Nicole Houff, Artist

Hello and welcome to the 65th 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time I interviewed the totally unique and cool artist Nicole Houff. When I saw her art for the first time I thought it was such an excellent idea and her work is fun, clever and well executed. It has been great to watch her become more and more popular over the last few years. I loved her answers and I think you will too! Thank you for reading! (Artist photo: Anna Rajdl / All art images courtesy of the artist / Instagram: @nicolehouff  / Website: nicolehouff.com)

Jackson: Did you always feel like an artistic person? What put you on the photography path?

Nicole: I definitely always felt like an artistic person. As a kid I would draw all the time, and as I got older I dreamed of being an artist. Honestly I don't remember wanting to be anything else. 

After high school I enrolled at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN where I received a BA with a major in Studio Art. After college I got a job as a black and white (film) photo printer at a local lab. I did that for just under a decade, but as the photo industry started shifting to digital at an exponential rate, I knew my days were numbered. I returned to school and received my Associate Degree in Photography and Digital Imaging from Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Afterwards, I worked at a professional commercial photo studio and had a side job photographing events for a local magazine. 

When both of those industries took a turn, I decided to focus solely on my Barbie photography, which I had been doing on the side for years. Now I sell my artwork online, at art fairs and at galleries.

Jackson: I remember seeing one of your pieces years ago and thinking it was a fantastic concept. How did Barbie becoming a global phenomenon impact your career? How do you deal with copycats?

Nicole: Thanks! I have been using Barbie in my photography for 17 years, so admittedly, when the Barbie movie was announced I really didn't give it much thought. Then the promos started coming out in the summer of 2022 and every other person that stepped into my booth at the art fairs mentioned it. One of my fellow artists looked at me and said "next summer is either going to be a dream for you, or a total nightmare." To say that the summer of 2023 was the former would be an understatement. The movie created a whirlwind and I got to go along for the ride. 

Even though I had NOTHING to do with the movie, when it came out I was interviewed by the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Fox 9, Lori and Julia on myTalk 107.1, the list goes on! Everyone wanted to talk Barbie and I was more than happy to join the conversation. One of the most impactful phenomenons was that people were coming into my booth at art fairs and sharing their experiences going to the movie and Barbie in general. I mean, totally opening up to me. In many cases, these were people that I had never met before. It was absolutely beautiful and a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. 

As far as copycats, that's a tough one to answer. Artists are influenced by fellow artists all the time and the references to others throughout art history are innumerable. With Barbie being around for 65 years, there have been, and currently are, countless artists that use the doll as subject matter. I'm not the first person, nor will I be the last, to take photos of Barbie. I'm friends with other photographers that use Barbie and we all have our own style and quite honestly, there's always room for more. It's more productive to view it as a community, not a competition.

I think most folks, even if they reference another person's work, are not doing it maliciously. As they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery. And sometimes we don't even realize we were influenced by something we saw and incorporated into our own work. 

I think the hurtful part is when someone deliberately tries to piggyback on an artist for their own financial gain, which is different than just fellow artists being creative. 

Regardless of the situation, it's always best to remember that we're part of a larger community - no one creates in a total vacuum. I'd rather look at MORE art, not LESS.

Jackson: If you could meet any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

Nicole: If I could meet any artist, it would be Andy Warhol. The whole Pop Art movement generally, and Warhol in particular, really changed what was considered "fine" art. He blurred the lines between art and mainstream consumerism to the point that, in my eyes, brought a new approachability and transperacy to art. He made it ok to talk about his art as a business, all the while not being afraid to do experimental work. As an artist that literally uses a doll as my subject matter, I feel like his contribution to the trajectory of art and the business of art is paramount.