Stevie Nicks 6/52
Painting 5 of 52 influential people, “and so they changed the world.”
Piece Name: Stevie Nicks 6/52
Medium: Art Journal Page, Acrylic Paint, Micron Pen, Gen Pen.
Idea: While studying Stevie Nicks, I learned that she was often called “The White Witch,” a label she was initially uncomfortable with because she didn't want to be associated with the occult. Over time, she came to embrace the name on her own terms.
That evolution made me think about how often we resist parts of ourselves because we're afraid of how they'll be perceived. Sometimes, the very thing we fear others won't accept becomes something we learn to own.
This portrait represents a woman stepping into a name she didn't choose, redefining it for herself, and discovering that she doesn't have to abandon who she is to become who she's meant to be.
We don't always change the world by becoming someone new. Sometimes we change it by refusing to hide who we are.
This week, I didn’t want to tell you who was influential. I wanted to hear who you think is influential. I wanted to leave room for perspectives beyond my own, because the world is far too big, and human experience far too varied, for any one person to tell the whole story.
So here I am, studying a woman whose life I didn’t choose to explore, trusting that there is something worth discovering. Perhaps that is a lesson in itself: we don’t always have to understand why someone else’s story matters to them before we make room for it to matter.
As I continue this series, I hope it becomes more than an exploration of the people who changed the world. I hope it becomes a reminder that we are all participants in it.
You don’t have to be famous to have a voice. You don’t have to be an artist to create something meaningful. You don’t have to change the entire world to make a difference.
You simply have to be willing to show up, to contribute, and to let yourself be heard.
And sometimes, all it takes to begin is someone asking you what you think—and giving you the freedom to answer.
So this painting is for every person who has ever wondered whether their voice matters.
I am here to tell you, it does, so make sure you use it.
