Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev

Shoelaces with Nathaniel Wheeler

April 03, 2023 Kosta Yepifantsev Season 2 Episode 63
Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev
Shoelaces with Nathaniel Wheeler
Show Notes Transcript

Join Kosta and his guest: Nathaniel Wheeler, Artist, Digital Illustrator, and Graphic Designer.

In this episode: Nathaniel's journey as a graphic designer and artist,  what inclusion looks like for a black artist in the Upper Cumberland, Nathaniel's artistic brand, his advice for young artists, and how diversity in art helps us to educate and open doors to conversations that can feel taboo and painful.

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.

Shop Nathaniel's Designs at Wheel's Work Design:
https://wheelersworksdesign.com/

Nathaniel's Design Portfolio:
https://www.nathaniellwheeleriiportfolio.com/

Find out more about Kosta and all the ways we're better together:
http://kostayepifantsev.com/

Nate Wheeler:

For the trauma that I've been through, I just want to manifest that into something beneficial. Everybody handles things completely differently. I do feel blessed. The way I handle things as you know will be beneficial to me and other people as well. Because you just really don't know what people are going through. When they see a piece like that a piece that's relatable to them and so many other people kind of gives them the push just say, Okay, this guy gets them he doesn't even know.

Morgan Franklin:

Welcome to Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev, a podcast on parenting business and living life intentionally. We're here every week to bring you thoughtful conversation, making your own path to success, challenging the status quo, and finding all the ways we're better together. Here's your host, Kosta Yepifantsev.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

Hey, y'all. This is Kosta. And today, I'm here with my guest, Nathaniel Wheeler, artist, digital illustrator, and graphic designer, Nate, before we get into this episode, I want to talk about how you started experimenting with different media from a young age. And what inspired your path as an artist.

Nate Wheeler:

I'll tell you what, I think the first thing that I remember illustrating, I think I was about three, I was in the bedroom with my, my grandma, she was ironing some clothes, and I just sat there right beside her bed. And I had a piece of paper and an ink pen. And I just looked at it, I just looked at, you know what she was doing. And I just drew it, I just began drawing it and drawing it more of the iron. For some reason, that was the most important thing that I drew. At that time. To me, I recently just saw it again, going through a bunch of bins, oh had bins in the attic. It looks like a cookie. But, you know, up until this day, my grandmother keeps on referencing it like you do you remember the first time you know you show me a picture which you drew as I really don't until she showed me again. I just got chill bumps because we started from there. Yeah.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

Is it like the sharp lines of the iron that attracted you? Like what was it about the iron that stood out?

Nate Wheeler:

Me being little as I was at the age of three, I think how I was sitting, I was sitting down crisscross applesauce and looking upward towards this at the time where I thought was like this humongous this board with his iron steam coming out of? I don't know, I just thought I just really want to illustrate it. I just don't know it just something is little insole symbol as somebody ironing it is can't miss it. I have to replicate that in some way.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

So what type of work in terms of your illustrations are you doing now? And what type of work do you enjoy doing the most?

Nate Wheeler:

Since I graduated, I've had to kind of challenge myself away that teachers, you know, haven't done for me before. Since the No, I don't have to go through a syllabus or nobody's telling me to like do this, do that for a grade actually have free rein in what I can do now. I've been working more heavily on typography and illustration, especially illustration, really just combining art and design and having a strong concise narrative to my art.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

And I'll be honest with you, the one class that I failed in high school was art. And I know you're not supposed to fail art, right. And I'm always fascinated by people who have, it's the patience, because here's the thing about art. For me personally, whenever I start, like drawing something, it has to be perfect. And if it doesn't end up being perfect, the moment that it's not perfect anymore, I immediately stop and I just can't come back to it, you know. And so for people that either have the will to say okay, it's never going to be perfect, or I can turn it into something perfect or what I would consider that it's rather astounding. Now you started as a civil engineer at Tennessee Tech and eventually transferred to graphic design. What did that experience and also that degree provides you?

Nate Wheeler:

Let's start from the beginning. It taught me a valuable lesson. Okay. Always listen to your mother. She knew and I knew that. I never really want to be a civil engineer. At first it was just because it paid well. You know, on a day by day basis, I like to use both sides of my brain creative and logistics. So Virginia was more like logic less creative. You have stuff like AutoCAD SketchUp anything that you can combine to make something work that part I loved but I knew in my heart that I wouldn't be a civil engineer for the rest of my life. You know that transition between you know, me being distraught. My grandmother encouraging me I knew what had to be done.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

Did you have to like go to school longer or did you change your major pretty early on

Nate Wheeler:

pretty early on but it did add another year

Kosta Yepifantsev:

it did add another okay.

