June 12, 2017Nika SimoneNika Simone is a self-taught illustrator and digital artist from Long Island, New York... Nika Simone is a self-taught illustrator and digital artist from Long Island, New York, who currently resides in Washington state with her two weird sphynx cats, Dr. Terence Englebert Crumplecorn and Sir Rupert Digby Von Beauregard. Digital illustration is her primary medium, but she also enjoys photography, and working with markers, encaustic paints, and watercolor. While she doesn't have a degree from an illustrious institute of education, she did once study abroad for a year in England and got to meet Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan after a London show of Waiting for Godot, which was, in her own words "pretty rad". Although she hasn't had any gallery shows (yet!), she did once have her artwork shown at her local library for like, an entire month, and someone even wrote about it in a newspaper, so that's practically the same thing. How long have you been Fluevogin’ for? I've been obsessed with Fluevog for many years, finally splurging on my very first pair in 2008 with an absolutely adorable pair of Tillie shoes in dark green. A few years later I treated myself to a pair of Alli boots as well, which have seen an outright abusive amount of wear (and are still going strong!). The impeccable style without sacrificing comfort, combined with some fantastic customer service experiences, have made me more than a little evangelical about the Fluevog brand, constantly convincing others to give them a try. On entering the contest, and her winning design Fauna's Flora: I'd been eyeing the Fluevog Creative briefs for half a year or so, always tempted to enter, but ultimately intimidated by the overwhelming imagination and talent displayed by the numerous participants. Fluevog has some of the most phenomenally creative fans! For the Platform Miracle Flora, the combination of striping and floral embroidery immediately inspired the mental image of a wild, magical garden springing up after every footfall, leaving a lush trail of beauty and wonder with its passing. This created a very clear idea in my head of where I wanted to go with a design, which, with the encouragement of my friendos, finally pushed me to enter the contest. Apart from art and design, what do you like to do for fun? Every since I was a wee lass, video games have played a major role in my recreational activities, and form a core part of my identity. Exploring new worlds, characters, and stories via an interactive media consistently wows me and stirs my own creativity. Aside from being an avid gamer, my primary love is travel and real-world exploring, seeing new places, experiencing new cultures, and trying new foods. As art influences a lot of what appeals to me, my other interests include: an obsession with Art Deco architecture, interior design, experimenting with vibrant hair color and makeup, writing stories, and working on several podcast concepts, along with being an active Twitch Creative streamer. What are your dreams? My ultimate dream is to travel the world, everything else is merely a stepping stone to that goal. It's also been a pet dream of mine to live in a strange abode, a fully-modernized treehouse, or a renovated interesting-but-long-forgotten building-turned-proper home in which to store all the mementos of my many travels. I also not-so-secretly wish a benevolent alien would sweep me up and take me on a tour of the stars, but I figure we all have that dream. Wander on over to Nika's portfolio to view more of her work!
