Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Neu.
Hi Nicole, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I studied sculpture and darkroom photography in school, then spent years in a highly creative career that left little room for my own practice. A shift into a less creative job unexpectedly gave me the space I needed — and that’s when NIK NIK was born. I started small, selling wood objects online, then moved into fiber relief work, and eventually ceramic sculpture and lighting. My studio practice never sits still; I’m always reaching for a new material to experiment with.
Alright, 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?
My first job threw me in over my head. I was tasked with building massive custom fixtures from scratch for a multi-department retail store, with barely any formal woodworking training beyond what I’d picked up in art school. I was teaching myself on the job: sketching elaborate displays, sourcing materials, then building everything myself. I had anxiety every morning on the drive in, terrified I’d be found out as a fraud and questioning why I’d even gotten the job. It was completely deflating, creatively. It took about ten years to find my way back to the creative spirit I’d carried with me my whole life.
One of the hardest, and most transformative, seasons was COVID. My husband and I moved to Joshua Tree, and the isolation was intense; I’m a social person who needs the energy of people and a big city to spur me on. Up until then, wood had been my primary medium, but the heat and dust of the desert made the thought of woodworking sound miserable. I started playing around with hemp fiber I had in my studio and realized I could turn it into pulp for papermaking. I began pressing thick batches of that pulp into neoprene forms, and that’s how all my fiber work came to life. We lasted nine months before moving back into a city.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist working across fiber, clay, paper, wood, and light, always evolving toward whatever material is pulling at me. I’m probably best known for my fiber relief work and larger ceramic vessels, though this year I branched into smaller functional pieces, and the Year of the Horse mug ended up being a surprise hit. What I’m most proud of right now is a new lighting line: pieces that pair ceramic bases with hand-molded paper shades.
I think what sets me apart is that I came to this from years of interior styling and prop work, so I don’t just make objects, I think about how they hold space in a room. That perspective shapes everything, from the scale of a piece to the way light moves through a paper shade.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
For me, networking is really about relationships. It’s far more powerful to make a friend than to make a connection, so wherever I am, that’s my aim. Listening, asking good questions, and being genuinely curious about the person in front of you goes a lot further than trying to make an impression.
My friend Kristie and I started a dinner series called Among Friends, which we host every other month. We invite other creatives, ask a few pointed questions, and let the conversation go deeper than it usually would at a typical gathering.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.niknikstudio.com
- Instagram: niknikstudio
