FROM HIGH SCHOOL ART STUDENT TO ART ENTREPRENEUR: MY CREATIVE EVOLUTION

Art was my first language. Before modeling and before entrepreneurship, I was a student with a sketchpad and a big imagination. I was chasing expression. And over time, I realized that art wasn't just what I made - it was how I saw the world.

That lens - that creative perspective - became the foundation of my journey from art student to art entrepreneur.

In high school, the art room was my favorite space. I was always the one who noticed things - texture, light, mood, emotion. I poured it all into my work. My teachers encouraged me to keep exploring, and that validation planted a seed.

But I knew I didn't want to just create art - I wanted to build with it.

Launching My First Creative Brand

At 20, I launched See Thru Nikki, my first business - a visual and creative platform born out of

everything I learned as an artist and model. It wasn't just about selling a product or building a brand it was about creating an experience. One that felt honest, raw, and entirely mine.

I fused my passion for art direction, photography, aesthetic development, and visual branding into a service. Suddenly, I wasn't just making art - I was turning it into more.

The Entrepreneurial Mindset

Becoming an art entrepreneur meant shifting from instinct to intention. I had to learn:

• How to brand and market without losing authenticity

• How to price creativity

• How to use my artistic voice in a professional world

• How to wear both hats

Why It Matters

Turning myself from a high school art student into an art entrepreneur was about ownership.

Owning my talent, my vision, my growth - and using it to help others see their own.

Today, my art shows up in everything I do - from fashion and wellness to creative direction and advocacy. It's not limited to canvases anymore. It lives in conversations, campaigns and brand building.

Final Thoughts

If you're reading this as a young artist, wondering if you'll "make it" let me say this: you already are. The moment you believe that your creative lens has power, the shift begins.

Xo

Nikki

Author: NIKKI GAL