Nyki Way is a San Francisco Bay Area illustrator who was born in Boulder, Colorado. She is inspired by nature, civil rights, psychology, and emotion. In her art therapy blog, “Painting Your Own Reality,” she offers a glimpse into her struggles with depression and psychosis as well as her new appreciation for life to help others to transform their lives into the exact life they want.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/nykiway
-Her creative upbringing.
-The fear of not succeeding or not being “good enough.”
-Her mental health struggles and how she has been balancing that with pushing herself as an artist.
-Using drugs as a means of escape, but finding that art could be equally useful as a coping mechanism.
-Her contemplation of suicide and her eventual relocation.
-The intention of her blog to connect with people who might feel alone the way she did, so that they can see that they are not the only ones going through it.
-The incredible benefits she has seen in her life due to therapy.
-How art school gave her the skills to finally execute what she was thinking.
-How she is too trusting in people and that occasionally leads her to getting scammed.
-How to protect yourself with contracts.
-Her formula for balancing her time between commissions, personal work, and school.
-What art and creativity brings to her life.
-Her fascination with her new “toy,” Super Sculpee.
-How the everyday things in life usually inspire her much more than going to galleries or looking at other artists.
-Westworld!
“I have this big fear of not being ‘good enough’ and not having a fan base.”
“I think a lot of artists have this darker side that actually prevents them from putting out their best work because they have that fear and that self-doubt.”
“You can’t just go about life not asking for what you need. Because if you don’t, nobody is going to give it to you.”
“All the sudden the world opened up and I could paint everything in my brain. I finally had the skills to execute what I was thinking.”
"If you have to do anything in this world, just keep creating and expressing yourself as much as you can. Even if you feel like you have nothing to share or nothing to say. Just share it and be who you are."
"Be who you are because nobody is going to be you for you."
Painting Your Own Reality (Nyki's art therapy blog)