We were lucky to catch up with Nik Boivin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nik thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is founding Bee the Change Foundation, a nonprofit that uses art as a vehicle for social change, visibility, and empowerment. The idea had been building in me for a while, but it officially came to life on Election Day 2024, when I felt overwhelmed by a wave of fear and uncertainty about the future—especially as a queer artist. I channeled those emotions into action, submitting and incorporating the nonprofit that very day as a way to reclaim some agency and hope.

By April 2025, Bee the Change was fully approved and active. Since then, we’ve launched impactful initiatives: teaching eco-conscious art to over 150 elementary students, engaging thousands through our Create for Change art challenge, and spearheading Portraits of Drag—an ongoing fundraiser and visibility campaign that uplifts queer leaders and supports the charities they choose.

It’s meaningful to me because this isn’t just about creating art—it’s about creating space. Space for healing, activism, and authentic expression. Starting this nonprofit helped me transform anxiety into purpose, and now I get to watch that purpose ripple outward into the community.

Nik, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! I’m Nik Boivin (he/they), a queer multidisciplinary artist, nonprofit founder, and community advocate based in San Diego. I create expressive, colorful artwork that blends abstract realism with themes of identity, resilience, and connection. I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until I started channeling personal and community stories into my work that I truly found my purpose.

In addition to painting and teaching, I founded Bee the Change Foundation on Election Day 2024, driven by a deep sense of urgency to create something hopeful and empowering in response to the growing fear I felt as a queer person in America. By April 2025, the foundation was fully approved and active. We now run eco-friendly art education programs, youth initiatives, and high-impact community projects like Portraits of Drag—a nationwide art and fundraising campaign that uplifts queer leaders and supports the causes they care about.

My artwork has been featured in exhibitions throughout San Diego and Hollywood, including The Studio Door (where I currently maintain my working studio) and Carter Sexton Gallery. I’m proud to be involved in San Diego Pride and other local community events where I showcase and sell my work, raise awareness, and bring people together through creativity. In 2025, I was honored to be named an LGBTQ+ Leader of Influence by the San Diego Business Journal—a moment that validated the mission I’ve poured so much of myself into.

What sets my work apart is its heart. Whether I’m painting a custom portrait, hosting a community workshop, or curating a youth art camp, I approach everything I do with the intention to uplift, connect, and create change. My art helps people feel seen. My nonprofit helps them feel empowered. Together, they form a platform for visibility, healing, and progress.

If you’d like to support this work, you can make a tax-deductible donation at www.BeeTheChangeFoundation.com—every dollar directly funds inclusive, arts-based programming for youth, queer creatives, and underserved communities.

Art isn’t just decoration. It’s belonging, it’s voice, and it’s a tool for building a better future. That’s what I’m here to create.

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?

One thing non-creatives may not understand is how emotionally complex this journey can be. As an artist, you’re not just making work—you’re constantly putting your heart on display, often in public, often for free, and often wondering if anyone really sees it. And while you have to share your work in order to build something sustainable, there’s this underlying guilt… this fear that you’re overwhelming your friends and family by always posting, always promoting, always “asking” something from the people around you.

It feels like you’re too much—and yet, it’s never enough to get by.

There’s also this strange cultural contradiction: on one hand, art is treated like a luxury—something extra, frivolous, expendable. On the other hand, it’s often dismissed as childish, like making art isn’t a “real” job, just a phase you should’ve grown out of. So you’re grinding to survive in a field that society both romanticizes and ridicules.

But the truth is, art is work. It’s necessary. It heals, it challenges, it connects. And for many of us, it’s the only way we know how to process the world. So while it might look like just another Instagram post or painting on a wall, what you’re actually seeing is someone’s soul laid bare—and the courage it takes to keep showing up anyway.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are definitely a few resources I wish I had known about earlier in my creative journey.

First and foremost: the power of quality materials. When I started out, I was always trying to make do with whatever was cheapest—thinking it didn’t really matter. But the truth is, using the right tools doesn’t just change the final result—it changes how you feel while you’re creating. Good paper, rich pigments, sturdy brushes… they give you confidence. They allow your vision to come through more clearly. Once I made that shift, it elevated both my work and my mindset.

Second, I wish I had found a creative peer group or shared studio space sooner. Being part of a community like The Studio Door has completely changed the way I work. Having other artists around you—not just to bounce ideas off of, but to witness your process, to challenge you, and to remind you that you’re not alone—is absolutely invaluable. It made me realize how isolating artmaking had been for me before, and how much I thrive when surrounded by other people who “get it.”

And lastly, I have to shout out my cousin, who gave me The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. That book came into my life at just the right moment. It reminded me that creativity isn’t about pressure or perfection—it’s about presence. It helped me let go of needing every piece to be “good” and instead focus on staying connected to the process. It’s a book I return to often, and one I now recommend to every artist I know.

If I had known these things earlier—quality tools, community, and mindset—I think I would’ve spent a lot less time second-guessing myself and a lot more time in flow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://BeeTheChangeFoundation.com
• Instagram: @BeeTheChangeFoundation
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bee-the-Change-Foundation/61571851327124/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bee-the-change-foundation/
• Other: TheHoneyBee.org
  www.instagram.com/TheHoneyBeeArts