Nate Wheeler:

I went to my advisor I said listen I gotta change my major this isn't working now. You know we talked and talk What are you good at what are you not good at computer science was in the mix. English was in the mix for some reason. But then we settled on the art and she says what about art? You know what about you know you can do this you no visual arts, I said, when you say art, I think broke. She suggested I take the course of digital design, graphic design. And I still didn't really hit me at some point. But you know, I said, why not? I'm really good at art why I like to think I am sure, let's give it a try. That was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

Well, and a lot of people don't realize this, because you know, when we say art, we think like Picasso, right? Anything is gonna be like making paintings and trying to like sell them to museums and stuff, private collectors, there is a huge and I know this personally, because me and Morgan do it day in and day out, there is a huge need for people who have that part of their brain turned on or good at creating content and creating specifically like your like, like what you do day in and day out graphic design, I have no idea how to do it. Morgan is proficient at it. But I mean, I think it would take her a lot more training to be able to be a quote unquote, professional at it, right. So the fact that you identified or at least your advisor, identified it early is great, you know, because the door is wide open, you can do anything with it. And there is a huge market for it. You've said before you want your art to have a name, meaning your brand and themes as an artist shine through even when it is an assigned piece. Will you share a few of those distinctive traits with us? And what does your brand as an artist look like today.

Nate Wheeler:

So really started, maybe my junior year of college, I was comparing myself to all the other artists, all the other designers in this class, amazing work so much more talented than than me, I think. But it was something that everybody had done. That was just the same formula. It felt like to me, they just did it for the grade. And I kind of want to be a little bit different than that, again, these these guys are stellar. But I want it to have some really raw meaning to it is very authentic, something that, you know, that would only be relatable to me, but just everybody that views it,

Kosta Yepifantsev:

that pulls people in this room with a story. So it's not just a piece of art, it's also a story behind that art. So is that what your brand is? Is storytelling,

Nate Wheeler:

combining style with substance?

Kosta Yepifantsev:

What made you want to do that it was it something like over the course of your life, you said I want to tell my story. And I'm going to do it through our or what inflection points got you to really want to make sure that people knew who Nate Wheeler was through his work,

Nate Wheeler:

the trauma that I've been through the in the past, I just want to manifest that into something beneficial. Everybody handles things completely differently. I do feel blessed. The way I handle things, as you know will be beneficial to me and other people as well. Because you just really don't know what people are going through. And when they see a piece like that a piece that's relatable to them and so many other people, it kind of gives them the push just say okay, this guy gets me he doesn't even know me.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

When you told your family that you wanted to be a graphic designer, did they support you? Oh, absolutely. So there wasn't any like, you'll be a broke artist?

Nate Wheeler:

No, no, my family, my grandmother especially, it just seems like she's proud of everything that I do. And I'm just I'm, I'm so blessed to have her in my corner to where, you know, whatever decision I make sure follow me every step of the way. And she was happy for me that I changed my major, she knew that I would be a lot happier with her not knowing the challenge. You know, this major actually gave me she was even more proud of me that I overcome those challenges in just turning something like that into, you know what I do now?

Kosta Yepifantsev:

Why Tennessee Tech, instead of all the other colleges that are in Tennessee. And I mean, you could have went to an HBCU you could have went to MTSU Vanderbilt, you could have went to an area that has a higher concentration of African American population, but you chose to go to Tennessee Tech, was it because of the engineering background. And then when you decided to not be an engineer anymore and become a graphic designer, you still stayed so tell me what it was about Cookeville that drew you here but also why you decided to stay even after you are no longer an engineer.

Nate Wheeler:

I'm gonna be honest with you. Going to the university wasn't really my first choice. Okay. We know I was suggested to go to a trade school school isn't for everybody. school wasn't still isn't for me. But I figured Civil Engineering major Tennessee Tech. It's an hour and a half away. Yeah, it's close, but it's not too close. You know, it gives me room for me to stretch my wings. Get on my mom's nerves a lot less. You know, that kind of separation really actually just brought us closer together in the long run. And I stayed because even as an engineering major, I still felt like I had a place in this town in this university.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

So it wasn't weird going from Nashville. You went to Hillsboro high school. It wasn't weird to go from Hillsboro High School to Tennessee Tech,

