that my skills were better. From then on, I practiced tagging and writing graffiti. Eventually, I got reinstated into a regular high school but my love for graffiti was still there so I continued to practice legally, and illegally. I grew up and lived in a suburb so there wasn’t much space or freedom for me to go out and do graffiti. I did not have the urban metropolitan experience idolized so much that I could be in a preferred environment to do graffiti. But when there is a will there is a way. I practiced when I could, while also making sure I stayed focused on my academics to have a decent shot of still getting into college even after getting expelled. When it came time to apply to college, I figured that even though I had been self-taught about art there is still so much I could learn and so much I did not know. Looking back, I was glad I was humble enough to realize I did not know everything and could learn from others. So, I applied to programs in art and got into CSU Stanislaus. I really enjoyed the experience. I made sure to take advantage of all that was offered and tried to soak in everything. My interest in art expanded beyond graffiti, but I still acknowledged my roots in my artwork. The rest was history. After earning my undergraduate degree, I went on to get a master’s degree, and then become an art professor. What I am most proud of is proving my worth to myself. When I was expelled from high school I felt like a disappointment, a throw-away kid, and that I would never get into college. I worked hard at redeeming myself to others, and myself. In my own eyes, I have been successful ever since. There have still been many ups and downs, but I still feel that I have consistently gone forward. I am proud of myself. I am a minority, who like many others has faced adversity, but is now an educator which is a position I thought I would never have. I want to inspire others who are minorities and feel like there is no hope or that no one expects much out of them in life. I want to be an example of someone who felt like that but now is successful. More importantly, I want to help them get to success as well.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the relationships I build and the stories I earn from experiences. Being a creative person is not a solo journey. You cannot hide and be completely independent. If you claim that you are not reliant on others, sorry but you are even if you do not know it or provide yourself examples. My favorite memories I have regarding art include other people. Another rewarding aspect of being an artist is that people care what you have to say. Even if it is just for a moment, to get a slight dopamine hit, or you have their full attention. People look towards creatives for entertainment, knowledge, and wisdom.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I would not say there is a particular goal or mission that drives my journey as an artist. I feel like I will always create even without specific goals, even if I go through a period of less productivity. Still, I do have goals. I would love to be a very well-known artist, especially internationally. I would also love to get a full-time tenured position at a college or university and teach graduate students. But overall, what drives me is the desire for more quality relationships with people and unique experiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.niekomcdaniel.com
- Instagram: @niekosart
- Linkedin: Nieko McDaniel
- Twitter: @niekosart
Image Credits
All photographs were taken by me, Nieko McDaniel