We recently connected with Nikol Wikman and have shared our conversation below.

Nikol, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

Back in 2012 I had a friend that was posting her paintings on Facebook and I had seen people asking to buy them. It got me wondering if I were to post some of mine if maybe someone might buy them. I was on maternity leave and needed a little extra cash so one Friday I decided to just do it. I posted pictures of 8 paintings along with prices. I priced them pretty low, only $50-$75 each for pretty large paintings. By Sunday every piece had sold. I couldn’t believe it! It got me thinking that maybe I could earn a living as an artist.

Nikol, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. Jumping from one creative activity to another throughout my childhood and adolescence. I wanted to be an artist when I grew up but never thought of it as an option. As an adult I found a job and settled for having my art as a hobby. In 2012 I needed some money so I posted some of my paintings on Facebook. They sold immediately which got me thinking that maybe I could earn a living as an artist! The next years were a rollercoaster of learning and trying new ideas. These days my business has two main parts. The first is selling my original paintings and prints both through my website and galleries. The second is creating online classes where I share painting techniques along with mindset to folks who would like to learn to paint their own big, beautiful paintings!
I think what sometimes set me a part from others is deep creative confidence coupled with a laid back and joyful approach to painting. I think this is evident in my work and also a huge part of the way I teach.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me I think the most rewarding part of being an artist is creating something from my heart and then watching that connect with someone else. Whether its that they have fallen in love with something I’ve painted or seeing a beautiful piece a student has created after taking a class, it all just feels right and makes me so happy!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think early on I got the idea that the more I did the more successful I would be. I said yes to pretty much everything. In some ways that was really good. It pushed me to learn how to do a lot of things I may have put off or not tried all together. Examples of that would be figuring out how to film and edit video to teach in an online summit or how to better use photoshop on the fly so I could license images on a deadline. Other times saying yes meant creating calendars, painting ornaments, silk scarves or commissions. I’ve tried so many things! What I’m learning now is to slow down and focus on the parts of my art practice and business that bring the most joy and make the most sense. One of the reason I was drawn to being an artist in the first place was to have time and flexibility trying to do everything all the time just meant that I was always under some sort of deadline feeling overwhelmed and scattered. I’m doing things very differently now….or at least I’m trying!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nikolwikmanart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikolwikmanart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NikolWikmanArt
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDMqoFX0-Cf6be7N57TBBrQ