Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy X. Valentine.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was conceived as the second child of a family residing in Lanzhou, Gansu during the era of China’s “One Child Policy,” so my mother immigrated to the USA in 1992 to gift me the opportunity of life.
I was born and raised in rural West Central Minnesota in a town called Fergus Falls, MN, which I left in 2010 to pursue a degree in Communication at the University of Minnesota Duluth. In 2014, I spent a month in China falling in love with the culture I didn’t understand or appreciate during my upbringing. Just a year and a half later, I moved into the Kaddatz Artist lofts in downtown Fergus Falls where I launched my creative career.
The only “tools in my bag” at the time were my natural artistic inclination, self-determination, and a Crayola watercolor pallet. My artistic journey is completely self-taught, which has been catalyzed thanks to the support of grants and the many opportunities I’ve received from arts nonprofits in Minnesota.
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?
The road is rarely smooth, but the bumps along the way make for an interesting life. One of the biggest struggles for me has been that of embracing the identity of “artist.” I was raised with the understanding that I was creative, but the title of “artist” felt like something beyond my reach.
Through my work at Springboard for the Arts (2017-2019) and the Department of Public Transformation (2021-2022), my definition of “artist” has vastly expanded and I now understand that so many more of us are “artists” than we realize. “Artist,” to me, is who and how we are, not what we do, have done, or have accomplished on paper.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I view my artistry as a channel to deepen my cultural connections to and between my Chinese heritage and Midwestern roots. My creative process begins and ends with intention, resulting in conceptually complex visual stories woven with nuance and symbolism.
I primarily use the mediums of watercolor and various inks as well as gouache and pastels. I think one of my favorite parts of my creative process is where the water I use to activate my pigments are sourced – whether a river, lake, puddle, or pond, it’s always sourced from someplace that relates to the concept of what I’m creating.
What matters most to you?
In this season, what matters most to me is that I’m creating artwork that’s meaningful to me. I think at some point most artists are faced with the tension of creating for others vs creating for themselves and I’m grateful to be on the other side of wrestling with that.
Of course, my desire is for others to connect with my work, but I’m more grounded in my process and content with the fact that what I create will attract those that resonate rather than trying to chase a trend or appeal to the masses.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nancyxvalentine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancyxvalentine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancyxvalentine
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyxvalentine/
