In Focus | Nicole Young of Nicole Young Art Co.

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What is your name?
Nicole Young

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select and why?
I would choose to spend the day with Jeanette Winterson, although I would probably be in awe of her and be too nervous to say anything to her. I would just sit and soak up her amazingness.

If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
I can't really think of one specifically, but I suppose an art related award, for a new body of work.

If you could spend a day with any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
Freida Kahlor, because she was an amazing artist and woman.

Who inspires you?
My boyfriend inspires me. He is so passionate about everything he does; it makes me want to live my life with the same level of passion and enthusiasm.

What are three things on your bucket list?
Personally I don't really believe in having a bucket list, I would like to live my life with the attitude that if I were to die tomorrow, there's nothing that I would regret. If I have the opportunity, three things that I would like to do in this lifetime would be to visit Iceland, have a solo art exhibition in a major city, and build my own cabin.

What are you passionate about?
I have so many different interests, and I find that I get passionate about different things in waves. I'll get really interested and excited about something and focus on that for a while, and then a new interest will come along to distract me and I'll focus on that instead. Currently I am feeling very passionate about food. I just finished reading a book called The Yoga of Eating, which is essentially about the idea that we shouldn't strictly follow one diet, but rather trust that our body will tell us what it needs to eat. Fall has also brought back my love for cooking, and I've been having so much fun going to the Farmer's Market once a week and finding all kinds of fresh items to add to my meals. I think it's so important for us to put high quality, healthy foods in our bodies as often as possible.

What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
Oh gosh, that's a hard question, there have been so many! The most recent one I can think of would probably have been this summer during a camping trip with my boyfriend. We stayed the first night at a natural Hot Spring near Nakusp, so we spent the morning enjoying the hot springs and went for a hike along a river. Then we drove to Revelstoke and had lunch there, and ventured just outside of Revelstoke to set up our tent on a beautiful beach. There was no one else around, and we made Kraft dinner and beans, and he played guitar and I read my book. It was a really simple and wonderful day.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment to date has been not only finishing my Bachelor of Fine Arts, but also finishing my undergraduate degree without any student debt. I took two years off after high school and worked three jobs in order to save up money to go to school, and I think it was the best decision I could have made. I would highly recommend it to any high school student who isn't certain of what they want to do after school. I did receive a couple of scholarships, and I had some help from my family, but I paid for about 75 per cent of my degree myself, and I'm very proud of that.

Where is your favourite place to dine in Kelowna? What do you like about it?
Bordello's and Curious Cafe. I don't go out to eat that often because I love cooking, so I feel that when you do go out, you should go get something that you wouldn't make at home. I am not much of a pizza maker, so I like to go out for really good pizza.

What is your favourite activity or event in Kelowna? Why?
My favourite events are First Thursday's in the cultural district. On the first Thursday of the month, a lot of the art galleries and creative venues around Kelowna will host some kind of event. I like checking out what everyone is up to.

What is the name of your business/organization?
Nicole Young Art Co.

What does your business/organization do?
I make art! I am mainly a painter, but I also make drawings, jewelry, accessories, and home décor. I sell my own work, and I also accept commissions. I love working with my hands, creating new things, and I love helping people see their ideas come to life.

Where can people find you or your business online?
www.nicoleyoungart.com

Where can people find your business on Facebook?
www.facebook.com/nicoleyoungart

What is your Twitter account?
@nicoleyoungart

What is your mission?
My mission is simply to create art.

If you could achieve one thing within your field, what would it be?
I would love to be able to support myself as a full time artist.

Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
In five years’ time I would love to be supporting myself as a full time artist. I have toyed with the idea of creating a brick and mortar gallery/studio/shop where I would work, teach classes and sell my own creations, as well those of other artists. But I am not fully committed to the idea yet.

Who do you consider to be a forerunner within your field?
This is kind of a tricky question, because the field of art is so broad. Someone I see as a leader within the field of art in Kelowna would be Katie Brennan.

What three qualities do you feel that your business/organization exemplifies?
Creativity, obviously. Environmentalism, because the majority of the products I use to create my works are recycled materials. And passion, because I am creating a business out of doing something that I love to do.

What would you like to say to your employees/volunteers?
I don’t have employees or volunteers, I am a one woman operation.

How does your business/organization impact the community?
Not only by providing the community with unique works of art, but I would also like to believe that it helps to inspire other people to attempt to make a living by doing what they truly love.

If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
I would want them to be art collectors, curators or historians. I would talk to them about the current art market, and about my work.

If I could change one thing about Kelowna, it would be:
I would love to see more music venues in Kelowna. I feel that we miss out on a lot of great opportunities because there are so few places for musicians who are less well known to play. I would also love to see more respect for cyclists in Kelowna. I think the city has done a great job adding more bike lanes over the past few years, but I still see a lot of people driving in bike lanes and generally being unaware of cyclists.

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
I think what makes Kelowna great is how much it has grown, yet still retained the feeling of a small city.

My choice for the Kelowna In Focus spotlight is:
Marissa Young

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