Meet Nikki Frelier Andrews | Artist, Designer and Philanthropist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nikki Frelier Andrews and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nikki, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I believe that branding with a philanthropic overtone has really spoken to people. My designs are unique and the fact that the proceeds go towards funding scholarships and after school programs, for under resourced youth, is a big factor. I want to empower youth through skateboarding by building confidence, encouraging physical activity and breaking down stereotypes.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Starting a business is never an easy venture, especially during Covid. Ironically, my fine art really took off during Covid because I had the time to respond to open calls for juried art exhibitions, and placed in a few exhibitions. I think that really helped me gain confidence in my talent and to try to branch out into other endeavors. Also, I am at a point in my life where I felt I had nothing to loose. I am able to have the luxury of being an entrepreneur and to give back to the Community. Something that I have been doing ever since I left the Tech Industry. Volunteering on multiple boards has really given me some amazing skillsets and connections as well as the joy of being able to feel like I am making a difference in the community.

I am originally an abstract painter. I would say, most currently, that I fall into the category of abstract realism. As an artist, a historian through visual information, I feel compelled to record our times, landscapes, feelings, and injustices. I have explored subject matter ranging from self-perception and body dysmorphia to the stillness of simple moments that touch us all. Whether it be a reaction, a sunset, or a memory, these moments help shape us even if we don’t realize their impact at the time.

My work is inherently personalized through abstractions derived from reality. It is a form of self-exploration and the way I perceive life’s daily conflicts. We are all conditioned by our experiences, which in turn change our perceptions of life itself. A part of my responsibility as an artist is to record the world in which we live, the emotion or energy of the times, and to present a view into the past, present, or future. I try to encapsulate the vitality of my subjects through abstract forms. Instead of creating a realistic view of the world, I try to depict its energy, allowing the viewer to intimately relate to the work. Distilling everything down to its simplest form is my way of capturing the essence of my subjects while preserving the importance of their components, at times revealing new perspectives on the sum of their parts.

I believe that as an artist, you need every so often, to reinvent yourself. I’ve always wanted to get into design and fashion (skateboards, grip tape and clothing), and I finally have a new venue, through NFA Boards. My mother is an excellent seamstress and for Christmas one year ( I was in the 3rd grade) bought me sewing lessons. I was always creating trendy clothes for my dolls before instruction. I now get to design and soon launch a clothing line, I am already selling t-shirts and baby onesies, in different shops around California. I’m excited to unveil new product.

I am very excite to announce my partnership with Big Sky Youth Empowerment, in Bozeman, Montana. I have been funding snowboarding scholarships for under resourced youth and will be helping them to incorporate a skate program / element to their summer programming. I’ve also donated my skateboards for the program and will be helping to fund it. I also recently helped to sponsor and host a booth at the Exposure 2022 Skate Competition, who’s proceeds go towards helping women and families who are survivors of domestic abuse. It was an amazing experience and I cannot tell you how much amazing talent there was at this competition. So many up and coming female skaters, of all ages, I was blown away.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to say that there have been so many amazing people helping me through my journey. Sadly, in Tech, I never had the help and mentoring that I am now given by other female entrepreneurs. When I asked for help in the past, it was more of a competition, some women (not all) are were more afraid of you performing better and or becoming more successful. Every time I talk about my company, someone tells me that I need to get in touch with “so and so”. Then that turned into someone knowing someone else, so on, and so on. It’s been an empowering and heartfelt experience.

I do have to thank my son, Max, for sparking the idea for NFA Boards. It all stemmed from my son’s birthday in 2021, he asked me to buy him some blank skate decks and spray paint, so he could design his own skateboards. I thought, “Why am I not putting my own artwork on these?!?”, since that day, I started incorporating my artwork onto skate decks. Utilizing some imagery and the style which I painted in the early 2000s, a time where I was very prolific and successful. My son loves to tell people that he is the reason that I started my business. It makes me a proud Mom that he’s proud of the endeavor. Both of my children skate and also take lessons from a sponsored female skater, Veronica Saint Jane, they love it!! She’s been awesome and really helped them to take off and believe in themselves and has also been helping me stay more current in the skating world.

I also have to thank Jeff Kendall (CEO of NHS) and Alex White (Global Brand Manager at NHS) for their support and encouragement. They have been very kind in allowing me to pick their brains about the industry and what I am trying to do.

Website: nfaboards.com and nicolefrelier.com

Instagram: nfaboards

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/niandrews

Facebook: nfaboards