Hey there, I’m Nia Estelle — a Brooklyn, NY based software engineer, dancer, multi-medium visual artist, and creator of Estelle’s Atelier.

I’ve had a creative spirit since my early childhood days. I started off scribbling on the walls and cutting “snowflakes” in the shower curtain at my grandmothers house, then started cultivating a love for dance at the age of 5, and within the past few years have been able to dive into many of the visual art practices that I didn’t have as much time for when I was growing up. I went from considering myself primarily a dancer to now trying on and thoroughly enjoying the hats of ceramicist, painter, and photographer (and those are just the creative pursuits that have started to creep beyond the “hobby” phase).

I’m actively in the process of discovering my artistic voice when it comes to these mediums. The themes I’m noticing in my work so far revolve around the body, nature, the body as part of nature, nature as an intrinsic part of ourselves. In my photography, I like to people watch and I like to look at the buildings and structures we’ve built, especially those that have stood over time and those that have fallen in to disrepair — and how that might reflect our own human condition, how we see each other and ourselves, what we do when things fall apart, and so on. I’ve also been inviting myself to play in my work, to try out bright colors and fun shapes. Whimsy and joy are important to balance out the heaviness that can come with intense introspection, so when things get too heady you’ll probably see me make a few more things that use the color pink.

Most of all, I’m usually just creating whatever my hands and spirit feel drawn to. Thank you for witnessing the many forms those expressions take.