We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachel Nicole. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachel below.

Alright, Rachel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful painting I’ve ever created was after an out-of-body experience that I had in December 2022. 9.5 years prior, I struggled severely with the tragic and sudden loss of my mother. I didn’t understand it back then until several years later, but I had suffered from PTSD as a result of the chain of events that took place on the day that I lost my mom. The new life that I had to quickly adjust to after her passing was difficult to manage. I became extremely terrified of my own death and often times struggled with severe anxiety from imagining the deaths of those close to me. Towards the end of 2022, I began my spiritual journey and started to form a relationship with the Universe. I would ask it questions and ask for guidance and signs, and very quickly formed what I lovingly refer to as a friendship with the Universe. One day, in December 2022, through a deep meditation, I had an out of body experience that completely changed my life and my views of death. This experience healed me in ways that therapy practices, working out, and journaling could not do for me.

The visuals from my experience were so vividly engrained into my mind and I knew that I had to paint it. I created the first painting based off of that experience about 4 months after it happened. I worked on it for several months on and off, but I intentionally only worked on it when it ‘felt right’. That painting now proudly hangs in my art studio where I see it daily. It is a sweet reminder of the pure peace, joy, and freedom that my soul felt that day. I’ve created several other artworks based on that experience, and have more ideas for pieces that I’d like to make in the near future.

I am curating my very first solo art exhibition that will debut in November 2026. The name of my art show is T.U.I.M.B.F. and I will be showcasing all of the artwork I’ve made about that day, and share the details about my experience more in depth.

Rachel, 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?

I have been creating art my whole life, and my family really nurtured my creative side from a young age. I was always gifted art supplies and was encouraged to create. I didn’t really have an art class in elementary school, but when I was in 4th grade I decided that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. When I was in middle school, I was only able to take 1 art class. There weren’t many people in that class that took it seriously, but I paid attention to the lessons and enjoyed being there and found comfort in the art room. Trying to navigate the chaos of high school while also heavily grieving, I once again found immense comfort being in the art room. My art teacher throughout high school really encouraged me and gave me a lot of opportunities to get into the art world. I was able to professionally sell my first artwork as a Sophomore, I won a Scholastic Art Award, I participated in different art competitions, and even received a very generous art scholarship for college. After graduating high school, I knew I wanted to continue pursuing art and make it my full time career. I even got a job at the beloved art store, Michael’s, and taught classes there. Throughout the years, I’ve explored different mediums and crafts, and found a lot of joy in drawing, painting, and calligraphy. I even started a calligraphy business and dipped my toes into the wedding industry a bit. But the medium I enjoy working with the most is acrylic paint. I like to explore realism and sometimes giving it a fun abstract twist. Nowadays, I’ve really been into creating more personal artworks. Painting, and creating in general, feels not only satisfying to do, but also very healing. With my 30th birthday approaching very soon, my biggest goal right now is to create the most special, and meaningful artworks that I’ve ever made to celebrate the peace and joy I feel entering a new decade of life. I know younger me would look at future/current me and feel so proud of everything I’ve done, created, and am planning for the near future.

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

I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to visualize something in my head and having the ability to create it and have it become a visible and tangible thing. Some ideas come out even better than what I had imagined, so that’s always a great feeling. I’m someone who really likes fun facts so whenever I’m meeting someone new, I get a kick out of saying “A little fun fact about me is that I’m an artist!”.

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?

I think non-creatives might struggle to understand that even though art is fun and I absolutely love creating, I need a break sometimes! To me, a ‘break’ can mean different things. A break could be taking 15 minutes from painting to get a snack and then going back to it afterwards. A break could be switching from one painting to work on another painting (this is how I end up with 15 unfinished paintings that are getting worked on simultaneously haha). A break could be not creating art for 4 months because I want to be in a better head space. Breaks are necessary when creating art so that I don’t get burnt out, or even just simply so I can come back to the piece with fresh eyes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @RachelNicoleStudio

Image Credits
Robert Negron