We recently connected with Scott Nickerson and have shared our conversation below.

Scott, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

In the early days I would take on any job that was art related . Anything from medical drawings , book illustrations to portraits of pets and people. For myself , I quickly gravitated towards portraits of people. They paid the most and they held my interest more than other jobs since they were so challenging. During this time I would also drop in on a local drawing class to keep up my skills with working from a live models . It was not long before I was approached by the instructor to take over the teaching duties due to her retiring. I had never thought about becoming an instructor at all but I said I’d give it a shot. To my surprise I found it rewarding and a great source of additional income. My mentor once told me , “you have to wear a lot of hats “. And this was a new hat for me.. I’ve been teaching drawing and painting now for over 20 years and see over 60 students a week. It really does keep an artist more well rounded.

Scott, 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 was born and raised in Jersey City, NJ. Where I lived until the age of 25. I attended the School of visual arts in NYC and graduated with honors in 1996 . One of my instructors was Steven Assael who changed my life the day I stepped into his classroom. After graduating I continued my studies with Nelson Shanks at the Art Students League of NY and then at Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia, PA. Nelson was a world renowned portrait painter and was always there to help his students . Speaking with a teacher was essential to breaking through road blocks or preventing mistakes. I still to this day visit Steven Assael at his NYC studio to draw and bounce ideas off. The point is , was must continually learn each day. Never become satisfied with the level you’re at. There will always be room for improvement

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

What’s most rewarding is inspiring others. I’ve had a number of young students return later and tell me that my classes gave them the inspiration to pursue a career in the arts . I’ve also had retired students who never dreamed they’d show their art . Then in time they’re winning awards in competitions and selling their work .
There’s also the moment a client sees their portrait painting completed for the first time. Nothing is better than someone who loves what you’ve done for them.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’ve been using social media from the very beginning. First Facebook gave us the ability to connect with artists around the globe and see what they were working on. Then instagram came along and reinforced that but gave way to posting videos. This was more effective for visual artists. Personally I’m not one for speaking into a camera lens and posting daily , but that seems to be the way to gain a large following. Showing videos is much more effective than just posting images . I think being yourself is important, it carries into what you put out there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.scottnickersonart.com
• Instagram: Scott_nickerson_art
• Facebook: Scott nickerson
• Linkedin: Scott nickerson
• Twitter: Nickerson_scott

Image Credits

Scott nickerson