We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Messer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, what role does tech play in your business?
In the twenty-first century, an abundance of technological devices, software, and gadgets prove to be easily accessible. For those of us who’ve grown up during the turn of the modern technological age, with typewriters and floppy disks transforming into laptops and tablets, this considerably new world of potential can be both incredibly overwhelming and endlessly inspiring. Being a digital photographer, all types of electronics are needed to not only create the photographic artwork but also to edit it, promote it, and print it. It’s an essential aspect of my business, but I’ve also found the great importance of that which lies outside of one’s screen or the newest camera accessory. Searching and learning with genuine interest in the history of art, photography, and even general world history or science through books, academics, and others’ experience has proven vital to my passion of and progress through photography. Sometimes our newer technology overwhelms, especially younger or newer artists, with ideas that have already been created or opens a door to a gargantuan sea of informative sources that can make it a tedious project through which to navigate. But technological objects and new software programs can only get a person so far; that is, without a foundation rooted in the more essential aspects of creating art (ie. knowledge, passion, practice, and other choice fundamentals), the technology in our hands may prove to hinder our mind’s creativity more than assist in expressing it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Ever since I was very young, my intrigue was pulled into the art world through a variety of media. I gravitated, ultimately and professionally, toward photography but still find great joy in creating paintings, traditional drawings, and digital illustrations. This love of other forms of art is both subconsciously and knowingly brought into my photographic artwork, implementing painterly color choices, bold illustrative contrast techniques, and carefully curated compositions in my art. There’s a great respect for both the history of art that precedes me and the contemporary art influences of our time, which inspires me to incorporate both when I approach artistic ideas that I wish to bring to life. Today, I have several jobs that allow me to balance the many facets of my interest in photography, while still experimenting, learning, and creating other types of art in my spare time. Being an artist is not easy if you’re truly passionate about living life to create. It takes a lot out of one mentally, emotionally, and very often sometimes also physically. It’s a world of beauty and creativity that needs to often be met with the reality of modernity, economics, finances, and social networking. But being an artist is something you cannot choose once it has been instilled in your core. It’s a challenge to arise to, to live the life of an artist in our modern world. It demands a pursuant will of self, but it’s a passion, drive, and lifestyle I could not imagine going without.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I greatly enjoy the variety of cultural and creative opportunities Houston has to offer. There are many museums, restaurants, and artistic installations constantly posing new and exciting things to discover. Also, if nature is more your style, there’s a variety of natural beauties within just a few hours of driving from the forest-covered areas nor of the grand city to the gulf shores south of it to the numerous national and state parks scattered all about.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Marija Tiurina: She creates the most imaginative watercolor paintings with such thought, narrative, detail, and illustrative fluidity that combine into wonderful works of quirky, colorful, intriguing art.

Website: https://www.nicolejohannaphotography.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicole_njphotos/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolenjphotos/

Image Credits
Photographer: Nicole J. M. of Nicole Johanna Photography