Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicholas Hartman
Hi Nicholas, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always been drawn to the arts whether it was writing, drawing, filmmaking, music, etc. However, I really never intended to be an artist and it all sort of happened by accident, well at least Chapel of Ghouls did.
As a kid I really enjoyed sitting down at a desk and drawing but I was one who would draw other people’s art such as superheroes and villains. As time progressed and I grew into an adult I began struggling with mental health issues such as anxiety and panic attacks due to a lot of unresolved childhood trauma, break ups, and loss of loved ones.
I remember one specific moment in my life where I started having a really bad panic attack and to calm myself down I just started drawing and I noticed how much it calmed my nerves. Anytime after an attack would hit I would continue to draw and I noticed I was always drawing the same thing – that was what I call a “ghoul”.
These ghouls I began drawing were what I was feeling inside and putting them on a canvas was a way of releasing the negativity with in.
Overall, Chapel of Ghouls came to life out of my anxieties and I really never intended to be an artist. To my surprise, here I am now putting on multiple art shows, working with local businesses, painting murals, and being an advocate for all things mental health through the power of creativity.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My life has been on a dirt road for the most of my life. Sure, I’ve hit some smooth patches here and there, but unfortunately I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth and suffered from health issues as a child.
When I was around 7 years old I was introduced to death by losing two of my cousins who were 7 and 9 years old. This moment defined my life and made me aware of my mortality at a very young age and it’s something I suffer from till this day.
I then developed epilepsy at the age of 12. I was in and out of hospitals, overly medicated, and didn’t really get an opportunity to experience my early teenage years. Due to years of tests and struggle I developed an extreme sense of hypochondria due to my mother’s concern. Anytime something was wrong with me I was rushed to the doctor and I was always led to believe something was wrong with me.
At age 16 I began to grow out of my epilepsy and began living somewhat of a normal life. However, due to me being the kid with epilepsy I had a really difficult time fitting in and coming from a small town I was the “weird” kid.
As I dealt with that, death worked his way back into my life and began taking other friends and family from my life. Yet again, I am reminded of my mortality and how short life really is.
I could go into detail about all of this but I’d be writing a novel at that point. Overall, all of these bumps in the road created who I am and it made me the artist I am. Am I grateful? Am I grateful? Sure, at moments I’m proud of who I am and all I have accomplished. All though, I’d rather have my friends and family still among us and I’d rather would have been a healthy child but unfortunately, that was out of my hands.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in painting, particularly acrylics on canvas. However, I do explore other mediums such as filmmaking, digital art, writing, and making my own comics.
One of my biggest accomplishments as an artist was being a featured artist for The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) for 2024’s Art Prize. I ended up altering the Uncle Sam image and put one of my ghoul faces over his. Instead of the text reading “I want you for the army” it read “I want you to talk about your feelings”. I then printed over 3,000 posters and covered the exterior of the museum.
The piece had a pretty big impact around the city of Grand Rapids. Some negative, some positive. As I was installing I was spit on, I was called derogatory names, and threatened with physical violence. Some even went out of there way to vandalize the piece by ripping portions down. Due to this, I was interviewed by a couple local news stations and I had the opportunity to express the importance of kindness, love, and talking about your feelings.
I would say what sets me apart from others is my work is pretty dark, spooky, strange. So many are uncomfortable with the “dark” and most avoid it as an art form because, well, it doesn’t really sell that well. There are times when I’m drawing out in public and I’ll be approached by strangers asking to take a look at what I’m drawing. They’ll look, and then respond with “Why don’t you try drawing something happy, like flowers or birds?” I always try and respond with kindness and let them know we all see beauty in other things. I would also state that I’m extremely vulnerable and open with how I feel/emotional state. This has helped me connect with so many others who are struggling with depression, mental health, anxiety, etc.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The art industry is always changing and technology is always evolving so we’re already seeing a shift in art with all the A.I. crap. I don’t want to sound out of touch because I understand times change and we should evolve with the times, however, the whole A.I. thing isn’t really art to me. How is typing words into a computer and generating an image “art”?
I know some look at my work and probably think the same thing – “how is that art”.? I guess it’s all subjective and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Honestly though, I see the art industry/community decreasing in size in the next 5-10 years. History has a way of repeating itself. For the last 10 years social media has taken the art world by storm and everyone is an artist now. Everyone is sharing what they create and it’s great! However, I don’t think social media will be around forever and we’re already seeing a lot of people leaving these platforms.
I think we’re going to get to a point where social media isn’t a thing anymore and artists will have to go back to grass roots. They’ll have to make their own flyers for their shows, will have to make paintings without sharing online, and overall promote themselves without the help of social media.
I could be totally wrong in this statement but I just feel like we’re headed in that direction.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Chapel0fghouls