Nate Wheeler:

it actually worse at first. I remember actually the first day that I packed everything in, I went home the first day, when I stepped down in Cookeville. It feels so foreign in the university, like on campus. I didn't see anybody that looked like me. And I just felt so out of place. And so right away, I said, Okay, we're gonna be fine. It's gonna, it's gonna be okay. Let me unpack, you know, let me meet my roommate, which is still my best friend today. He's, I love him to death. But I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to do. So what happens when you don't know what to do? You got to go back home, you got to recuperate? Sure, sorry, yourself out. Yeah, these engineering classes being predominantly white. Again, I still felt that I didn't belong in a way, you know, physically, like in there like mentally and with my major, I felt a sense of the imposter syndrome. I see. Ever since I got Legos, I knew that I want to build I knew that I had a skill to use with my hands. But you know, walking into the auditorium just like chi, what did I walk myself into? What did I literally walk myself into, but it was just a lesson, you really think you want something. But you know, at the end, you kind of see that everything happens for a reason that at the end, it just, it just benefits you.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

And so I don't want to put words in your mouth. But I'm assuming that at this point, you know, you've spent five years in Cookeville. So you obviously feel welcome. in Cookeville, you've, you know, you feel represented in Cookeville. I'm assuming, again, you can correct me if I'm wrong. But I mean, how did you pivot from? Was it the fact that you changed your major? Or was it the work that Dr. Rob did with diversity and inclusion and make students of color feel welcome and a part of the community? What changed your mind so that you felt you know, this is my town? This is a place for me?

Nate Wheeler:

To be honest with you, it wasn't even the major change? No, when I changed it to graphic design, I still was the only African American student in there. But I said, Okay, history is going to repeat itself. But I want to I want to make a change. Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to learn all these new software's these three hour classes, and I had like three a day, I'm in the same exact spot for nine hours plus some breaks in between, obviously, but I said, Okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna make this mine, we already made the change. Let's go through with it. And maybe a pride thing too, which I, you know, I just didn't want to change my major in the first place. Because I didn't want to feel defeated. But I didn't quit. I didn't accept defeat, I changed my major kept on going, graduated. But it just felt different i because maybe it's something that I was confident I was really good at even dealing with the new software. It was a time it was a heck of first first semester. But after that semester, I said, I know I can get really good at this. I know this is new to me. But I can get really good at this. And so that's somewhat afterwards you to illustration videos, typography videos, all these tutorials. It's amazing. All the stuff you can learn on YouTube that you can in any university actually plus is free.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

Exactly. And I saw your portfolio and I looked fantastic. Did you create that when you were still in college? Yes. Okay, so correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you spent a lot of time working on your craft. And this happens a lot. So I was born in Russia, I moved to the United States when I was five years old. And not to say that I received any type of undue racism. But you had the occasional, like, comment about being a commie and I come from a Jewish background. So you have that. But I'll tell you, if I wasn't working, I'm sure I'd let all that stuff get to me. But when I sink my teeth into a project, and I'm focusing on building something like this business or my life in general, I don't let any of that get in the way. So do you think that you were just so hyper focused that you felt like that under-representation that you felt when you first came to Cookeville just went away? Because you were just so busy focusing on your craft?

Nate Wheeler:

I was definitely focusing on myself at the time. I didn't really let that get to me. And you mentioned, you know, Dr. Rob, yeah. And the BCC. I was offered to be in that space. But I knew, you know, my first year, I just really had to be by myself. I had to be by myself for a little bit. And I'm actually glad that I didn't join because they came to me, they accepted me and just meeting one person. It felt like I was meeting five people with one person, it was maybe five or six connections. And those people led me there, those people we just started networking,

Kosta Yepifantsev:

you did a collaboration with the Black Cultural Center, the BCC that you were referencing, titled brutality, because the very essence of this project is a reality most white people will never fully understand, especially from a black perspective. What did this project mean to you? And what does it represent?

