Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Wells.
Nina, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hello, my name is 9 & I am a multimedia artist from Cleveland, Ohio. My work explores conversations of love, change, nature, discovery, and spirituality. I graduated last year from Columbus College of Art & Design with a BFA in Photography. My birth name is Nina (nine-uh) Wells, and When I was 4 years old, I begged my parents for a Dora the Explorer camera. Unfortunately, all the images were lost from this camera. I then became enamored by our family camera. I would often take photos of myself and the spaces around me documenting where I was at in my journey. My older sister, Skye, took a photography class in high school that catapulted my interest in what photography had the possibility of being. In tandem with her photo course, she was introduced to the wonderful world of social media, Myspace. I watched her code her digital personality closely, using photos and colors and music and fleeting thoughts to express herself. This inspired me to follow in her footsteps. We would watch music videos and edit photos, not often together, but in our own creative ways. I took a deeper dive into tumblr, which showed me different aesthetics and art I’d never seen before.
When I finally got to high school, I took the same photo course as my sister took. This course taught me how to shoot and develop film, how to do a lighting setup in the studio and encouraged me to go to college to pursue conceptual creating.
Now I have been a photographer for about 7 years now, and I love that my work has become an opportunity for conversation between mediums and an exploration of my existence.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think no road worth taking is smooth. After moving my life to a different city, I dealt with tons of imposter syndrome. Rebuilding myself constantly, being away from all I’ve ever known, and feeling lonely in almost all the spaces I entered. Attending an art institution was a beautiful blessing, though the institution was private and predominantly white. This created financial hardships in my ability to get my degree amidst often feeling ostracized by peers.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am mostly an experimental photographer. I am known for my exploration of self mostly but also my unique approach to color, language, and storytelling. I believe my work is evocative and designed under the lens of connection. Connection (or lack thereof) to the source, to the subject, or to the self. I am most proud of my connection to humans. I believe I try to get to know people in a real way and capture them in their current state in time.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I love listening to Abraham Hicks’s teachings, Friends & Family, and Creative Minds on Youtube, which inspires me as an artist and a spiritual being. Ram Dass’s “Be Here Now,” Julia Cameron’s “The Artists Way,” Mickalene Thomas’s “Muse: Photographs,” and recently Andy Goldsworthy’s “A Collaboration With Nature” have all been very inspirational books to my practice. I think to do the best in your life; you have to be consistent and conscious of your decision-making. Make clear goals, and don’t deviate from anything that isn’t aligned with what you are aligned to.
Contact Info:
- Website: mindof9.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/themindof9
Image Credits
Nina (9) Wells
