The Chaos Is Part of the Brand: An Origin Story
Let’s get one thing straight: I didn’t choose the creative life. The creative life chose me around 6th grade, when I realized I could draw better than most of my classmates and, more importantly, sell my drawings to them for locker and notebook decor. Capitalism, but make it doodled.
I’ve been a chaos-powered creative ever since. My path has been anything but linear (because duh, I’m neurospicy). I’ve gone from slinging newspaper ads as a graphic designer, to managing clinics in the medical field, to organizing people's junk drawers, to painting murals, designing logos, and turning homes into ADHD-friendly sanctuaries. Somewhere in between all of that, I dabbled in photography, hand lettering, and questioning all my life choices during late-night caffeine benders. You know… the usual.
At one point, I tried to be “responsible” (a scam, if we’re being honest). I left the design world for job security and a steady paycheck in medical admin. I wore real clothes. I went to meetings. I pretended I understood how to mute myself on Zoom.
But I never stopped creating.
Design was my side hustle for years. My joy, my escape, my “this meeting could’ve been an email” antidote. I’d sneak in time to build logos, design t-shirts, or plan out brand vibes for small businesses who, like me, were just trying to make something cool out of the chaos.
It wasn’t until people kept coming back—again and again—for new projects that it hit me: Oh. This is bigger than a side hustle. This is a damn brand.
And that brand? It’s a reflection of my brain: fast, colorful, slightly obsessive, and allergic to beige. I used to fight my neurodivergence like it was the villain in my origin story, but now? It's my whole damn power source. The way I process, pivot, design, and thrive in disorder—that’s the magic.
I spent years trying to “fit in” to what a professional creative should look like. Spoiler: it didn’t work. Now? I show up in black, bold fonts, lightning bolts, street art vibes, and the occasional skull. It’s unapologetic. It’s authentic. It’s Nicko Creative.
Chaos isn’t the obstacle. It’s the strategy. It’s the spark that keeps things weird, wonderful, and 100% me. And thanks to my wife (my biggest hype woman), I finally gave myself permission to go all in. No backup plan. No safety net. Just vibes and a highlighter-yellow to-do list.
If you’re reading this wondering if you’re “too much” or “not polished enough” to build something real: you're not. In fact, that mess you're trying to hide? It might just be your brand identity.
So here’s your permission slip: Embrace the chaos. Be who you are. Loudly, creatively, unfiltered. That’s where the good sh*t lives.
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