My story...

Growing, slowly, bravely

Throughout my life, I’ve made things and felt quietly proud of them.
A bit like when you show something to your mum and hope she’ll like it.
I’ve always felt that way.
I’ve always loved creating, but I never really believed I was “an artist”, or that it could ever become my life’s work.

Finding confidence, one small step at a time...

Being truly seen

For most of my life, confidence didn’t arrive in big, bold moments.

It arrived quietly. In small decisions. In choosing to keep going. In learning to trust myself a little more each year.

About four years ago, I joined a local rowing club. At the time, I didn’t realise how much that decision would change me. I just knew I needed something that was mine. Somewhere I could feel strong again. Somewhere I could breathe.

That club became more than a place to row. It became a place where I learned what I was capable of. Where I found resilience I didn’t know I had. Where I slowly started to feel like myself again.

Around the same time, my life was changing in other ways too. A long marriage was coming to an end. It was painful. But it was also honest. We both found our own paths forward, and in different ways, we both grew.

I returned to studying. I began working towards my degree. Module by module, assignment by assignment, I surprised myself. Distinctions. Confidence. A quiet sense of pride I hadn’t felt before.

I became a single parent. A carer. A provider. Someone who had to keep showing up, even on tired days, even on uncertain days.

And somewhere along the way, I realised something had shifted.

I wasn’t waiting anymore.

I wasn’t doubting myself in the same way.

I was beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, I was allowed to follow what I loved.

Not perfectly.

Not fearlessly.

But honestly.

One small step at a time.

When other people started to believe in me too...

Love, drawn gently

For a long time, I just made things quietly. Mostly for myself, and sometimes for people close to me. I never really thought anyone else would want my work.

Then, bit by bit, people started asking.

“Could you draw my dog?”

“Would you do one of my cat?”

“Could you make something for me?”

At first, if I’m honest, it was a bit scary.

I remember thinking, What if I mess it up? What if they’re disappointed? What if I’m not actually good enough?

But people kept asking. And they kept trusting me.

Those early pet portraits slowly grew into what is now Companion Portraits, but back then, it was just me doing my best for someone who cared about what I made.

Every time someone chose me, something changed inside.

I started to think… maybe this isn’t “just a hobby”.

Maybe this isn’t “just something I do”.

Maybe I’m actually good at this.

Looking back now, I realise I already was an artist.

I just hadn’t let myself believe it yet.

Companion Portraits

How 'Life Illustrated' began...

Moments made meaningful

During my course, I was encouraged to keep a journal.

But for me, that mostly meant drawing.

Each week, I’d sketch what I’d been working on.

What I’d learned.

What I’d tried.

What I’d managed to get through.

It became a quiet record of my journey.

Not just the finished work, but the steps it took to get there.

Over time, I realised I wasn’t just learning.

I was illustrating my life.

Week by week.

Moment by moment.

Then one day, it clicked. If I could turn my own journey into something visual, then, why couldn’t I do that for others too?

For special days. For meaningful moments. For memories that deserve more than a quick photo.

That’s how Life Illustrated began.

From a simple habit of drawing my own story, to helping others tell theirs.

Life Illustrated

Learning to trust my own way of seeing...

My voice, my way

As I studied, practised, and created every day, something slowly became clear to me.

I wasn’t meant to work like anyone else.

I never wanted to copy what was already out there.

I was always drawn to creating what I felt when I looked at something, not just what it looked like on the surface.

Over time, I began to see that my strength was in that difference.

In the way I notice small details. In the emotions I’m drawn to. In the quiet energy and story behind each piece.

My work has never been about making things look perfect or photo real.

It’s about capturing feeling.

Movement.

Mood.

Soul.

Learning to trust that, to really believe that my way of seeing was enough, changed everything.

Original Works

Sharing what I’ve learned, one artwork at a time...

Passing it on

So for me my website, Andrea Nicole Art, isn’t just about selling pictures.

It’s about sharing everything I’ve learned along the way.

About noticing the small, beautiful moments.

About slowing down.

About turning memories into something you can hold onto.

Every piece I create carries part of that journey.

Whether it’s a Life Illustrated commission, a Companion Portrait, or an original artwork, each one is made with care, honesty, and respect for the story behind it.

I know how much these moments matter, because I’ve learned to value my own.

Now, I get to help others do the same.

One artwork at a time.

Andrea x