My name is Natasha Nicole, and thank you for being here! If you’re here, you wanted to know a little bit about me, so here we go!
I was born in 1990 and was raised in a very artistic town called Ruidoso, New Mexico. Growing up with an artist for a father, I was immersed in art in one form or another, but it wasn’t until I was 27 years old that I began to think about art as a professional option for me. Before then I thought it would be better to get into a “smart” career, and I believed the misconception that art was not a “real” career even though I grew up around painters, jewelers, potters, sculptors, and sketch artists who all showed me otherwise- including my own father! I know, silly, right?
In 2017, the military stationed my husband at Camp Lejuene, NC where he served in the US Navy. For me this meant I was now in a brand new state with no friends, family, or career, and I was alone at home with a two month old baby. Adjusting to motherhood was difficult for me, and even though I eventually made the adjustment, the stay-at-home-mom gig wasn’t for me. I still had personal and professional hopes for myself, but as a new mom, I didn’t know what my goals could or even should look like. So with the encouragement of my husband to stop denying my artistic side but rather explore it, I made a trip to Hobby Lobby and purchased my first set of oil paints. I had never touched a tube of oil paint in my life, but I had always been curious about oil painting, and hey, they were on clearance!
Learning a new skill whilst taking care of a baby was slow and at times frustrating, but five years, two kids, and all the encouragement from family and friends later, I’m jumping into this thing! It’s scary and I feel like I’m on a roller coaster of emotions, but word on the street from others who have done this before me is, I’ll never feel ready or good enough, so just do it!
I thank you for giving me the chance.
Natasha Nicole