Meet Nina Struthers | Illustrator

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

Hi Nina, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Because of the covid virus, I recently “quit my day job” at a school because I did not want to get into virtual teaching. It was a real gamble. I didn’t have much saved for retirement and I spent most of my 401k getting my art set up in galleries, creating a website, and hiring a marketing firm to promote my art on Instagram and Facebook. It’s slow, but business is building up – I’m making a lot of small sales that really add up. I’m a workaholic and will keep plugging away at what I love to do. Create and sell art!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Like many artists I have framed my art and proudly hung it in galleries. I have also attended and sold art at countless festivals. I’ve converted my art into more affordable prints and greeting cards. I’ve sold on line through Etsy and Shopify ! What I’ve enjoyed the most is publishing eight coloring books from my illustrations. Each coloring book has a theme and I enjoy sharing my art in this manner ! I enjoy sharing my art in the form of coloring pages so that people can breathe life into my drawings with their crayons, color pencils, and gel pens.

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 would take my friend to Galveston Texas. We would drink strong coffee and eat fresh baked muffins on post office road and enjoy the galleries. Admire the vast amount of gorgeous Victorian homes in the area. We would take the Ferry to Bolivar lighthouse and enjoy the vast birdlife in the area – spoonbills, pelicans, great blue. Walk the beach, pick up shells while watching the ships pass by in the distance. Then we would drink a couple margueritas followed a dinner consisting of scallops, oysters and shrimp! Finally, my friend and I would watch the moon rise over the bay.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate this to my late younger brother who left suburban New Jersey at age 20, and made a life in the outback of Alaska. He took a huge risk, worked hard and made a living mushing huskies, and conducting horse back expeditions in the wilderness.

Website: https://etsy.me/2ESt8r6
Instagram: Ninastruthers
Facebook: Nina Struthers