My Art Journey: How I Got Here & What’s Next
Hi, I’m Nicole.
Just a regular 25-year-old—well, now 26—who once had a clear path to a stable, successful career in Germany. At least, that’s what I thought.
But then life happened. A few unexpected, slightly irresponsible (but exciting) decisions closed that door for good. Instead, I found myself here: standing at a crossroads, forced to make some of the riskiest, scariest decisions of my life. No safety net. No guarantees. Just my art, my dreams, and a whole lot of faith.
But how did I get here?
Where It All Began
Me painting together with my Mother
It’s the summer of 2005. I’m six years old, on a family holiday in Portugal. Rain pours outside, keeping us indoors. To pass the time, my mum unpacks her watercolor set and starts painting. I watch, fascinated.
Curious, I ask if I can join her.
The moment I dip my brush into the paint and let the colors flow onto the page, something clicks. I don’t have words for it yet, but deep down, I know: This is something special.
From that day forward, painting became a part of me. Every family holiday, my mum and I would sit side by side, brushes in hand. Then, for my birthday, she gifted me my very first watercolor set — a moment that felt like an unspoken permission slip to dream.
I painted in my room for hours, studying Monet, Sorolla, and modern watercolor artists like Thomas Schaller and E. Hoffmann. I was completely in love with the craft.
But here’s the thing: I never actually believed I could do art as a career.
The Detour
I’ve always been an ambitious person. I wanted success, freedom, a prestigious career—the kind that came with a nice apartment and the ability to travel whenever I wanted.
And, let’s be honest, art didn’t seem like the safest way to get there.
But I also had no idea what else I was supposed to do.
Watching my parents struggle with burnout and depression made one thing painfully clear: If I wanted a shot at real happiness, I had to pursue something I truly loved.
So I took time off after high school to travel, hoping the answers would come.
I spent a year doing work and travel in Canada, then backpacked through Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Every new place shaped me, gave me fresh perspective, and challenged me in ways I never expected.
But for all the incredible experiences I gained, I still didn’t find the clarity I was looking for.
I returned home with just as many questions as before.
The Turning Point
Everything changed when I fell in love with my partner and moved to Sardinia.
Suddenly, the career paths I had considered weren’t options anymore. The job market here was limited. For the first time, I was forced to ask myself: If I could do anything, what would it be?
The answer was obvious.
I started painting again—every day. When my daughter was born, painting became my sanctuary. In the quiet moments between motherhood, I found myself pouring everything onto the page.
That daily practice turned into an obsession. And as I watched artists online building careers from their work, I realized: Maybe I could, too.
But here’s the thing—I still didn’t fully trust my path.
I had finally admitted to myself that art was my calling, but I was still trying to force my way forward. I chased every opportunity; wedding illustrations, book covers, Sardinia-inspired landscapes, travel art—I said yes to every project. I was determined to make it work.
But then… I hit a wall.
I found myself completely overwhelmed—trying to do too many things, stretching myself too thin, constantly second-guessing my path and the worst part — after four years of consistent effort, nothing seemed to be working. I knew my content on social media was good but somehow, it didn’t work. Neither was my audience growing nor was I getting any requests for commissions or sales.
The stress was suffocating. My heart raced, my chest felt tight, and for the first time, I thought about giving up.
Maybe I had been wrong all along. Maybe painting wasn’t meant to be my path. Because if it was, wouldn’t something have worked out by now?
So I did something I had never done before. I stopped chasing.
And in that silence—when I finally allowed myself to rest—I found the answer I had been searching for all along.
What I discovered in that moment changed everything. And in my next blog post, I’ll share exactly how I finally figured out what I’m truly meant to chase in life—and how you can find your own answer, too.