Meet Nicole Dailey | Dailey Draws|digital artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Dailey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Ever since I was little I have loved cartoons/animation. Growing up I moved a lot (almost every other year till I was 10) and it made it very hard for me to make friends. I struggled with severe social anxiety so I would spend my free time watching cartoons whenever I could. By the time I was 10 I realized I had a passion for art and thus my journey started of learning the basics of art. Throughout the years I would try many mixed mediums and would eventually come to find the style and passion that I loved most, digital art! I decided when I was 20 years old that I wanted to connect with people like myself and fellow artists through our love of cartoons/animation. So I applied for my first ever convention to sell my digital art. It was rough and my booth was so small, I only had like 6 prints available but I learned so much from that experience. Ever since then I knew I wanted to pursue selling my art as a career. I love the connections I make at conventions and on social media with my fellow friends, family, and surprisingly some fans. We all could bond over our love for the arts and find ways in healing our inner child whilst also growing in the present. I love meeting new people at conventions and have even made some amazing new friends! Pursuing art as a career was one of the best decisions I could have made in my life!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I sell stickers, prints, and keychains! I have only been selling my art for 8 years now but didn’t take it seriously until 2 years ago. I started by trying to go to school for art but in the long run it ruined my passion for a long time. When I was 19 I left for college, by the time I came back a year later I was convinced I would never do art again. School had drained me and made me believe that selling out was the only way to make ends meet or meet success. For 4 years (20-24) I stepped away from art convinced I would never do it again. It wasn’t until covid/lockdown happened that I discovered and reconnected with my love for art including digital art! Any time I was sad, lonely, hurting I leaned towards cartoons and art. Covid really forced me to start fresh and reconnect with myself and what I really wanted to do with my life. Ever since then art has been a huge part of identifying who I am and shaped me as a whole. Art has healed my pain, art has helped me grow, art was my saving grace when things were hard. Before covid I did my first ever convention selling only 6 prints and a few stickers. When lockdown happened I told myself when the world moves forwards once again I wouldn’t take my passion and talent for granted any longer. Once the world started moving around again I pushed myself past my limits to improve my art. I started traditional pencil and paper for 19 years, but by age 24 I started practicing digital more and more. Fast forward and here I am today! Selling my art on redbubble as well as doing commissions and conventions in my free time! I’m currently in the works of making my own shop and opening up my products to standees, blankets and so much more! It’s all in the works so I haven’t said much and kept it on the low but hopefully within the next year I will have my own shop available online! I also have been pursuing streaming as a possible side project! I also want to learn animation. I was told from an early age you need a degree to pursue art or be successful. However college was not for me. I learned that not everyone and every story is linear and that we all have our challenges and face hardships differently. I want to show people like myself all over that you don’t need to go to school for art if you really don’t want to. School is not for everyone and that’s OK! I’m not discouraging it, but I want to show people that anything is possible if you really set your mind to it! Degree or no degree, you got this! My brand is all about proving myself and my doubts that we are stronger and more capable than we realize. Education or not we all have passions and love for the things we do and if you really want something, don’t listen to the negative and keep your eyes on the present. The present leads to the future you want in the long run of things. I hope my brand connects with people who struggle with anxiety and self doubt as it is something I struggle with myself. We build a community on empathy and understanding and help each other grow along the way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That’s a tough one haha. Honestly If I could go anywhere it would have to be Japan! But realistically if it’s somewhere local I would take my best friend to my favorite local food spot ( hibachi ) the food is affordable and always delicious! We would prolly visit my favorite thrift stores and then go to Barnes and noble for some comics and manga haha. As for most fun and exciting things around here. Honestly there isn’t much but if I could reccomend one thing it would be cruising the countryside, where there’s no cars and all nature. I love how beautiful and peaceful it is. I drive out in the country a lot just to get creative inspiration and think. I love taking my friends out there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Honestly my biggest support has been my best friends! I’m not close with my parents and they never took an interest in my passion like I wanted. However, my friends (irl and online) have been my biggest support in pushing me to pursue my passion of art. Without them I would be so lost. My online friends have taught me so many new things about selling my art where as my irl friends were the ones to give me the confident nudge to try even selling my work. Not everyone is close with their parents and I want people to know that regardless of blood relation or not, our chosen family’s mean more and can impact and shape us into the people we are more than we realize. It’s why I’m so close with my chosen family.

Website: https://www.redbubble.com/people/daileydraws/shop

Instagram: @daileydrawss

Other: Tiktok @daileydraws

Image Credits
Images are taken and edited myself