Nicole Buffett: The Spirit in the Pixel
Where ancient wisdom meets digital innovation
In a world where art often lives on either canvas or screen, Nicole Buffett bridges both, infusing soulful storytelling into modern mediums. From hand-dyed textiles in Jaipur to blockchain-powered activism, her work is a vibrant fusion of ancestral wisdom, ecological purpose, and cutting-edge technology. Named one of Fortune’s Top 50 Influencers in the NFT space, Nicole uses her platform not just to create, but to heal, connect, and awaken. With every brushstroke and digital mint, she invites us to see art not only as expression, but as a force for collective transformation.
What inspired you to become an artist, and how has your journey evolved?
Being an artist was something modeled by both my parents and grandparents. My Mother and Father turned the bottom of our San Francisco Victorian into a music production studio as a child in the 80s. I was surrounded by creative professionals all my life: musicians, editors, producers, stylists, visual artists, etc. I saw the adults in my life as bigger than life, and I aspired to follow in their footsteps.
I understood in a very primary way that I wanted to carry a certain way of living and way of being forward. This way of being is the way of the artist. The way of the artist is about being a trailblazer, a trend setter, a creative that is fearless when it comes to self-expression and developing the unique signature character that is up to each of us to discover and cultivate as an offering to each other. I realized at around 3 or 4 years old that I wanted to become an artist.
How does nature and spirituality show up in your creative process?
Nature and spirituality are the foundation of my work. The creative process is the healing process. In my creative process, I become an open channel and make myself available to a higher intelligence. There is a letting go of the mind and an embracing of the intuitive. Part of the preparation that is required to enter into the creative process is mostly about my willingness to engage with my inner world and utilize the natural world as a tool for expression. My ideal environment is the natural world. There is a kind of “re-wilding” that is activated when I begin to paint and access the creative self. It is medicine for the mind, body and spirit because there is a dynamic surrendering that occurs somewhat similar to what we might think of as lucid dreaming. All three aspects of (mind/body/spirit) are working in rapport with one another in service of the creative act. In this way, making art is a spiritual practice and is the greatest medicine; regardless of the subject matter, there is inherent value in it simply because the act itself is transcendental.
Can you share a moment when art helped you heal or connect more deeply with yourself? Or others?
I have a saying that encompasses the power of how and why art heals. It is:
“The creative force does not discriminate.”
What I mean by this is that the creative force, or the act of making art, does not and will not differentiate the energy we bring to it. Similar to a flame, all it wants and needs is fuel to keep the light and fire burning. Much like a log to fire, the creative force doesn’t care if what I bring to it is happiness or sadness or anger. It takes all emotions equally. I realized this because, regardless of my emotional state, the space and place of making art somehow neutralize the emotion and simply transform that emotion into the physical in the form of what we call art. The creative force is the zero-point position. It is the reset, it is the ultimate neutralizer, giving me, the artist, access to a kind of “birds eye view” where all experience, be it painful or blissful, has value.
You’ve worked with many global causes—what drives you to use your art for social and environmental impact?
My father, my mother and my grandparents have all modelled for me the joy in service. I think that what drives me to use my art for social impact is a deep sense of responsibility. I feel that not only is it the responsibility of the artist to respond to current affairs, but it is also the privilege of the artist to utilize our work to shed light and reimagine our world. The artist is a kind of cosmic mirror, reflecting the possibilities, revealing new faces of beauty. Through art, we can see things in a new way and consider things outside of the mundane that desperately need our attention. Art serves all of us in that way. Art is a tool and language that shapes our identity as human beings. That’s what drives me, this potential, this capacity that art has to bring awareness to our personal power and collective power to change how we relate to ourselves, each other and the natural world.
What drew you into the world of digital art and NFTs, and how has that expanded your work?
During the pandemic, I quickly realized that moving into the digital realm was the only way I was going to continue to share my work with the world, and what ended up happening was that the technology expanded my reach farther than it ever would have had that restriction not been there. Going digital was an act of perseverance and bridged this massive gap, allowing me to leap into new dimensions with my work on a global scale. I began to collaborate with animators, composers and attached writing to my work. The screen became more of a window through which I could extend and share to an even greater degree than before.
How do you balance traditional art forms with new technology in your creative projects?
I integrate. For me, the integration of traditional art forms and mediums alongside tech is natural, and in fact, the tech accelerates the content. It has been and will always be paramount to honor what I call the ‘origin source’ of my work as the cornerstone to the value that tech brings to my work. There is no replacement for the human hand in my work, for the human heart in my work, for the human element I my work. Technology is an ally that accelerates its reach and enhances the work.
What have you learned from your experiences at artist residencies around the world?
I think the artist is always leaning to trust the creative process. With every residency, I learn to embrace the mystery of the creative process. I learn that we do not make art in a vacuum. We are impressionable creatures. Set and setting are incredibly powerful and significant to the artist’s process. Every residency has a group of artists who come together- a synergy, an unconscious and conscious symbiosis happens, and that dialogue starts to show up in the work. In this same way, the set and setting.
What role do you think artists play in healing or shifting culture today?
I think artists play a massive role in healing and shifting culture today. I think of the artist as something synonymous with the role of the village shaman- there is information, both hidden and revealed in art that serves a purpose beyond what appears to be on the surface. The power of color alone is profound. When we look at a Rothko, his work, for example, creates a visceral experience of color that commands both the authority and power that color has to affect us. This work and all artwork functions to re-sensitise us. I think of art as an actual place. Art is not just an image or a piece of fabric that someone wears- it is information, it is an emotion, it is a state of being.
How has public recognition, like features in major media, impacted your work or mission?
Like technology, media has accelerated and gifted me with the immense privilege of sharing my work with the world. The media attention has pushed me to become a multi-dimensional artist- being an artist is not just about the objects we make. Being an artist is about living a certain way, speaking a certain way, being a certain way. That “certain” way is about authenticity, vulnerability and freedom.
What advice would you give to artists who want to use their voice and creativity to make a difference?
The best advice I was ever given and will give to any creative in any fields is this:
If it doesn’t excite you, how can you expect it to excite another?
Meaning: We, the creators, the artists, are the ones who must pass our test. We only compete with ourselves. To fulfil our own need for beauty is to provide beauty. When we can look at our creation with ease and satisfaction, we have completed our mission. How others respond or react is their experience. That is our job- to create from a place of pristine authenticity and to give our work over to the world to experience it for what it is—
An authentic, true piece of ourselves. It is a sacrifice, it is a sacred act and object made to bring this world back to life.
