Meet Annalise Nelson | Writer, Painter & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annalise Nelson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annalise, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I grew up in Sandy Springs and moved back to Atlanta in 2019, after my schooling in Boone, NC.
I think anyone from the South understands how special it is and how interconnected all of our joy and struggles are.
Living in Atlanta has influenced how I show up in my life, it influences my pace and what’s important to me. There has to be room for meals and breaks.. I don’t have the ability to be rushed. There’s a rhythm to Atlanta that’s very unhurried to me and I think we all work hard to get to those moments of play. To be an artist, for me, is to be present with all that’s around me so I can feel the stories and rhythms of my environment and let those be the guiding forces for how I want to visually describe what it’s like to be alive here.

Sandy Springs is a suburb but had a small feel to it for me, and Boone was a very small mountain town. In both of these places, my most formative memories were around swimming, sharing meals, enjoying what was around us. Atlanta has amplified the need for joy, food, laughter and community in my life because I’ve found that in such a big way, and it has opened up all my worlds.

My art is impacted by this because I feel so present, and the more present I am the more specific I can translate my experience. That specificity aids in the connectedness I feel when I share, because through friends and neighborly chats, my similar trials and tribulations are echoed back to me through some one else’s unique experience. So the ‘Hey how’s it going?’ kind of polite check in’s that we do often leads to deeper understanding of each other, and that feels very southern to me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think I have been trying to merge all my art practices and life in a seamless way the past few years. I consider ‘life’ things like making dinner, keeping the house spirit in order, making money.. my art practices have always been writing, drawing, painting and photography. My art comes from the details of being alive- the whimsical day dreaming parts and washing the dishes. Making dinner is just as much as a flow state for me as drawing can be, so I really try to let everything inform one another.

I’m still getting to where I want to go professionally, and that is a constant conversation I have. I think I value going about creating a path through a myriad of ways. I want my professional life to be infused with creativity. ‘Artist’ is the lens I look through so whatever I am doing, however I’m getting to where I’m still figuring out where it is I want to go, how I get there is important to me. I got to find my professional path with style and in my own way. Mostly I’ve been figuring out the balance of just how to live with art as the driving force.

I just created a DIY Gallery in my back yard and shed which has greatly excited me to collaborate with artists I love. I really love helping bring other artist’s visions to life, so practicing this now on my own terms will hopefully inform how I could do this in a more professional setting one day.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hmmmm..
For beautiful southern forest walks, I would take them to Cascade Nature Preserve, Morningside Nature Preserve and the secret spots I walk around in my neighborhood, like Chosewood Park. I think the surprising dense forests hidden in plain sight are so magical.

We would visit my studio at South River Arts Studio, meet all the amazing artists there and take a walk behind Doll’s Head Trail where I let my dog run free.

If WRFG was having a community event I would definitely show them that gem of a community and the cool schoolhouse it resides in. Might go to the Plaza or the Tara for a movie. Go to the grant park farmer’s market on sunday, very wholesome things 😉

For Food – all the delicious pop ups and one of a kind restaurants..

Talat Market, Gigi’s, SoSoFed at OKYaki, El Tesoro and El Progresso by the Penetentiary. Little’s for a burger.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be here without my friends – Eve Brown, Ever Williams, Becca Rodriguez and Emory Lewman specifically help me find deeper meaning and understanding of myself and my work. They are all amazing, thoughtful and curious artists and I truly can’t imagine being who I am without them by my side. My cheerleaders make me believe in myself so much more than I could on my own <3

Website: https://annalisenelson.com

Instagram: Smoking_teapot

Other: Substack: https://annalisenelson.substack.com/

Image Credits
All images credit Annalise Nelson