Meet Nikki Chattom: Photographer & Artist

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

Hi Nikki, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Growing up, I was always very much a Type B personality. I didn’t like structure, studying, or taking tests. I was good at school, but I never really enjoyed things like math or science. I wanted to be a free spirit, make a mess, and have fun. I was way more interested in expressing myself artistically by singing, painting, sculpting, photography, etc. When it came time to choose a college, I honestly didn’t have a clue what to pick, so I defaulted to art school. I learned a lot and developed my traditional art skills more in college, but I also started becoming more involved in photography. I was interested in photography from a young age and I started freelancing in college to build my skills and earn some extra money. I started to feel less motivated by traditional art and more motivated by photography, so I turned my focus into that and I’ve been growing ever since. I am starting to incorporate more art back into my business now and I’m really excited to focus on creating full time.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art has evolved so much over the years. I used to look at my business as a money funnel. I would see other artists making money and would think, “I could do that.” So, instead of finding out how to be myself and translate that, I would just do what everyone wanted and try to make money. That mentality was very damaging to my passion, though, and it led to some serious segments of depression. Now, I look at my business as art. I still focus on the business side, because I have learned a lot of things to improve on that as well, but now I create more of what I want. I am currently working on a passion project for Pride Month and have done other passion projects in the past for things like the BLM movement and standing up for women’s reproductive rights. I am finally starting to create things that matter and represent what is important to me. It’s so liberating to let go of the typical expectations of what your peers, society, and the industry have set for you and just be yourself. That doesn’t mean I don’t struggle or have bad days, just that I am becoming more fulfilled by my work. As far as lessons I’ve learned, the biggest piece of advice I could give to anyone going into the creative market is to just be prepared. If I had really sat down in the beginning and sorted out all of the costs, paperwork, and marketing that should’ve gone into my business, I would have had way less trial and error. Even if your vision comes later, do the grunt work first and give yourself some stability. That will allow you the freedom to find your true vision and just be creative.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Atlanta is such a beautiful and diverse city, so there are a ton of fun things to do. If it were up to me to show someone around, I would definitely have to take them to Piedmont Park and maybe rent some scooters to ride on The Beltline. The skyline down there is just too pretty to pass up. I would also take them to The Vortex. I feel like that restaurant is such a staple in Atlanta and both the Midtown and Little 5 Points locations are so much fun. I am also a huge fan of breweries and the Sweetwater and Reformation breweries have to be my favorites. Sweetwater is huge and has an awesome tour and they always are always experimenting with cool flavors. Reformation has so many locations now and they provide so many games, live performances, and activities at each location. They are the perfect spot for an every day hangout or a fun weekend. I’m always open to exploring new corners of the city and finding hidden gems, too, so I would make a plan to try something new. There’s always something fun to do in Atlanta and it will always be my home. My roots might start on the outskirts, but I really do love this city.

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?
My family played a huge role in developing my passions as a creator. My mom bought me a lot of my cameras growing up and my siblings always encouraged me to take more photos, including ones of their families as we got older. I have felt many times that I was not good enough or talented enough to be a real photographer, but my family refused to let me give up. They make me feel much more confident and are always willing to give me help and advice on the parts of my business that are difficult for me. I also have a ton of friends who are equally supportive, including other photographers. It is an incredible feeling when you have other photographer friends to lean on for creativity, business advice, and collaborations. People like Jessica Surovchak and Jesse Gibson have really inspired me and kept me going. Those two women are on a similar timeline as me also, so it is super nice to be able to evolve and grow with both of them.

Instagram: @nikkichattomphoto

Facebook: Nikki Chattom Photography LLC

Image Credits
The first image of myself was taken by Oak + Fern Photography.