Meet Schuyler Nickleberry

Today we’d like to introduce you to Schuyler Nickleberry.

Schuyler, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been influenced by fine arts since I was a young girl. My father exposed me and my brother to the creative and performing arts by taking us to museums, theatrical plays…he even enrolled us into The Studio, a former performing arts summer camp–where I gained my first acting experience (I played Nala in The Studio’s adaptation of The Lion King). Aside from that, I found myself consistently creating at home whether it was writing my own stories, sketching clothing designs in my notebook, making vision boards, and making up dances with my friends. The importance of self-expression through the arts was ingrained into me. My father passed away in 2008 which caused a cloud of depression to hover over me.

For about two years, I let the anger and pain of my father’s death stop me from doing what I loved when he was here. Real soon, I started writing to help ease all my nerves and emotions, those words were my safe haven and therapy. Those words soon turned into poetry and when I was finally ready to share one of them, my Nana found and took me to a local bookstore where they hosted open mics. I performed one of them there and instantly felt relief. I quickly got emerged into the poetry and spoken word community…yet another way to communicate and share my story. In high school, I was interested in trying out something new, an Audio and Video class. There, I learned how to turn my ideas and stories into expressive visuals and I absolutely fell in love with it! I teamed up with my classmates to make music videos, concept videos, short films, commercials, and other content. From the writing, down to the editing, I knew that I loved the creative process of producing visual content. Young Schuyler was completely fascinated with the art of visual storytelling.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The life of an artist/creative has and will never be a smooth road. But I believe that’s the thrill of it all! We take our daily struggles, inner battles, hopes/dreams, and a plethora of other aspects of our lives and channel that into our art. It’s not pretty, and most times, we are projecting situations and trauma we haven’t fully dealt with so that takes a toll on our mental health. My personal challenges have been self-doubt and fear. When pulling from personal experiences while creating, there would always be a little haunting voice in my ear filling my head with “Don’t say that, they’re not gonna get it!” “Nobody is even gonna watch it” “Are you SURE this thing is for you?” and sometimes that voice would win the challenge and I’d end up putting whatever project I was working on, on the backburner, or just trashing it altogether. But throughout my undergraduate years at Clark Atlanta University as a Mass Media Arts major, I’ve collaborated and connected with many other creatives who have reinforced that having fear in this field is inevitable–but it’s what you do with that fear. Are you gonna be scared and run away? Or are you gonna be scared and still go for it? You never know the result so you must try and fail and try and fail and try and fail until you get what you worked for.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am Schuyler Paige Nickleberry, an independent/freelance filmmaker, and photographer. My work mirrors the multi-dimensional realities of the African American experience. I currently have art that portrays love, betrayal, activism, and entrepreneurship. My future work will cover many more aspects. I pride myself in being open-minded and always down for working with others. No idea is too small or grand and when there’s an opportunity, everybody eats! I am unique because my work ethic is unmatched and I make sure that every set I’m working on is a comfortable, safe, and fun space for creativity to flow and flourish!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My Nana, Auntie, and Papa are my biggest support system back home in Texas. They support me spiritually and believe in my craft so they uplift me with words of encouragement and help me fund my dreams. My best friend Halee Austin has always been there for me since Freshman year, she’s been my soundboard for every idea that has come across my mind and is really my voice of reason and inspiration. We constantly feed off of each other and as we learn more about ourselves, we learn more about the world–together. Sahar Simmons, Miah Harris, Nate Parker, and Brian Favors are my big film family that have extensively poured into me and have given me the platform to grow as a budding filmmaker! I am honestly so grateful for these exceptional people in my life!

Contact Info:

• Website: schuylerpaige.com
• Email: schuylernickleberry@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schuylerpaige/

Image Credit:
Elaysia Lee

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