Nate Wheeler:

So at first, this was around the time my junior year of college. I was starting a project for I think it was designed to or design three, and I was so close to it. I had all these new skills. I had learned these techniques I learned from you too, and oh, it's so cool. was in the project was due, I think three days after I'm in the library sitting down, and the news pops up on my phone. And it talks about George Floyd's killer. It just been prosecuted. And I don't know why I froze. I feel so many emotions in that moment, I felt justice has been served. I felt sad, I was angry. I actually teared up a bit, actually, because I was thinking more about, you know, his family more than him actually. Like, just like the victims. Because, you know, he just, he just wasn't, he wasn't the only victim. So I was looking at my computer screen looking at this, like this cute stuff that I did. I was like, I'm looking at him like, what is this mean? This is cool. And all, but what does it mean? And I think right then in there, I wanted my art to really mean something, to really grab you and, and to make you think. So I did just that. brutality. brutality in America, it's called it's consist of five pieces, you know, fear, abuse of power, justice in the cycle. And all the figures in these illustrations are silhouettes, meaning, I never tried to disrespect anybody for not knowing is not being ignorant. It's just not knowing. When presenting this project, in front of, again, the predominantly white class, I went up to present and asked everybody raise your hand, if you're afraid of getting pulled over in, of course, everybody raised their hand, and not much of a gamble, because they wish there's one other black person in there. But intentionally, I picked out this other classmate and asked her, Why are you afraid? She says I'm afraid of getting a ticket. And you know, we all agree we all net asset. Yeah, I mean, I'm broke. I'm a college student, I don't want to I want to pay $150 for going five miles over the speed limit. And I say that's fear. That's a real emotion, and I'm afraid to, but instead of being afraid of being pulled over, I'm afraid of my life, the same emotion, just different aspects. And she understood that everybody, especially the instructor understood it. The project itself, spoke a lot of words. But I think the way I had presented it still taught being talked about today in other art shows, just the respect that I gave everybody to kind of open their minds and not feel dumb about it, about not knowing. After the presentation ended. There were tears. There were open minds and open hearts. And again, later that night, I had people texting me to say, Nate, I kind of want to learn some more. Will you teach me where you, you know, kind of gave me some counsel? Because you're my friend. And I mean, not like, obnoxious about it now. Like, okay, yeah, I got black friends. Let me see how they feel no, just very just opening like, welcome about learning new things about our culture. Absolutely.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

There's a professor in tech, Dr. Academy, she teaches African American Studies, took her course, I had tons of questions for her. Obviously, she's a professional, she's a doctor, professor. And she always says that the most important thing that we can do to help with race relations, because even though everybody says it's not a problem, we constantly keep finding out that it is, is to have those conversations is to seek out people that are willing to talk about it. There's a lot of people who don't want to talk about, you open the door with your project to say, this is how I feel. And you knew, obviously, by calling on the class that a lot of people are going to have questions even after the fact. There's a lot of people that don't want to do that. I mean, takes a lot of courage, because I'm sure moving forward, you're going to have another opportunity to present the same kind of material. And I believe, that don't want to put words in your mouth. But I believe that you want to. I asked you earlier, while we were waiting for everybody to arrive, I said, What's your dream job? And you said, you're doing your dream job. So I'll ask you again, what would be your dream job

Nate Wheeler:

to make people feel and to think, and to appreciate and to learn? Through my art? Through my voice, my presentation, I've got a story to tell. I feel like I'm just getting started. And you're right. I do want to do it again. I can't wait till I get the chance

Kosta Yepifantsev:

when you created that painting shoes on top, and you presented it at impact, tell that story for the listening audience. Because I mean, the whole reason why you're here today is because Jessica and I were sitting at the impact gala a few weeks back, and I said, That's fascinating. He's fascinating. His story's fascinating. I've got to talk to him. So please elaborate on the whole entire project and what it means to you.

Nate Wheeler:

