Sophomore art education major Tiffany Nesbit has found ways to begin her art career while still pursuing her degree.
Nesbit sells her work at different farmer’s markets and displays her work at various art galleries.
The Lion's Roar/Megan Ferrando

While college is a place of learning, it can also be a place to begin a career. Sophomore art education major Tiffany Nesbit found that creating and selling her work does not have to begin after graduation.

“Now is the time to go out there and start your work, as a young artist,” said Nesbit. “The earlier the better for me because if you’re an artist, you’re always going to be an artist. You don’t need a degree to be an artist. Some of the greatest artists don’t have a degree so why wait?”

Nesbit has worked on multiple art exhibits already including “The Somethin’ Funky Show” which was based in Slidell at the Little Theatre. The exhibit showcased college artists, all of which were from Southeastern. 

“It was a student show made for students by students,” said Nesbit.

Nesbit worked alongside fellow artist and student Alex Bond. 

“‘The Somethin’ Funky Show’ started out just as an undergrad showcase, but all of our submissions ended up being at Southeastern so it ended up being a Southeastern showcase,” said Nesbit.

According to Nesbit, the show was a great space for artists to show off and advertise their work. Exhibits are one of many options artists have as college students to begin showcasing. 

Students can connect with their local community, farmer’s markets and more.

“Lots of local places are awesome supporters of local artists,” said Nesbit. “I go to different farmer’s markets, different local businesses. It’s good to communicate with the local businesses and see if they’re interested in contributing. Put yourself out there and go talk. The worst they can say is no.”

Besides reaching out to local businesses, Nesbit also features her work at membership galleries.

“I’m associated with the HRAC and the Art House in Covington,” said Nesbit. “They both have membership galleries, and that’s awesome for college students. There is a lot of support, you just have to look for it. People aren’t going to come to you, you have to go out.”

Nesbit has been showing her work for a long time and encourages all art students to begin getting their work out there.

“I was blessed with a good family who supported art, so I’ve always been out there showing my work,” said Nesbit. “But knowing a lot of friends here, it seems they really don’t have that experience. I can’t stress enough that it is so important for you to get your stuff out there as early as possible. Don’t be afraid to show it.”

While Nesbit has been working to showcase her work through college, she found her art education to be very beneficial to her growth as an artist.

“It’s definitely worth taking the classes,” said Nesbit. “I’ve learned so much being here. It is important. I think its good to be around other artists because you learn from each other.” 

Nesbit focuses largely on abstract art and channels her emotions through her pieces. Currently, Nesbit is working on a series titled “Forms of a Landscape” which focuses on abstract forms in nature.

“I consider myself an abstract artist,” said Nesbit. “I love abstract. It’s another good way of self-expression. You can see something in your mind and put it on paper rather than look at a photograph and copy it. If I feel frustrated, I usually go towards painting and paint crazy. If I just want to chill and relax, I make little doodles on paper and I usually go to ink work. So, different emotions go to different mediums.”

Currently, Nesbit sells work at the Abita farmer’s market on Sundays and on her Etsy page, found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TiffanyAngelStudio.