Today we’d like to introduce you to Nora (Nobo) Freetly.
Hi Nora, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I downloaded TikTok in 2020, during the final year before receiving my Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Like many of us during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, I gave in and downloaded the app as a joke out of pure boredom and curiosity. At this time all my classes had been moved online and the only time I really left my apartment was for my internship.
People often ask about the backstory to my username “nobosart”. While my real name is “Nora”, I’ve also gone by “Nobo” for as long as I can remember from those closest to me. I am also known to be quite the hobby hopper when it comes to all things related to art and crafting. When I first created my account, it was solely intended to be a place to share my artwork and various hobbies; hence the username “Nobo’s Art”.
I started showing more of myself in my videos, making art-related content people could relate to. These included normalizing topics like struggling with perfectionism, artist’s block, or even just realizing a bristle from your paintbrush had shed and is now dried into your finished painting to haunt you forever.
As a person with ADHD who has her own struggles with Mental Health, I soon felt the need to include these topics in my content as well. I wanted to use my education in the field along with my own real experiences to help normalize these topics, and hopefully show people that they’re not alone if they are struggling. These were especially heavy times for most of us, so I figured if my content could at least help normalize these experiences then it’s worth a shot.
Today, however, my content has grown to include multiple other niches as well. I tend to be a very expressive person, and people started to really enjoy the animated style within my content. I started getting tons of requests for different characters, audios, trends, and challenges that my followers wanted to see me try next. The online community inspires me so much, so I’ve grown to allow myself to switch things up. Basically, you could call me an animated lip-synced.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wish I could say this journey has been all sunshine and rainbows, but as you could probably imagine, working on social media brings some unique challenges. Being a Content Creator gives me so much freedom to be creative and express myself, but it can also bring constant criticism from viewers. Don’t get me wrong, as a perfectionist I thrive off of constructive criticism and I always want to work towards being the best version of myself. It’s the hate comments from users who thrive off of putting creators down for arbitrary reasons that can make you really question your worth. Sometimes I catch myself in the habit of letting these comments fuel my perfectionism. This held me back from posting content where I’m experimenting with new ideas. I’d only post the content I felt would get the most approval and the least amount of hate from others. When I show my animated side in my content, users often voice that my cartoony expressions make me a “cringy, try hard, Tik Tok actor” who could never make it as a real actress in the film industry.
Some days it’s hard to accept that staying true to myself means I may not be able to please everyone, but it does mean I will be able to enjoy what I do. All my content may not be everyone’s preference, and that’s okay! I learned that if I’m myself, the people who do enjoy my content will find me. Regardless, the love and support I receive from those who do enjoy all my different types of content greatly outweigh the hate. These are the supporters who will continue to push me to try new things and motivate me to be unapologetically myself.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Since I like to experiment with different types of content, what I “do” can be a bit tricky to explain. I’d say I overall specialize in committing to the energy of whichever audio I am using in my videos; especially those that have a lot of character. Sometimes the vibe is animated or comedic. Other times it’s more realistic or even sinister. It really depends on the audio or character and how I interpret it for myself. When it comes to music and songs, this practice has helped me learn to truly listen to an artist’s lyrics. Not just to make sure I lip-syncing the words properly, but to actually acknowledge and understand the message an artist is portraying through their lyrics as well.
While I also enjoy participating in the various creative trends and challenges the TikTok community is constantly creating, I’m probably most known for acting out different types of characters or taking on complex lip-sync challenges. I enjoy experimenting with how facial expressions and body language alone can convey different emotions within a character. One way I like to show how much information we can gather from nonverbals is by filming two different videos using the same audio and putting them side by side for comparison. For example, say the line is “I have something to tell you”, the look on someone’s face alone could already give us clues as to if their news is good or bad.
Whenever I get comments or messages from people saying. It has been a rough day and I really needed a laugh, thank you” or “Your content brings me so much joy please never stop doing what you do” it makes me feel really proud of what I’m doing. I don’t really get to see my viewers’ in-person reactions to my content, so the positive feedback I get from my supporters really motivates me to keep going and helps silence the voices of doubt that can get stuck in my head. If anyone is having a bad day or is currently in a dark place, if I can help them escape from those feelings even for a moment, It makes me feel proud and tells me I must be doing something right.
What matters most to you? Why?
Making people happy, inspiring each other, allowing yourself to let your inner child out, and being true to who you are rather than changing yourself for the approval of everyone else. Life is too short to be anything other than ourselves. Comparison to the expectations of others and that which is socially accepted can be so limiting. It’s important for me to remind myself and others that while we may feel pressure to stay within the limits of the box we’ve found ourselves to be in, the box isn’t stapled shut. We do have the power to step out and have fun discovering other parts of ourselves. No matter where you are in life there are always opportunities for self-exploration when we have the courage to try the things that secretly pique our interest without being restricted by fear of failure or rejection.
I think getting out of our comfort zone can bring out the inner child that lives within us. It can feel like riding a bike for the first time without our training wheels. Maybe we’ll fall off a few times, but if we commit to it; we can experience the joy of the ride and the feeling of the wind on our faces. Even if you realize you aren’t that into it, at least now you won’t be wondering “what if”. What are three simple things you’ve always wanted to try? If they are easily accessible for you, what’s been holding you back from trying?
Seeing others be unapologetically themselves motivates me to do the same. Allowing ourselves to have fun without always needing to take ourselves so seriously or to be perfect can help motivate others to give themselves the freedom to do the same. Life can be so serious and stressful at times, which is why I feel it’s so important to find time to simply have fun and let that inner child out in whatever way is fulfilling for you along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beacons.ai/nobosart
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/simply_nobo
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@noboschannel
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nobosart
Image Credits
Stroh & Co. Films, Melissa Clark Freetly, and Nora Freetly
