Nicole Ta, SWAYE Artist, created a piece called “Your Chosen Path” for the SWAYE May Issue. Matthew Chen (Founder, Editor-In-Chief) interviewed Nicole to learn about her artistic process, inspirations, and goals.
Q. What kind of art do you do?
Nicole: I do many forms of art but my main one is digital drawing. On the side, I do traditional drawings, printmaking, and various crafts like glass etching and resin working.
Q. How and when did you become interested in it?
Nicole: I started out with traditional drawings when I was little. As I grew up, I found that I liked to work with my hands more than drawing.
“From soap to clay sculptures, candle making to wire wrapping, my trade continued to expand. “
But crafting is a very expensive hobby to have so I kept it down low and continued drawing. I think around 8th grade is when I made the shift from traditional drawing to digital drawing after illustrating a book.
Q. How do your family and friends play apart in you pursuing your art?
Nicole: There have been varying levels of support from my friends and family but ultimately,
“I think it is the people who push against me in this area of my life that spark my drive to go at it harder and create more.”
I think this also played a part in my hobby of crafting because as I started using more “unconventional materials”, according to them, they didn’t have as much to say when trying to come up with snarky comments since they didn’t have any experience with other art forms.
Q. Why did you join SWAYE Media?
Nicole: I joined SWAYE because I saw it as a fun creative outlet that would help develop my art style. It’s also a way for me to share my work and how I see the world.
Q. What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Nicole: In addition to SWAYE, I work with another organization called ARTIVATE. Last spring, I worked with them at the Harrison Hotel in Oakland to paint murals for the single room occupants. The main resident I worked with was a witty, middle-aged man named John who was paralyzed from the waist down. Upon seeing the finished product, John’s eyes widened and he leaned forward to follow the brush strokes. A few seconds later, he started sobbing about how he didn’t realize how closely we listened.
“As a disabled person, he was always overlooked and people never took what he had to say into consideration.”
Q. What is your process like for writing a piece?
Nicole: For SWAYE, I like to pick an element or small idea I want to focus on and draw for that month first. From there, I honestly spiral into developing concepts and the symbolism floats in and out of my brain as it expands and I spin meaning into the piece to fit the theme.
Q: How is art special to you?
Nicole: Art is my form of activism.
“It has grown into a way for me to advocate for those in my community who can’t or are overlooked.”
Q. Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?
Nicole: A real-life situation that inspired me was working with a streamer to develop a shooting range in a game. I started out with sketches and designs for the exterior of a building, centering around the vibes of London and ongoing themes in their channel. After learning about my experience with 3D modeling and architecture, I was introduced to the developer in charge of this project and was involved in working on the mechanics and building.
Q. Who or what are your greatest inspirations?
Nicole: My greatest inspiration is my eldest sister who got me into drawing in the first place. She helped me with the switch from traditional to digital drawings and wasn’t, for the most part, judgmental when I started crafting.
Q. What is your ultimate goal as an artist?
Nicole:
My ultimate goal as an artist is to create change and make people’s lives better.
Check out Nicole’s project from this month: “Your Chosen Path” here!