The inspiration for this site
I’ve become deeply unsatisfied with social media and I’ve been looking for alternatives but they’re mostly variations on the same themes. I want something freer. Somewhere I can feel at home.
My inspirations for this weird little corner of the internet are Eli Trier/Zuzu from the incredible Haus of Cats and Kening Zhu from the perfectly named botanical studies of internet magic. (She really is brilliant at naming things – have a look at the list of podcast episodes!) So I’m off on a little adventure to see what I can make online that might not be what anyone expects, and certainly isn’t what anyone suggests, but that is completely mine.
The thing that finally set me in motion on this journey was this video, and to that end, let’s make the internet weird again, indeed.
The Madwoman
I’m a weirdo from the Canadian prairies who is interested in almost everything except for the grind of modern life. I have no interest in the corporate ladder and would rather be a quirky hobbit making art and reading books in a little apartment with a balcony garden. When I have the energy, I’ll bake muffins.
My artistic journey
I’ve always had creative projects on the go, from collage to crochet, but last year a local art shop had a going out of business sale and I decided to buy some paints. Not because I knew how to paint, but it seemed like fun. Call it a mid-life crisis!
I began to learn via Art Prof and quite a lot of making a good mess. I’ve been inspired by many artists on YouTube (someday I’ll collate this into a blog post!) and have joined the Patreons of Orla Stevens of The Outdoor Sketchbook Collective and children’s book illustrator Emma Carlisle where I can study and practice with both experienced, trained artists, and self-taught artists like myself.
Regarding landscapes
I always thought I couldn’t paint representationally, so I began by exploring mixed media and texture while trying to find something essential in my local prairie landscape. I’ve been playing with approaches to abstraction, atmosphere, and tone in my work lately.
Regarding portraits & figures
And then I decided to do something bonkers and tried to draw a person. The first ones were a bit wobbly, but, as with most things, I found it just takes practice and persistance. I’ve since joined Draw Brighton’s Patreon for access to models (I love the respect with which they treat all their models) and am having so much fun.
If you’d like to join me on this creative adventure, you can go through any of the doorways here
Or you can stay connected through the newsletter I’m dreaming of starting one day. Maybe next month? I’m brainstorming!
If you’d prefer, you can also subscribe to my blog posts here. They might be weird and random.
You can even support my art on ko-fi if you’re properly bonkers
The requisite mundane bio
Nicole Bergen works as a data analyst and previously worked as an opera stage manager and assistant stage manager in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Past shows include Die Fledermaus and Turandot (SM, Calgary Opera), La bohème, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, Madama Butterfly, The Magic Flute, Carmen, and The Marriage of Figaro (SM, Saskatoon Opera), and Filumena, Die tote Stadt, Silent Night, Candide, The Flying Dutchman, The Pirates of Penzance, Moby Dick, Everest, and Aida (ASM, Calgary Opera).
Nicole has finished her Masters of Library and Information Studies and Google’s Data Analytics Professional Certificate. She can usually be found reading or gardening or making data visualizations about reading or gardening.
Little me. Every time I look at this photo, I remember so clearly how desperately lonely I was as a kid.