I really wanted to start the project on my dad's birthday. I didn't know anything about an art show or anything, it just not necessarily honing my skills, just conceptually do something that I haven't really done before this deep. I thought about it, and thought about it, and made some sketches, wrote words, paragraph stories. But I just couldn't get myself to do it. I wanted to start on his birthday. And then I went to in on his death day, every time I thought about it, I would just be so sad. I would just get so teary eyed and said, Okay, so what what if I complete the art within, you know, I guess I thought, in the moment, it was going to be my own type of closure. But I did the opposite. It did the opposite at the time. But then our good friend, Brandon, he was kind of down on his luck trying to find a venue for the art show. You know, I got in touch with Andrew, your Cusco. Also I love we're allowed to a little bit of depth. And they communicated. He got a venue. He tells me about the venue. And then I'm just like, oh, god, okay. I mean, I got two options, that I could, you know, just give them the stuff that I've done before. Or I could just do something new. At the time, it wasn't given. I said, Listen, I really don't want to work on anything else. I'm fully employed. Now, I don't think I have enough time. But I don't know, in a way him telling me that and him telling me, you know, when I'm supposed to have all the art and that was a push for me. Personally, this is something that you really never done before. Any something so personal, and so vulnerable. And I think that's what I was kind of afraid of at the time, especially sewing somebody showing people I'll be a little vulnerable, you know, mushy here and there, you know, with you know, a couple of people, especially with people you don't know, I just didn't have the gumption at the time. Really, that was just conceptually mentally wishes a huge challenge for me. And so I got to work. And I asked myself, so how am I going to do this? You know, I really don't even have a concept yet. I don't really make sketches a lot. I just write, I write and I read. So I was just thinking about all the memories. So little I remember, for me, my father. There's not a lot, you can teach a six year old kid. But there was just one memory. One lesson in particular that he taught me was to tie my shoes. The joy this man had on his face, tears just coming out of his eyes, watching his son, finally tie his shoes by himself after he was like three hours of teaching. I had the shoe laces all backwards. I had the tongue twisted, I put my shoe on backwards, I'm sure you know, I just he said no, no, like this, like this. And I was like, like, this was like, no, like, I could actually paint another picture of right now we were as I was on the stairs. And he was he was just right in front of me. how proud he was that, you know, after all that time, his son accomplish something gets so excited. Scurry, say, take his phone, his flip phone out of his pocket, flips it up, takes us 10 foot and 10 out causes my my grandmother, Mom, he he learned how to tie your shoes. He learned how to tie your shoes. He did it. He was crying and yelling. And I was confused and I was crying and yelling to I was like I thought I thought it was right. From then up into his passing. I know at the age of six I didn't I didn't know what passed meant. I didn't know what government play. Is he going to be at work longer. You know what, let's see him again. And the my grandma she tells me that's the hardest thing she ever had to do is just tell me about any that's gone. He's not coming back what happened? He was on his way to work. He was on the road on his motorcycle. And he stopped at a stop sign with the 18 Wheeler behind him did not. Oh my gosh. Random over, flipped. Tire came off the trailer. Hit him in the head with a motorcycle helmet on it crushed half of a school.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

Yeah. Wow. And so this picture is essentially a way for you to honor his memory and the things that he was able to teach you in the short amount of time that you guys had together. You said something when you were up on stage at impact. You said at that moment, gives you the confidence to try anything. And I'm curious, and I don't know if this is accurate or not. But the fact that he's not here, I know as much as you wish that he was. Well you don't want to waste the time that you have You really want to accomplish something great. I think that's pretty awesome.

Nate Wheeler:

That's right. And I appreciate that. Since his absence, spontaneous, not by choice, it changes the narrative with an African American father leaving you. But that was just life that got from then to now, the challenges saw the dark days, the fear of violence in my life, in those moments with him that being here, I'm looking at my shoes. And it feels like I'm asking myself, How do I tie my shoes without him? How do I get myself together without him? And what is going to tell him for him?

Kosta Yepifantsev:

You got good people around you to to help you though. A shirt though? What advice do you have to young artists, specifically black and minorities, about honing their skill, finding experience and turning their passion into a professional career?

Nate Wheeler:

Shoot for the stars, the amount of students I've met a class above or a few below, just by no talking with them, you would never really know how talented these students are. And ask them what are you doing in this field? I don't know. It was this easy. It was easy. I mean, I could just skate by you can take the easy road. But do you enjoy it? No, not really. I just want to you know, just get this over with. You're spending all this money, all this time, all the stressor for four, maybe five years, and you're not enjoying what you're doing. I am so blessed to have people in my corner to encourage me to take the extra step. enjoy what I'm doing, being proficient at it, being happy above everything else. If you're not happy than what are you doing here? Do something that you're passionate about. Whatever you put into it, that's what's going to come out.

Kosta Yepifantsev:

So we always like to end the show on a high note. Who is someone that makes you better when you're together?

Nate Wheeler:

I have to say to people, Miss Lilly, may Wheeler, my grandmother and Jessica limos, some of the most beautiful inside and out just incredible women that I know both teach me to be patient, understanding knowledgeable and the good part about it. It's not one sided I teach them to they teach me everything I teach them everything.

Morgan Franklin:

Thank you for joining us on this episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev. If you've enjoyed listening and you want to hear more, make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. Leave us a review or better yet, share this episode with a friend. Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a Kosta Yepifantsev Production. Today's episode was written and produced by Morgan Franklin post production mixing and editing by Mike Franklin. Want to know more about Kosta visit us at kostayepifantsev.com We're better together.