Nicole Landreth, Sunshine, is an artist and a creative entrepreneur.

Curiosity and creativity are inextricably intertwined in my life, it’s basically how I navigate and process the world and my experiences in it. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been an artist. I’ve always sought expression by getting my hands dirty, getting lost in the flow of the process, and creating something that expresses some sense of movement and balance.

I recommitted myself to my art in 2017, under the name and vision I called, Be Sunshine as a reminder to myself to find and rekindle my own personal sense of sunshine. Eventually, Be Sunshine became Art + Life by Sunshine, and finally Art Life Sunshine as you know me now today. I am not a brand, I’m an artist. I do not produce, I make. I build. I create. I learn. I improve. I reflect. I evolve. That’s the core of Art Life Sunshine.

In February 2020, I participated in the Female Energy Art Show in my hometown. I connected with other artists and makers, and reconnected with a few wonderful makers and artists I had lost touch with over the years. I left this event feeling energized, inspired, and ready to commit to myself and my art. In April 2020 I joined the 317 Art Collective as a resident artist. This was right in the beginning of the madness that 2020 wrought, and although I moved a lot of my materials into the studio relatively quickly, it honestly took me another couple of months to start working and making there. I basically went through the whole mental and emotional rollercoaster that I had gone through from 2012 to 2020 again, but on hyper-speed, eventually lighting my own fire under my ass again and started working more in the studio. In September, I moved out of the main studio and into my own private studio at the collective. And I’m never looking back.

Joining the 317 Art Collective has not only given me a space to work, but I have also found a chance to connect with other artists and creatives again. I missed my people while I was disconnected from my creative self. I am endlessly grateful for the opportunity to work and create and connect with the collective and the community. Although events and activities are still sparse and very different, we’re present and committed to making, sharing, and inspiring art in our community. It’s beautiful to be a part of art and to express the art in me again.

I’m now heading in to the year 2022 with a community, with an outlet, with purpose. I’ll be offering classes at the studio starting in January on my own, in collaboration with other resident artists at the collective, and with talented members and organizations rooted in the community. At the end of 2021, I co-curated the gallery exhibition, Rx: Rainbows with fellow residents, Dylan Rose and Rhiannon Yandell. I’m so excited to take you on this ride with me!