About

Nicole Shannon is an artist whose work serves as an invitation into inquiry, a catalyst for questioning and awareness. Her practice explores how humans construct meaning, perceive reality, and shape their inner and outer worlds through thought and belief.

Nicole creates work that encourages viewers to examine the assumptions they hold about themselves, others, and the world around them. Her pieces often function as symbolic or metaphoric prompts that challenge certainty, illuminate cognitive and emotional patterns, and create space for reflection.

In her early work as a bench jeweler, Nicole designed objects infused with metaphor and symbolism that were intended to offer moments of reflection and empowerment for the wearer. This approach continued to evolve through bodies of work that include sculptural explorations of post-traumatic growth, conceptual portraiture that examines the inner worlds we create, and paintings and symbolic forms that question culturally inherited definitions of value, identity, and divergence. Across mediums, her intention remains consistent. She seeks to disrupt passive seeing, spark curiosity, and encourage greater self-awareness and agency.

Nicole’s practice exists at the intersection of art and philosophy. Through material and conceptual exploration, she examines how people interpret experience, construct identity, and navigate change. Her work invites viewers into a space where meaning is not given but discovered. In this space, the act of looking becomes an act of thinking.

Nicole is an internationally exhibited and award-winning artist whose work has been showcased in Vogue, New York Fashion Week, the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, and the Telfair Museum in Savannah, Georgia, along with other curated exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad. Her work is also held in the permanent collections of Clemson University’s Center for Human Genetics, the University of Chicago’s Department of Human Genetics, Boston Children’s Hospital, the Greenwood Genetic Center, and The Medical University of South Carolina.

She studied art and design at SUNY New Paltz and the Savannah College of Art and Design. In addition to her artistic practice, Nicole is a certified Thrive Coach and the founder of Create Potential®, where her artistic and philosophical inquiries intersect with her exploration of creativity as a fundamental human capability that supports resilience, innovation, and intentional life design.