Meet Nikki Brown of Charlotte, NC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Brown.

Nikki, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was raised in an abusive home with very little support. Of course, this led to me struggling with mental health issues and addiction as I grew up. If you’re treated like an unloved dog your whole life, you start to believe that and allow others to abuse you as well, without even thinking of standing up for yourself. I lived like that for a while. Eventually, I accepted help from family members that lived in a different state when I was a young adult—this led to me joining a Christian cult that they were a part of (of course, I didn’t recognize their cult-like tendencies until later). For years, I lived in the ‘ministry houses’ that this cult provided for cheap rent. I met my husband through this cult. Once we got married, we left. I have been on a healing journey since we left. My husband and I love and support each other in ways I never thought I would have. Throughout my long and weird life, I’ve loved art. I try to express both my pain and my love through my art. I hope that I can reach a greater understanding of myself, humanity, and my own spirituality this way.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh god, it has never been smooth.

Other than the abuse I had to endure growing up, I struggle with various mental health disorders and chronic pain. I will not disclose all of these issues, but I will say that I have C-PTSD and Fibromyalgia. These two alone are extremely debilitating.

Trying to work and keep a job with these issues feels impossible. I am in pain—physical and mental—almost every day. I try not to complain, but it’s hard to hold back how much I want to scream about how unfair it all is.

When I was working full time and in the cult (which demands you attend several long meetings every week and live with 10 other girls in one house), I was absolutely miserable and exhausted.

It has been much smoother since finding my husband and leaving all that behind, but the mental health problems and chronic pain persist.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a self-taught artist, writer, and occasional musician. I believe my ‘best’ skill would be my art.

I have done all kinds of art, from large paintings on stolen street signs to small drawings in my notebooks. My favorite pieces to work on tend to be my mixed media pieces, where I draw, color, paint, use glitter, etc. I love creating wild and whimsical, and sometimes horrifying, art. Not being tied down to a single medium brings endless possibilities!

I believe what sets me apart from others is not just my unique art style, but the places I’m willing to go and the things I want to explore through my art. I love creating something that reflects pain that I, and people like me, go through. I love showing perspectives that may be controversial.

While my instagram and Etsy shop are mostly for my art, I am excited about a book I am writing as well. It is going to be a critique of certain brands of Christianity. I will be writing about my experiences of abuse throughout my life throughout it, but the book will mainly focus on how certain Christian traditions are harmful to those in need, which is the opposite of what Christ taught. I will show these things using critical biblical scholarship—something that the public desperately needs to hear.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I am unsure of what city this is referring to. However, I will use this opportunity to speak on our country. I value freedom, as this country is meant to. Sadly, our country has turned into a machine used to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. I am not a Christian and I don’t think this country is meant to be a Christian country, but for a country that claims to be Christian, it is incredibly NOT Christian.

Pricing:

• All custom art pricing is negotiable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nudesandbroods.etsy.com/
• Instagram: @nicolesbloo