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Meet Christine Nishiyama of Might Could Studios in Midtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Nishiyama.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve been drawing since I was young, and got my BFA in Graphic Design at North Carolina State University. After working as Lead Designer at a marketing studio, I took the plunge and became self-employed in 2012, forming my one-woman company, Might Could Studios.

Over those 5+ years, my business has gone through many transitions: freelance graphic design, editorial illustration, book publishing, and teaching. After teaching 15+ classes on Skillshare with over 40,000 students, I launched my first major course on my own platform, Sketchbook to Style Boot Camp in April 2017. And after spending 3 years learning and experimenting with picture book making, I self-published my first children’s book, We Are Fungi, in September 2017.

I’m now excited to continue growing Might Could Studios, working on my next book, and encouraging and helping other creatives make more art.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh no, definitely not. The year 2014 in particular was a huge struggle. That was the year I switched from freelance graphic design to illustration, and it led to a drastic cut to the number of jobs and my monthly income.

I was trying to find my style and confidence as an illustrator, and that’s not an easy process. I hate being dependent on other people, so the financial trouble led me to get a part-time job at a local grocery store. I had applied to be a cake decorator—hey, that’s creative, right?—but instead was hired as a bakery worker, where I was paid $7/hr. to move boxes full of frozen bread from the top shelves in the freezer to thaw out overnight. Why they thought it best to hire a 5 foot girl with a design degree who wanted to be a cake decorator for this job, I’ll never know. I did get to make tortillas every now and then which was fun.

Anyways, that year I spent each day trying to learn how to draw in my own way (and wallowing/crying on the couch), and spent each night moving boxes of heavy bread in a freezer (and mopping the gross bakery floor), and spent all the time feeling like a complete failure.

But somehow, I kept going. Eventually, after a year of exploring and experimenting, I started to find my artistic self. Around that time, a science blog took a chance on me as their Artist-in-Residence, and things finally started falling into place. Since then every year has seen more growth, more confidence, and more fulfillment in my career as an artist.

Might Could Studios – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Might Could Studios is a place of creative experimentation and encouragement, both for myself and others. I realized during my struggles in 2014, that most people (including me at the time) focus on the wrong things when we’re trying to figure out who we are as artists and how to make the art that feels like us. That period is by far the most frustrating period of an artist’s journey. You have this creative fuel inside you, and a drive to make art, but when you draw or paint or make something you are so unhappy and disappointed in what you made that you don’t want to make anything else!

During this period, I think we’re too focused on how to draw things “correctly”. Drawing things accurately or realistically is certainly one way to draw, but not the only way. I believe a more intuitive, open, and creative way of drawing exists, one that is totally unique to each person. And I believe everyone has that unique style inside them, not just people who went to art school or make a living as an artist.

So while Might Could Studios is the company where I publish and share my own artwork, it’s also a place where I share what I’ve learned about drawing and creativity, and encourage and help other artists find themselves and their own unique art. That year of struggle in 2014 was a terrible year for me, and although struggle is required for most good things, I want to help reduce the amount of pain for other people so they don’t have to wallow on their couch in an existential artistic crisis for a year like I did. I want to equip them with helpful tools, a more playful attitude, and an encouraging community of fellow artists so we can all continue to experiment and grow together and overall just make more art.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Oh, that’s a tough one! I have two, which I think represent the two sides of my business. My first proudest moment was the day I self-published my first book, We Are Fungi, in September 2017. I had been working towards finishing a book for over 3 years, and that particular book for 2 years, so it was an amazing feeling to have it finally done and out in the world! It’s also sold better than I expected and has all 5-star reviews, so that’s definitely been an extra boost of confidence.

My other proudest moment is when I launched my first course on my own platform in April 2017. I had spent two years teaching exclusively with Skillshare, and it was a big risk and scary decision to try to go out on my own. I wasn’t sure if anyone would sign up when I launched, or if it would just fizzle out and be another failed experiment. But the launch (and subsequent launches) was a huge success and told me I had made the right decision and was on the right track! I’m excited to keep growing this course and community and am so thrilled people are enjoying it.

Pricing:

  • We Are Fungi (print version): $7.97 on Amazon
  • We Are Fungi (ebook version): Free on my website
  • Sketchbook to Style Boot Camp: Waitlist open now

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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